During 2013, Friends of Griffith Park have continued to make extraordinary things happen!

• Supporting special preservation initiatives in Griffith Park. Our Historic Fern Dell revitalization work continues with the launch of Phase II. Expert consultants have begun their work studying and evaluating various aspects of Fern Dell. Their technical assessments will guide us on the best way to restore this historic area. Our assistance grant from the National Park Service was renewed and we have taken a major role in planning for an enhanced Juan Bautista de Anza Trail segment which runs along Crystal Springs Picnic Grounds and beyond.
• Funding Scientific Research to help Griffith Park great ecosystem survive. Numerous surveys of the park’s flora and fauna have been conducted in recent years. In 2013, a primary focus continued to be wildlife connectivity. We have funded studies and invested in sophisticated cameras. In fact, it was the FoGP supported survey that first documented the P-22 mountain lion, who has called Griffith Park his home since February of 2012.
• Serving as Griffith Park’s nature and recreation advocate. We testified at public meetings on policy, commented and advised on environmental and recreational issues, raised consciousness about historic preservation, pushed hard for more Park Rangers, and lobbied to increase park funding. We kept our members and the public informed through our publications and web site. We promote practices that reinforce Colonel Griffith’s vision of the Park as a free and natural refuge from urban pressure.
• Promoting education as a key to sustaining Griffith Park. We underwrote and co-led numerous hikes that brought hundreds of urban kids to the Park and taught them about its natural wonders. We continued with our free Griffith Park Lecture Series at the Los Feliz Branch Library featuring authors and academics speaking on the Park’s human and natural history. We campaigned to reduce the use of rodenticides for rodent control, toxic to our wildlife, pets, and children.
• Volunteering for service in Griffith Park. We delivered more successful park clean ups and graffiti paint-outs events than ever before. We worked closely with the Department of Recreation and Parks staff to fulfill the void lost with budget cuts. We hosted a key Great LA River Clean-up venue – Griffith Park’s Bette Davis section.

Friends of Griffith Park has a passionate board and positive community partnerships, but we need your continued support to ensure that Griffith Park remains L.A.’s signature green and open space, place of free recreation, and linchpin in the survival of Southern California’s native ecosystems.

Please take a moment to become a member or renew your membership, if you’ve previously supported us.