Santa Monica Mountains Fund

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Thousand Oaks, CA
Santa Monica Mountains Fund

We protect California's mountains, wildlife & plants by sponsoring scientific research & providing opportunities to get involved and connect with nature.

06/17/2026

The best fire-smart landscapes are filled with native plants, and vibrant with life. Fire-resistant native plants tend to have deeper roots, higher water content, and less flammable foliage compared to invasive species or monoculture lawns, so having a greenspace heavily featuring native plants can significantly aid in fire prevention. Work with nature as a partner for the quickest and most effective way to put the breaks on runaway wildfires. Diverse, native ecosystems create natural moisture-retaining microclimates.

06/15/2026

Join us for two films that explore the power of native plants in rehabilitating the environment, followed by Q&A panels from 🌱NPS Plant Ecologist, Joseph Algiers, 🎥award-winning documentary filmmaker, Joseph Litzinger, and 📖conservation writer, Melina Watts.

✨Seeds of Hope✨documents the efforts of SAMO Fund and the National Park Service to boost native seed reserves, in order to restore the current and future burn scars in Southern California.

🌱Rooted in California: Bringing Native Plants Home 🌱 follows SAMO Fund as they transform two Southern California gardens into thriving native landscapes filled with California's remarkable plants, birds, pollinators, and wildlife.

Presented by SAMO Fund Field Institute:

📆SUNDAY, July 12
6:00 - 9:00 PM (Doors open 5:30)
📍Patagonia Store: 1345 3rd St
Santa Monica, CA 90401

🍟Free snacks & drinks (21+ for alcoholic beverages, please bring ID)

RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/e/restoring-california-a-double-screening-panel-tickets-1991247345413

06/11/2026

Looking to support climate action initiatives? Apply to be a 2026-2027 Santa Monica Mountains Fund Fellow with the California Climate Action Corps! Fellows will serve for 11 months, gaining hands-on experience in urban greening and wildfire resilience projects in the Santa Monica Mountains.

SAMO Fund is currently accepting 4 placements for a full-time fellowship position that will require fellows to spend 5 days in the field or across our service areas in Los Angeles and Ventura County.
Fellows will serve as community-facing climate organizers, mobilizing volunteers to implement native plant installations, habitat restoration, defensible space projects, and post-fire recovery efforts in parks, schools, and neighborhood sites.

For more information on how to apply, visit CAClimateActionCorps.org ! Priority deadline to apply is June 19. Applications are open until July 31, 2026.

California Climate Action Corps

06/03/2026

This Saturday is National Trails Day🥾!

Join SAMO fund, NPS and American Hiking Society to help maintain trails and make outdoor recreation more safe and accessible!

Open to all ages, no experience neccessary. Lunch is provided🥪.

📆Sat, June 6th
📍Paramount Ranch
🕑8:30am - 1pm

RSVP link in Bio

05/27/2026

The seeds we collect at SAMO Fund become plants for our restoration projects. You can do the same with native plants and seeds you collect in your community too!

Those who love gardening with native plants know that we still have a long way to go in raising native plant restoration into the public consciousness. Organizations like SAMO Fund do what we can to share our message, but our local communities can join in to help in wide-scale restoration.

Whether it be your yard, a container garden, or a local community garden, you can help the restoration efforts right in your own neighborhood. It doesn't have to be fancy, just find a place to start storing your seeds that isn't susceptible to too much humidity. The possibilities are endless!

So...collect, store, and grow your seeds, and always remember to share with your neighbors!

⚠️DISCLAIMER: Don’t collect seeds from protected areas unless you are doing so with the proper permissions!

05/19/2026

Biologists David Starzenski and Joanne Moriarty made an exciting discovery recently—a den of brand new bobcat kittens! Meet B400, the 400th bobcat tagged in our ongoing study, found alongside her two adorable siblings. They found the kitten den after weeks of intensive monitoring of the mother, B392, by David and intern Colby Adams.

At only 5.5 weeks old, these kittens are helping us unlock the secrets of bobcat life in the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills. Through careful monitoring and sampling, we’re learning about survival, reproduction, and behavior for bobcats in the park, and how they persist in our urban landscape.

This den is tucked inside an abandoned woodrat nest, a favorite locale for local bobcats to rear their young.

The biologists got to work right away, giving the family a quick health check and each kitten their unique ear tag. After processing, the kittens were safely returned to their cozy home.

Every ear tag and sample brings us closer to understanding and protecting these incredible wild neighbors. 🐾

05/18/2026

Join us for Sow & Tell: A Student Research Showcase presented by the Oxnard Young Ecologists!

Come celebrate the hard work, creativity, and scientific excellence of Oxnard local high school students as they share research focused on germination of native seeds. 🌱

Where: Community Roots Garden 🪏�When: May 23, 2026 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Enjoy light refreshments, student presentations, and networking with community organizations and fellow environmental advocates. We hope to see you there! 💚

MiniNature Reserve, Community Roots Garden, Coastal Keepers, Oxnard Birders Club

05/16/2026

It's Kids to Parks Day, a national day of outdoor play! This is the universe giving you that nudge you were waiting for. Go for that hike, pack up a picnic, take that bike ride. Find your inner kid again. Discover and explore in the great outdoors!

Visit the Outdoors Calendar for fun events and ideas this week: samofund.org/outdoors-calendar/

05/15/2026

We keep telling the plants it's just for fun, but everyone is taking it pretty seriously...

California sagebrush keeps reminding us to say how nice it smells. Narrowleaf milkweed is going on about how important it is to the monarch butterflies, and yes, western vervain, we'll let them know you have pretty purple flowers that attract humming birds. The drama!

Vote for your favorite. It means a lot to them.

Address

Thousand Oaks, CA

Website

http://www.samofund.org/

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