Mountains Restoration Trust turns 25
Hands-on approach to environment is lauded
By Judi Uthus Special to The Acorn

HEAL THE LAND- Mountains Restoration Trust program director and restoration specialist Jo Kitz demonstrates to children and volunteers methods to restore native habitat that is essential for wildlife.

In 2007, the Mountains Restoration Trust (MRT) celebrated its 25th year of stewardship in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Originally formed by a partnership between the California Coastal Commission and the California State Coastal Conservancy to assist the commission with preserving the Santa Monica Mountains, MRT has grown into a nonprofit land trust with staffed experts in many fields of preservation.

To date, MRT has added more than 6,000 acres to its protected lands, including acquisitions that provide rich riparian resources for the mountain region.

"The Mountains Restoration Trust has acquired land that allowed us to protect watersheds, link vital wildlife corridors and offer scenic and recreational enjoyment," said Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County supervisor.

The agency's goal has been to obtain land on behalf of other established park agencies, such as the National Park Service, California State Parks, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation and the city of Calabasas.

"Our expertise began to broaden our scope in what we could do in land conservation. We had the people who could write funding grants and negotiate deals," said Executive Director Steve Harris, who has been a MRT board member since 1982.

MRT manages one of the most prized areas within the mountain range: Cold Creek Preserve. In 1984, The Nature Conservancy entrusted MRT with its 525-acre preserve, then known as the Murphy Preserve. That same year, Cold Creek Preserve's Stunt High Trail was completed in collaboration with the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, opening the area for public enjoyment.

MRT continues to add acreage to the lush and pristine setting, which offers a safe haven for native wildlife. The agency directs guided hikes into the preserve and uses it as an outdoor laboratory for education and environmental research.

"Acquiring the land is only the first step," Harris said. "You also have to protect the natural resources and inform residents and visitors on their stewardship role in protecting rural areas."

Since 2005, MRT's offices have been at Headwaters Corner in Calabasas. The address at 3815 Old Topanga Canyon Road puts MRT right at nature's doorstep.

MRT has worked with the city to create an interpretive center on the 12-acre site that includes a year round stream, Dry Canyon Creek, which has been recently restored to its natural condition.

At the site, MRT runs programs, events and light recreational activities pertaining to mountain stewardship.

"What is evolving at Headwaters Corner is very exciting," said Woody Smeck, superintendent of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation, a unit of the National Park Service. "The educational programs and environmental studies are key areas we need to invest in for building a strong foundation to develop a sustainable wildlife and recreational network in the Santa Monica Mountains."

"We are all responsible for stewardship of these mountains, and we have learned that protecting them takes a constituency," Harris said. "Government cannot do it alone."

To obtain MRT's booklet "Living on the Edge," which was funded by the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, or to learn more about the agency's programs, volunteering, membership and land donations, call (818) 591-1701 or visit www.mountainstrust.org.