The Latest Breaking News from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

Conservationist’s Park Legacy: Helen Martin helped create network; 56,000 acres protected

Helen Martin spent decades advocating for the preservation of the Santa Monica Mountains despite using a wheelchair. Her conservation work helped build support for protecting large areas of the range from development. By 1972, a network of state and federal parklands covering roughly 56,000 acres had taken shape. Martin's efforts…

The Times of India · Sep 23

In 1987, 'Funny Girl' Barbra Streisand tried to sell her 17,000-sq-ft Malibu estate but failed; six years later, she gave away the $15 million property for environmental research

Barbra Streisand spent six years trying to sell her sprawling 17,000-sq-ft Ramirez Canyon estate in Malibu, but after the asking price fell from $18 million to $11.5 million without a buyer, she chose a different path. In 1993, she donated the property, valued at $15 million, to the Santa Monica…

The Economic Times · Sep 8

In 1994, Jack Nicholson donated 60 acres that could have become four homes, preserving Los Angeles wildlife habitat

In 1994, legendary actor Jack Nicholson donated 60 acres of undeveloped land in Coldwater Canyon to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. With four homes already approved for the property, the unexpected gift helped preserve oak woodland, deer habitat and a crucial stretch of open space in the Los Angeles hills.

The Economic Times · Sep 4