Barb Thomas, President has been a member of the SMMTC and has served on the board since 2006 and was elected president in January 2023. She attributes her love of the outdoors to being born in Germany where her first outdoor sights were of the Alps. Barb has been active in trail riding since childhood, sneaking off into the jungle of Panama alone on her pony, exploring trails in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, California and Nevada. She participated in endurance rides, with distances up to 100 miles in 24 hours, served on the board of directors for the Old Dominion Rides and managed the Malibu Endurance Ride for several years. In addition to her love of horses, Barb is an avid hiker and has backpacked sections of the Appalachian Trail, Northville-Lake Placid trail, and many others on the east coast, as well as hiking and riding on many of our Southern California trails. Living out west in the Conejo Valley since 1997, she values the enormous multi-use trail system we have in our back yard.
George Sherman, Vice President is responsible for keeping our website updated, informative and engaging. He has been a member of the SMMTC board of directors since 2005 and a Trail Crew regular since 2013. Certified as a crew leader in 2016, he regularly leads our work events. George has resided in Newbury Park since 1993. A California native, he has enjoyed hiking, biking and running in the Santa Monica Mountains since 1974. Depending on the weather he enjoys a hike or bike ride in the Santa Monica Mountains anywhere from two to five days a week. In addition to the website & newsletter, George's focus within the SMMTC is on trail work and access issues. He is an avid observer of local plants and has greatly expanded the content of the Plant of the Month Pages. An off the cuff remark at a board meeting led to his latest contribution to the Trails Council - he serves on the ideas committee.
Peter Sullivan, Treasurer, is an advocate for our local trails and joined the board in February 2023. He has been exploring the Santa Monica Mountains and the Conejo Open Space by bike and on foot. He moved to the Conejo Valley in 1969 and has lived here ever since. Sharing his cycling passion brought him to coaching in the Newbury Park High School mountain bike team and mentoring kids about the gifts our open space provides. He assists in the COSCA (Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency) Trail Education Days as well as being a crew leader at trail work days. As a director of CORBA (Concerned Off-road Bicyclists Association), he headed the development of the Sapwi Bike Park in Thousand Oaks. Peter enjoys SMMTC work days and always looks forward to doing his part on keeping the trails safe and accessible. As Treasurer, he continues to do a remarkable job.đź’Ż
Roger Young, joined the board in August, 2023. Roger is an SMMTC Crew Leader and focuses on trail running events in the Santa Monica Mountains as a participant, pacer and aid station volunteer. When he’s not hiking or running, he works as a financial and HR consultant.
Roger coordinates SMMTC trail maintenance events with race directors and trail running groups. He has been a member of the local running community since his move to the Conejo Valley in 2011.
Robert Bittner, is a native Los Angelian who joined the Board in 2024. He has always lived in the South Bay region, and gained a love of hiking and backpacking first from his parents that roamed the Austrian Alps, and then from his Boy Scout days. He enjoyed an intentionally diverse 35 years in aerospace, progressing from assembly line work to developmental engineering, supervision to management, and supplier and project management to risk aversion specialist, while attaining degrees in Industrial Engineering and Business. Retirement in 2013 created time for hiking and trail work once again, along with travel, gluten-free recipe creation and cycling. He is a member of the SCGA Rules & Competitions Committee, and has mentored, tutored and taught for over three decades.
Don Brusselars, a resident of Somis, is retired from the aerospace industry and is an avid geocacher. Don joined the trail crew in 2016 and has contributed more than 150 hours of service! He continues to climb the ranks, logging over 250 volunteer hours per year. Since joining the board in the summer of 2017, Don has been active in helping the board find solutions to a variety of issues. He directed the Backbone Trek in both 2024 and 2025.
Denise Pomonik has been a member of the SMMTC board of directors since 2024. She is a hand model and puppeteer who’s been enjoying mountain biking and hiking with her hubby for many years. She also loves backpacking in the Sierras…especially off the grid! When asked why she volunteers for trail work, she says, “I just love it. I’m outdoors, working with a great team, burning calories, and being a part of something that feels great – giving back to the trails that give me such peace and joy.” Her next adventure…joining the Board to see how else she can help this amazing group of people dedicated to a wonderful cause. She looks forward to seeing you on the trail.
Vanessa Ting, joined the board in the spring of 2025.She doesn’t sit still—an adventurer at heart, she thrives on travel, exploring new cultures, savoring the beauty of natural landscapes and wildlife around the globe, and connecting with people from all walks of life. These days, her adventures are more local, as she finds joy and renewal in the Santa Monica Mountains that border her home, where she often escapes into nature and devotes herself to supporting the preservation of local habitats and wildlife. Her thoughts tend to flow in long, winding sentences, reflecting the way she moves through the world—with curiosity, passion, and a deep appreciation for every detail.
Members of the Board of Directors are a group of varied individuals. Their shared interest in trails is a unifying tie, and their diverse interests cover almost all outdoor activities. Volunteering their time and efforts, they are a blend of people who care deeply about giving the present community and future generations the enjoyment of trails in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Are you passionate about environmental conservation, outdoor education, wildlife preservation, and nature for all? We are seeking dedicated individuals to join the Board of Directors. This is an opportunity to provide strategic leadership, support our mission, raise critical funding, and help shape the future of local conservation. We are seeking candidates with expertise in marketing, legal, conservation, education, and a strong dedication to nature-based initiatives and inclusivity.
Non-Board Member VIPs
Ruth Gerson, President Emerita - has been a board member since 1979, serving as Secretary and Treasurer in the early years and as President from 1997 through 2014 before resuming the role in Spring of 2017 and then retiring in January of 2023. An Agoura resident since 1975, Ruth has been riding her horses in the Santa Monica Mountains for over 50 years, enjoying the trails for pleasure while savoring the beauty, the wildlife and the serenity. In prior years, she did endurance riding placing 5th at Tevis. She still enjoys riding in the Sierra every summer. Ruth is involved in several equestrian organizations promoting public access to public lands for horseback riding and keeping the backcountry lands open for historic saddle and pack stock. For more than 40 years she has been trying to get State Parks to build their designated equestrian campground in Malibu Creek State Park. She feels it is very important to develop trail camps along the Backbone Trail. She strives for the Trails Council to maintain a presence within the community to educate people about the irreplaceable resource in trails and to collaborate with the land agencies in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA).
Dave Edwards, Trail Crew Coordinator is responsible for planning the SMMTC Trail Crew Schedules and in general is the coordinator for the SMMTC's Trail Maintenance outings in the Santa Monica Mountains. Dave has provided more than 🏆 6,100 hours of volunteer labor. Over the years, Dave has racked up more documented hours than anyone else who has ever volunteered with the Trails Council. He is the among the first to arrive and the last to leave. Dave has resided in Oxnard since 1971. He retired from the federal government in 2001, having worked at the Navy base in Port Hueneme, CA. He is very active in the SMMTC trail maintenance program in the Santa Monica Mountains and on Santa Cruz Island for the National Park Service. Dave has been an active volunteer for many years for Channel Islands Restoration, which restores habitat in sensitive and unique natural areas on the Channel Islands. He enjoys backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the local Sespe Wilderness.
What Brought Us Together
Founded 56 years ago (1969) by a group of local horsemen who saw that their trails were in danger of being lost to development. The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council was certified as a non-profit organization in 1972.
The Santa Monica Mountains contains historic trails originally made by the Chumash Indians and later improved by the Spaniards. However, encroaching urban sprawl, particularly in 1972 with the construction of Kanan Dume Road, has destroyed major portions of these trails and continues to threaten their existence and use.
The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council was born out of the concern and need to preserve these historic trails. Through our commitment to the trails of the Santa Monica Mountains, some of these historic trails now link local, state, and federal parks, creating a vast recreational resource that extends from Griffith Park in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County.
The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council coordinates with various government agencies in efforts toward development and preservation of the trail system; assists in negotiations with property owners regarding specific trail alignments; promotes public awareness; and builds, monitors and maintains trails. The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council works to protect and enhance the trail system that serves as a recreational, educational and historical resource for generations to enjoy.
Our founders
- Chairman: Dick Hubbard, Teacher
- Vice Chairman: Frank Hendler, Architect-builder
- Secretary: Ann Sunderland
- Peno Dwinger, Trail Coordinator Equestrian Trails Inc.
- Grant Gerson, Private Recreation Camp owner
- Dick Hartley, Landscape Architect
- Darrell Readmond, Cabinet Maker
With the passage of time we are now at a point where there are no original members still living. In recent years, Dick Hubbard, Darrell Readmond and Grant Gerson have passed away. The others have been deceased for more than 5 years. The good news is that another generation of board members has taken their place.
Darrell Readmond was the first with the vision and foresight to see the Backbone Trail developed across the crest of the mountains. To that end, he worked for years with others like Warren Jessup to draw the trail on the maps that they had at the time.
Presidents of the SMMTC have been:
- Richard Hubbard: 1972 - 1980
- Linda Palmer: 1981 - 1994
- Ted Depass: 1995
- Lenore Kirby: 1996 - 1997
- Ruth Gerson: 1998 - 2014 AND 2017 to 2023
- Howard Cohen: 2015 - 2017
- Barbara Thomas: 2023-Present
Richard passed away in 2016, Linda passed away in June 2013, and Ted passed away in August 2013.
Early History, Goals & Projects
- Kanan Dume Road - impact on trails
- Zuma Ridge Trail Park
- National Recreation designation for the Santa Monica Mountains - SMMNRA
- Ridge Trail (later became the Backbone Trail) - first map by Darrell Readmond with assistance from Warren Jessup, used by State Parks in designing existing trail
- Build membership to include all trail users as a broad coalition
- San Fernando Valley Bicycle Advisor Group (BAG)
- Bicycle lane plan for Westlake Village (later LA City BAG)
- Aided Chatsworth in developing trail along flood plain (DeSoto)
- Frank Hendler - instrumental in creation of Westwood to Sea Bike Lane
- Inclusion of Simi Hills area in SMMNRA
- Zuma Ridge Trail Park
- Bicycle use of LA River Flood Control Area as bike path
- Adequate funding by congress for SMMNRA
- Conversion of Nike site (top of Piuma Road) and Coast Guard site (Kanan Dume Road) for public recreation use
Ted DePass, Linda Palmer, Ruth Gerson, Leonora Kirby, Dick Hubbard
Who We Are and What We Do
The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, a volunteer nonprofit organization, is dedicated to establishing, preserving and maintaining the public trail system throughout the Santa Monica Mountains and adjacent areas through education, advocacy and partnership with public and private sectors.
The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council coordinates with various government agencies to enhance and preserve the trail system. We assist in negotiations with property owners regarding specific trail alignments. We promote public awareness and build, monitor and maintain trails.
Over 40 years - Trail Days in the Santa Monica Mountains
Our monthly Board meetings are attended by State Park, National Park, Mountains Restoration and Conservation Agency and Los Angeles County representatives. The public is welcome.
Trails are continually subject to continuous pressures, whether due to recreation, development or simply the forces of nature. Therefore, it is imperative that the trails be safeguarded to ensure future use and enjoyment.
Our volunteers are maintaining a trail somewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains almost every weekend year-round.
Your generous contributions are hard at work protecting and enhancing the trail system that serves as a recreational, educational and historical resource for generations to enjoy.
Our Roots
Since 1969, the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council has been the only organization devoted to representing all trail user groups in the Santa Monica Mountains
Our Goals
- Support the establishment and maintenance of the trail system.
- Educate trail users on proper trail use and issues that affect access.
- Protect public trails, access easements and connections.
- Partner with land agencies, local government, businesses and the community.
- Increase public awareness of trails.
- Promote a positive trail experience
- Advocate for trail camps along the Backbone Trail.
Our biggest events
Trail Days (3rd weekend of April) - Trail Days is a weekend for individuals, families, and groups to give back to the parks by helping maintain trails. Partners for this event include California State Parks National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, CORBA, and Santa Monica Mountains Task Force of Sierra Club.
Backbone Trek (1st week of May) - The Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council’s Annual Backbone Trek is a guided 67-mile hike along the Backbone Trail. This week-long adventure traverses the scenic Santa Monica Mountains, offering participants a unique opportunity to experience diverse landscapes and ecosystems.
Initiatives/Projects
Signs Project in Point Mugu State Park
CSUCI TrailCorp Funding
View Ridge Bridge
