Video of Congressman Sherman in Action
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Brad Sherman (Sherman Oaks) announced today that the U.S. Department of Interior awarded $356,000 in federal funds to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Sherman had sought the funding from the U.S. Department of Interior for the environmental education and stewardship programs.
The Interior Department awarded funds for these projects in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area:
- Outdoor Education Programs for 10,000 Urban Youth – This project provides services, supplies, materials and transportation for 10,000 students from LAUSD schools located in under-served communities in Greater Los Angeles so they can learn about the role of the National Park Service in conserving our natural and cultural heritage. Students can also interact with nature, which for a majority of students will be their first experience in nature.
- Stewardship Experience for Urban Youth through Watershed Restoration Activity – This program connects classroom theory and curriculum to field applications that promote long-term learning and stewardship of natural resources.
- BioBlitz – Create Environmental Stewardship through Discovery – The Santa Monica Mountains BioBlitz is a 24-hour inventory of the species in the Santa Monica Mountains. Teams of scientists and naturalists, along with volunteers, will comb the mountains' 150,000 acres, observing and recording as many species as possible.
On Friday, May 30, Sherman will join the National Park Service, National Geographic and other park partners in welcoming scientists, naturalists, and volunteers as well as thousands of school children to the Santa Monica Mountains BioBlitz – a 24-hour inventory of the species in the Santa Monica Mountains. BioBlitz begins at 11:30 a.m. and is followed by a BioDiversity Festival at Paramount Ranch in Agoura. The goals of the BioBlitz are to add to species lists for as many taxonomic groups as possible and to increase public awareness about biodiversity in the Santa Monica Mountains.
"Each year 33 million visitors from across Los Angeles and the world visit the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to access its pristine parks, hiking trails and world-renowned beaches," said Sherman. "As good stewards of the environment, we must work to protect wildlife and habitat in one the most diverse ecosystems in the world while offering recreational and educational opportunities for our youth and families."
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area – a unit of the National Park Service – is the world’s largest urban national park. It is located in the second largest urban area in the United States spanning 46 miles across Los Angeles from Point Mugu in the west to Griffith Park in the east.
Since his election to Congress in 1996, Congressman Sherman has secured $20 million in federal funds for land acquisition and trail construction, including the 65-mile Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
