By Charlotte Parry
Metabolic Studio has awarded a grant to the Santa Monica Mountains Fund to support the native plant nursery run by the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
The grant will be used to buy equipment for the nursery to bring it up to current industry standards. This will include nursery supplies such as portable steel benches, a modern irrigations system and an all-terrain field mower. In addition, the grant supports the hire of a manager to run the nursery for two years.
The new supplies will bring the nursery up to current sanitation standards. By raising plants off the ground, it will be easier to keep fungal diseases at bay.
As well as running the nursery, the new manager will be tasked with further developing volunteer opportunities for individuals and corporate organizations so that they can get involved in helping with native plant restoration in the Santa Monica Mountains.
“We’re so grateful to Metabolic Studio for supporting this project and delighted to be able to hire a nursery manager and purchase supplies that will bring the nursery up to current standards”, said Charlotte Parry, Executive Director Santa Monica Mountains Fund.
Supt. David Szymanski added, “This grant will allow us to develop plans that allow even more local residents to take part in the stewardship of their mountains.”
Joey Algiers, Restoration Ecologist at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, said, “With this grant we also hope to develop and grow the nursery’s native seed bank and ultimately the park’s restoration program. With outreach focused on volunteers from Los Angeles and surrounding communities, we can tilt the balance in large natural areas from non-native dominated vegetation to high quality native habitat.
The Santa Monica Mountains Fund works to protect and encourage appreciation and understanding of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The Fund achieves this by supporting National Park Service efforts in education, science, research, improved facilities, citizen engagement, stewardship and philanthropy. For more information, visit www.samofund.org.
