Lawndale Tribune AND lAwNDAle News The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - July 7, 2016 Students are Awarded Scholarships Geared to Empower Young Women Ann Hauer and Rocio Murillo, members of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), came to LESD to honor the six students who were selected to receive Tech Trek scholarships. Tech Trek is a science and math camp designed to develop interest, excitement, and self-confidence in young women who will enter eighth grade in the fall. Tech Trek Awardees from left to right: Kayla M., Jasmine C., Katie C., Valeria E., Blanca V. and Leyna N. Photo provided by LESD Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................5 Classifieds............................2 Legals................................ 6-7 Film Review..........................2 Finance..................................3 Food.......................................4 Hawthorne Happenings....3 Obituaries.............................2 Pets........................................8 Police Reports.....................3 Seniors..................................4 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 74˚/64˚ Saturday Partly Cloudy 75˚/65˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 74˚/64˚ Our Nearby Mountains Bid Happy Trails to You By Rob McCarthy The largest urban national park in the country is right here in the South Bay, hidden in plain view for many who zoom past on the drive to Malibu or through the Sepulveda Pass. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area offers tranquility, sweeping vistas and ranger-led nature walks to those willing to unplug from their mobile devices and revisit a simpler time. SAMO National Recreation Area is staffed by the U.S. Parks Service, state, local and private interests. Nearly 800,000 people visited last year, generating $34 million for the local economy and businesses, according to the National Park Service. The hiking and biking trails, visitor center and the western town at the Paramount Ranch are popular with visitors and appreciated by local businesses, according to Superintendent David Szymanski. “The scenic vistas of the Santa Monica Mountains inspire thousands of people to visit each week,” he said. “We are delighted that so many visitors enjoy our park and also that their visits have such a positive impact on the local economy.” SAMO is one of 400 national parks, even though it’s designated a recreation area. It begins at the Getty Center, running through Malibu and up to Point Mugu in Oxnard. The most popular hikes are accessible from Pacific Coast Highway, and Temescal Canyon Park is one of them - 25 minutes from El Segundo. Admission is free in the federal park areas, and some areas charge between $5 and $12 for parking. Check the web site at https://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/ feesandreservations.htm for prices if you go. Hikers, bikers and equestrian riders share 500 miles of trails, and there is so much to see and do here. Cell phone service is spotty in the mountains, and hikers should bring water and food. Many trails run a mile or two, and are easy to walk. The longest one - Backbone Trail - runs 67 miles and park officials held a grand opening on June 4. The trail from Los Angeles to Ventura County took 40 years to finish, with donations of private land and volunteers playing a major role. The most popular areas of the recreation area are the visitors center, the Paramount Ranch and Malibu Creek State Park, all of which have drinking fountains and public restrooms. The visitors center is free to visit and explains the history, the wildlife and plant diversity of the recreation area. The airconditioned center opened in 2012 and offers a short 12-minute movie about SAMO, natural history exhibits, free maps and a gift shop. It is located at the King Gillette Ranch, 26876 Mulholland Highway in Calabasas, and is easily reached from Malibu. Take Las Virgenes Road from PCH at Pepperdine University, and head east through the winding canyon. The visitor center is a good place to get introduced to the SAMO recreation area, and the staff are helpful and will answer questions and point newcomers in the right direction. Directly across the road is Malibu Creek State Park, where the television show “M*A*S*H” was filmed. The hike to the “M*A*S*H” site is moderate difficulty and runs uphill for the last couple of miles. A local preservation group has made the trek worth the effort, though, by restoring the filming location and installing the 4077 camp’s milepost featured in the long-running series. You won’t see the surgical tents, but there are markers showing where they were. If you look off to the west, you’ll see a familiar mountain where the medevac choppers fly past in the show’s opening credits. For viewers who enjoyed the television show about a medical army surgical unit in Korea during that conflict, this destination is hallowed ground for the generation that came of age in the 1970s and early ‘80s. Malibu Creek State Park is owned by the state parks service. The Paramount Ranch and western town in Agoura Hills is family friendly, and minutes from Mulholland Highway or Kanan Road, depending on whether you come from L.A. or Ventura counties. The National Park Service bought a portion of the original Paramount Ranch, where westerns were filmed for 25 years, starting back in the late 1920s. “A veritable who’s who of Hollywood prac - ticed their craft at Paramount Ranch including director Cecil B. Demille and actors Bob Hope, Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert. The diverse landscape was the real star of the show. It offered film makers the freedom to create distant locales,” the National Park Service says. From 1992 to 1997, Paramount Ranch was used as the setting for the television show, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” and has been a shooting location for “Bones,” “CSI: Las Vegas” and “The Bachelor.” Other popular hiking spots closer to the South Bay are Will Rogers State Park, Topanga State Park and the Malibu Lagoon State Beach. The parks are open year-round, from sunrise to sunset. Rangers are happy to help visitors to plan a day trip, and regularly offer special events and programs. The July schedule includes a Plant Promenade from on July 10 about how native plants survive drought conditions, and a ranger-led walk on July 17 about coyotes in the park, and stargazing July 30 with telescopes in a program called Summer Star Festival. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cool and damp. Dogs are allowed in the park areas, but they must be leashed. Call the visitor center at 805-370-2301 for directions and information. •
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