SMMTC News
SMMTC Teams with Pepperdine for Step Forward Day
Malibu Nature Preserve
September 8, 2007
Story by Jerry Mitcham
Photo by Liz Baumann
On September 8, 2007, the Trails Council teamed with Pepperdine University for their annual service day known as "Step Forward Day". This is also becoming a Trails Council annual event since we have joined in this effort for the past several years. This year the Trails Council also teamed with the Malibu Nature Preserve to work on trails in the Preserve. Pepperdine provided 41 student volunteers and the Trails Council supplied 6 crew leaders. Nature Preserve staff members also participated. The day’s project was to help reclaim an old trail, which had been unused for about 25 years. At the work site, the group was divided into four smaller crews, which then hiked to their respective work sites. The project consisted of two trail realignments, minor grooming and construction of a 40-foot retaining wall using steel posts and wire netting. Although the volunteers were only on site for three hours, approximately a quarter mile of trail was restored. While the event accomplished some meaningful trail maintenance, it was also an excellent opportunity for the students to experience "giving back" through individual volunteerism. Peter Ireland, president of the Malibu Nature Trust, expressed his appreciation for the work accomplished by the project and stated, "You (the SMMTC) are a great team of trail experts and are the heart and soul of recreation in the Santa Monica Mountains."
To view the full photo gallery from the event, click here.