• Afternoon clouds cover the distance peaks of the iconic Boney Mountain

    Santa Monica Mountains

    National Recreation Area California

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  • Update on Park Closures

    All NPS trails are open, w/the exception of part of the Satwiwa Loop Trail. Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa is only open sunrise to sunset. Point Mugu State Park re-opens 5/24. More »

  • Trucks on Cheeseboro Canyon Trail

    Occasional truck traffic (approx 6 trips per day) will take place on Cheeseboro Cyn Trail weekdays between 8am & 4pm for demolition and removal of Cheeseboro Tank. Should be completed by 5/31/13. Check back for updates or call 818-889-8996. More »

Citizen Science Spider Survey Comes to the Santa Monica Mountains

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Date: February 18, 2010
Contact: Lauren Newman, 805-370-2343

(Thousand Oaks, CA) On Saturday, February 20, at 2 pm, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will present a lecture by Jan Kempf of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum.  If you find yourself running from house spiders, dodging spider webs on the trail, or enjoy studying and learning about the many different spider species that live in the Santa Monica Mountains and Los Angeles, this lecture is for you. 

The Los Angeles County Natural History Museum has been engaged in a spider survey in the greater Los Angeles area for several years, relying on trained researchers and citizen scientists to identify and catalogue spider species.  In the last year, the spider survey has broadened to include the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. 

Audience members can expect to hear updates about the Brown Widow, a recent arrival to the Los Angeles region.  Participants will also gain insights into spider biology and behavior, discover which spiders are most likely to be seen on local trails, and find out how to lend a hand as a citizen scientist in the spider survey.  There may even be live spider specimens…in plastic containers, of course. 

 

Directions: The National Park Service Visitor Center is located on 401 West Hillcrest Drive in Thousand Oaks, California.

Did You Know?

Sue Nelson, Jill Swift, and Margo Feurer were instrumental in the movement to create a national recreation area near Los Angeles.

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.