Visitor Center Hosts First Annual Holiday Sale on December 15

John Millraney, volunteer for the Santa Monica Mountains Visitor Center, displays some of the locally produced products available for purchase at the December 15 holiday sale.

National Park Service

News Release Date: December 6, 2012

Contact: Kate Kuykendall, 805-370-2343

Contact: Sophia Wong, 805-370-2302

CALABASAS, Calif. - Western National Parks Association (WNPA), a nonprofit education partner of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA), will host its first annual holiday sale at King Gillette Ranch on December 15. Nearly all items in the visitor center will be marked down by 15 percent from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

"Holiday shopping at the Santa Monica Mountains visitor center is not just a chance to find unique, artisan gifts for your loved ones," said Sophia Wong, manager of the WNPA store. "Since a percentage of our sales are donated back to park programming, it's also an opportunity to support your local national park."

The store features gifts from less than a dollar all the way to $2,000 for museum-quality Native American baskets. In addition to traditional bookstore fare such as children's books and collections on hiking and local wildlife and nature, Wong says locally produced soaps and bath salts, as well as Native American jewelry and carvings, are some of the most popular items.

The holiday sale will extend to a smaller gift shop at Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center in Newbury Park. With the exception of indigenous arts, all items at both stores will be discounted, some at clearance prices.

This "premier" WNPA store opened in June, in conjunction with the grand opening of the Santa Monica Mountains visitor center. Sales are up significantly since moving from the previous Thousand Oaks location, partly due to an increase in visitors and partly due to an expansion in size and merchandise.

DIRECTIONS: The Santa Monica Mountains Visitor Center is located near the intersection of Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road at 26876 Mulholland Highway, Calabasas, CA, 91302. [phone] or [phone] for the store.

The Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center is located at 4126-1/2 West Potrero Road, Newbury Park, CA 91320. Open Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. [phone]

About Western National Parks Association: Western National Parks Association (WNPA), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) education partner of the National Park Service since 1938, is affiliated with 66 national parks in 12 states. The primary and most visible expression of WNPA's mission is our operation of national park stores in park visitor centers. Each store is unique, offering products that provide visitors tangible and enduring connections to a park's individual themes like the majestic scenery, biodiversity, and fascinating natural or cultural history. Proceeds from sales and membership support additional education, outreach and research initiatives that enhance public understanding and appreciation of national parks. For more information, visit www.wnpa.org.

About Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area:Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state, and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, SMMNRA preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/samo.

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