Land Trust Earth Month Updates

May 4, 2026

Tuna Canyon Restoration

84 volunteers showed up for our post-fire oak restoration at Tuna Canyon Park and we couldn’t be more grateful. Together, the crew put in the hard work of getting every plant in the ground, and we’re thrilled to share that the project is now fully planted.

Of course, the work doesn’t stop there. Restoration is a long game, and we’re now entering the maintenance phase of the project: watering, weeding, monitoring, and nurturing these young oaks as they establish themselves over the coming years.

Getting Ahead of Fire Season

Our team didn’t wait for summer to start thinking about fire. This spring, we got an early jump on fuel modification across our properties: clearing dry, flashy fuels and reducing fire risk before conditions heat up.

We’ve also been putting in trail time on the Yucca Trail and Topanga Overlook Trail–keeping these beloved routes clear and welcoming for hikers. It’s the type of work that goes unnoticed once complete, but it keeps these places accessible and safe year after year.

Wildflower Watch

Spring came early but has been putting on a show. Here are a few standouts our team has spotted in the field this season:

Splendid Mariposa Lily (Calochortus splendens) – this soft purple beauty is one of the more striking natives you’ll find blooming on our slopes right now.

Wooly blue curls (Trichostema lanatum) – a California classic, with fuzzy, vivid blue-purple flower spikes that pollinators absolutely love. If you smell something sweet on the trail, look around for this gorgeous display.

Owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta) – technically not a true clover, but undeniably charming. Look for its rosy-pink bracts carpeting open grasslands in the spring sun.

Supporting Local Wildlife

Our trail cameras in Cold Creek recently caught daytime footage of a young, untagged male mountain lion casually strolling through the canyon and stopping to scratch the soil. A cool reminder that the wild places we steward are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do: providing habitat for the full range of life that belongs here.

Mountain Lion screenshot credit: Edan Stark, volunteer

By Kevin Gaston

Kevin Gaston serves as the Executive Director of TreePeople Land Trust. He holds a BS in Environmental Science and Resource Management from CSU Channel Islands where he regularly guest lectures and provides career guidance to current students. Prior to working with TreePeople, Kevin served in various roles for the State Parks and National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains. He joined the Land Trust in 2015 as a specialist in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), vegetation monitoring, and fluvial geomorphology. Kevin now directs his focus to Land Trust administration, wildfire resiliency education, and the acquisition and restoration of degraded landscapes to increase equitable access to open space.