Mountains Restoration Trust is increasing access too and environmental stewardship in the outdoors for fourth grade students in Los Angeles, California.

Calabasas, CA – June 28, 2016 – Mountains Restoration Trust is proud to announce The North Face awarded a 2016 Explore Fund grant for the Cold Creek Docents Field Program.   The Cold Creek Docents Field Program will launch in July 2016 and will accommodate 24 classes.  The Cold Creek Docent Field Program is dedicated to educating inner-city fourth grade students about the natural and cultural history of the Cold Creek watershed and its relationship to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and worldwide ecological principles.

To celebrate the National Park Service Centennial, the Cold Creek Docents Field Program is activating its program in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMRA) with the goal of bringing people to play, learn and serve in these spaces. The SMMNRA is the largest urban national park in the United States and preserves one of the best examples of a Mediterranean ecosystem in the world.

The North Face selected a total of 45 nonprofits that engage their participants in opportunities that inspire a lifelong love of the outdoors. Selected programs use outdoor exploration as a catalyst for positive personal or societal change, to encourage participants to try new outdoor activities, and promote environmental stewardship values.

“Encouraging people to experience and enjoy the outdoors has been our mission at The North Face since we were founded 50 years ago,” said Ann Krcik, senior director of Outdoor Exploration at The North Face. “We are proud to support these outstanding programs that expose participants to the beauty and joy of the outdoors. Through these Explore Fund grants, we are building a community of outdoor explorers and inspiring people to love and protect the places where we play.”

Since 1977, the Cold Creek Docents have been leading field programs for public and private schools in the greater Los Angeles Region and has provided over 100,000 learning experiences for students.  The focus for this project is to provide more opportunities for Fourth Grade students.

As part of its mission to start a global movement of outdoor exploration, The North Face introduced Explore Fund (www.explorefund.org) in 2010 and the program has since provided more than $2.2 million in grants to organizations committed to inspiring people to explore the outdoors and care for the environment.

To learn more about Mountains Restoration Trust and The Cold Creek Docents Field Program visit www.treepeoplelandtrust.org.

About The North Face®

The North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1966. Headquartered in Alameda, California, the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.

Media contact:
Stephanie Jones
Mountains Restoration Trust
818-591-1701 x203
sjones@treepeoplelandtrust.org

Caren Bell
On behalf of The North Face
510.748.2742
Caren_Bell@vfc.com

On the weekend of June 4^th Mountains Restoration Trust’s headquarters fell victim to the Old Fire in Calabasas.  The fire started from downed power lines caused by a car crash close to the office on Mullholland Highway.  The fire quickly burned up 516 acres of the Santa Monica Mountains.  The office building, which was a converted home, was devastated after the old wooden patio awning caught fire and the flames rapidly spread throughout the house.  We were fortunate in that the historic Masson House on the property was completely spared and that no one was seriously injured.  We have been able to salvage many files and hard drives from the computers that did not burn up, but many irreplaceable artifacts were lost.

This fire, though tragic, is an opportunity for Mountains Restoration Trust to rebuild and become stronger than ever.  It is not stopping us from continuing our restoration projects; in fact, many members of the field crew were back out working on our projects by the following Tuesday!  We have a commitment to preserve, enhance, and restore the natural resources of the Santa Monica Mountains and we will continue to do that.  We can now use our skills right on our own headquarters’ property, as we work to enhance and restore the coast live oak woodlands and riparian areas that were burned there.

The office will be torn down and we have plans to create a nature focused demonstration center for the community and beyond.  The center will show how we can live in an urban-wildland setting.  There will be native gardens, interpretive activities, a community presentation room, public bathrooms, and more.

As for now, we are asking for financial assistance in order to continue our operations.  We have moved our office into the Masson House and are in the process of replacing many of the items lost.  We are working to replace the tools used in the field, such as shovels, gloves, hoses, waders, and buckets, along with office supplies, such as computers, telephones, and filing cabinets.  As we are in a scramble to get the projects going full force again, we are appreciative of any and all help.

From fire comes regrowth, and so we are looking forward to the future of Mountains Restoration Trust!