We Call Her Big Mama Oak

We call her Big Mama Oak.

Most hikers in Coldwater Canyon Park probably don’t know her by name, but I am well acquainted with her. She has likely been a resident of our park for somewhere between 200 and 300 years.

Coast live oaks (Quercus agrifolia), like Big Mama Oak, can live to be 850 to 1,500 years old!

From providing food and shelter to countless animal species to cleaning the air we breathe, helping store water and combat erosion, these oaks are the cornerstone of our local ecosystems.… Read more >>

TreePeople & LA Take a Giant Step Toward Resilience

“Resilience is a value that guides everything we do in Los Angeles, because we know that the decisions we make today will shape the future our children and grandchildren will inherit. The Resilient Los Angeles plan will help us strengthen our infrastructure, protect our economy, make our institutions more inclusive, and create safer neighborhoods.”
– Mayor Eric Garcetti

Last month, the City of LA took a big step toward becoming more climate-ready when it published its first-ever Resilience Strategy. The strategy is part of the global 100 Resilient Cities effort pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation.… Read more >>

Magnificent March for Green Youth Leaders

“Our youths are the roots of our future and the leaf canopy to our human existence.
They must thrive, and we must empower them too.”

Students across LA are leading the charge in their communities like never before! Just last month, TreePeople’s Youth Leadership Program accomplished some magnificent numbers:

  • 130 Youth Directly Engaged In Events
  • 40+ Native Plants Cared For at Coldwater Canyon Park
  • 120 Trees Cared For around LA
  • 600+ square feet of California Poppy Seeds Planted

From Youth Leadership Summits to Park Tree Care events, students are getting involved every day to create a greener, healthier future for all Angelenos.… Read more >>

Growing a Greener Future One Acorn at a Time

In 1977, TreePeople set roots at Coldwater Canyon Park, a 45-acre slice of wonder hidden in the Santa Monica mountains. The former fire station is home to miles of hiking trails, magnificent old oak trees, and some of the most scenic vistas in the LA.  For over 40 years, we’ve had a profound connection to not only this hilly outcrop that we call home, but to the entire mountain range that surrounds us and the city. That is why we here at TreePeople are committed to preserving and restoring the wildlands in the Santa Monica Mountains for generations to come.… Read more >>

The Spirit of Place

Working at TreePeople, if I am going to talk the talk, I felt I needed to walk the walk.

Some years ago I began converting my traditional lawn-covered yard into a more sustainable, climate-ready version. My husband was game, thrilled that he would not have to mow anymore! In addition to removing the lawn, we also redirected our existing garage downspout into a front yard rain garden to capture precious rainwater, planted natives and other low-water-use plants, and added fruit trees (yum!).… Read more >>

Growing a Green Future at Carthay Elementary

A green future is a bright future when it involves our schools.

Last month, TreePeople, along with our partners Boeing and The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, helped transform the campus of Carthay Center Elementary School. With the aid of students, teachers, and all manner of volunteers from the local community, our team installed an interactive learning garden of over 600 native plants at the front of the campus! Every plant was carefully chosen for its value to local birds and insects, offering the students new ways to learn and connect with the natural world that surrounds us.… Read more >>

The Shape of the Landscape

As of the end of January, LA had seen just 28% of its average precipitation since October – the official beginning of our region’s rainy season. On the heels of another incredibly dry winter, 22% of California is still in “severe drought” – so doing what we can in our yards is essential!

Mother Nature Knows Best

In natural areas, the landscape is perfectly laid out to reap all the benefits of rainwater. During storms, rain falls to the ground and flows through the hills and valleys of the land allowing it to slow down, spread out, and then sink into the soil.… Read more >>

Youth Leaders Aim for Climate-Ready Schools!

The future of our environment lies in the hands of our teens, and we couldn’t be more excited!

Earlier this month, our Environmental Education department hosted one of our favorite events, The Youth Leadership Summit. Every year we invite students from all over the County who are eager to change the future of LA’s environmental up to our hilltop for a day to build and hone their leadership skills with other like-minded teens.

We were ecstatic to have over 40 eager young minds from 10 different schools join us this year.… Read more >>

Everyone has a Tree Story

“Everyone has a tree story.”

Chris Imhoff, our Director of Program Development, would know, as she’s been working with TreePeople since 1979. They say when you work in nonprofit, you wear a lot of hats. In Yurt Village, we like to say that Chris has worn them all.

Chris Imhoff sitting on the ground in the center with some of the original TreePeople staff.

Chris began with TreePeople as an Intern on our Environmental Education team. Since then, she has been a program manager, an executive assistant, a program co-director– and most importantly, a mentor to nearly everyone.  … Read more >>

Cause a Chain Reaction: How To Install a Rain Chain

As we all wait patiently for winter rains, installing a rain chain will add a fun, new aesthetic to your garden to make stormy days a little more fun. Wildflowers popping up from the warmth of the spring will love them too!

Install a rain chain!

Rain chains are functional, beautiful alternatives to downspouts. Instead of the tinny sound of water rushing through enclosed metal in a downspout, rain chains softly direct rainwater down creating a lovely feature for your garden, and a soothing sound in the process!… Read more >>