Greetings from the MRCA Dear Friends,


If you have been reading the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority’s recent newsletters, you will know that Symbiosis has been focusing each issue on a specific theme, and this Winter Issue is no exception. It won’t take you long to discover the focus is “environmental justice” (EJ). Now possibly you, like I, first wondered why the MRCA, primarily a land use focused organization would want to devote an entire issue to EJ. As soon as I read Jenny Price’s feature article, Environmental Justice! (page 4, this issue), I had my answer. Her article not only provided me a more complete understanding of the topic, but it also brought into focus how various aspects of the MRCA’s work address EJ – particularly those programs serving communities where environmental resources tend to be fewer. It also underscores the MRCA’s overall commitment to serve and address the recreational and environmental needs of ALL residents of our Southern California service area.


The MRCA truly believes that everyone has the right to enjoy the beauty and benefits of natural green space and we definitely have the resources of facilities, staff and open space to help facilitate this objective. So it is with this mission in mind that we continue to be active in downtown Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. Through parks, programs, and partnerships, the MRCA aims to bring more green space to the urban landscape in addition to providing opportunities for city residents to experience nature firsthand. Through our many programs, we have accomplished much in facilitating EJ and impacted many. We hope that the “life long learning” experiences we promote will have a multiplier effect, inspiring participants to become more involved in their neighborhoods and become EJ advocates.


Below are a few highlights of the MRCA parks, programs, and partnerships that have enhanced and facilitated EJ:


• Parks – Los Angeles in general and downtown specifically is notorious for its lack of green space, and our urban parks hope to change that by providing a place for recreation and bringing a “touch of nature” to these park-poor communities. Starting with Augustus F. Hawkins Natural Park to the upcoming opening of Compton Creek Natural Park, the MRCA strongly believes that these and the other venues provide immeasurable benefits to the communities.


• Programs – With a variety of public programs, the MRCA brings nature to urban residents and takes urban residents to nature. We have a bus program that provides transportation from city locations to parks in the Santa Monica Mountains. Also, free programs at our urban parks teach visitors about the environment, local wildlife, outdoor skills, and other nature-related topics.


• Partnerships – By collaborating with similarly oriented organizations and schools from Los Angeles, we are able to create programs that reach a wider audience. Through such partnerships, we provide Junior Rangers programs, camping trips, and field trips to many people who might not otherwise have such opportunities in nature.


Are we pleased with what we have accomplished so far? Of course we are! But are we satisfied just to stand on our laurels and not enhance and expand our parks and programs? Definitely not! The MRCA will continue efforts for EJ, and we are constantly reminded why changes are needed. Witnessing the positive results of our programs through smiling children who see the beach, the ocean or a mountain for the first time, or a family flying kites together in a park that is only a block or so from their inner city house, it is then that we truly realize the benefits of MRCA parks, programs, and partnerships.


I hope that this issue and our feature article provide you a new window into the EJ focused work of the MRCA, as they did for me. And perhaps in seeing the importance of this work, like me, you will deepen your commitment to ensuring that our parks and programs are available to all the communities we’re charged to serve.


Sincerely, George Lange, Chair Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority Winter 2012 3


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