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Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaSunrise at Rancho Sierra Vista / Satwiwa
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Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
The Chumash:
A Changing People;
A Changing Land
Students follow a ranger on an exploration of biodiversity at Satwiwa.

Click here to request a reservation for the 2009/2010 School Year.

The curriculum-based The Chumash: A Changing People, A Changing Land program takes place at the Satwiwa Native American Cultural Center and Satwiwa Natural Area. This third and fourth grade program takes place outdoors. Students learn how the Chumash depended upon the natural resources and lived in the Santa Monica Mountains for thousands of years.

Afterwards they will be asked to compare our lifestyles today to those practiced by previous Native American cultures. How has the environment changed and could we live off the land as successfully as the traditional Chumash? The outdoor setting and activities instill a reverence and awareness of the natural environment and reasons for protecting it.

The program starts at 10 a.m. and lasts approximately 2.5 hours. Picnic facilities, water and restrooms are available on site. Classes must have minimum one adult per every ten students attending. A maximum of 75 students can be accommodated per day.

Because of the popularity of this program, schools may have to wait two years before receiving a schedule date. Teachers participating in training workshops receive program preference.
Sue Nelson, Jill Swift, and Margo Feurer were instrumental in the movement to create a national recreation area near Los Angeles.  

Did You Know?
Four state parks were the triumph of a grassroots movement to protect open spaces minutes from Los Angeles in the 1950s & 60s. Three women, Sue Nelson, Jill Swift, and Margo Feuer further galvanized the movement that helped make Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area a reality in 1978.

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Last Updated: May 23, 2009 at 00:15 EST