NATIONAL PARK SERVICE · news
Los Angeles national park wins award for volunteer efforts to monitor wildlife recovery after the 2018 Woolsey Fire
September 25, 2025 · Source: National Park Service
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area received the 2025 Excellence in Volunteerism Innovation Award for its Woolsey Fire Recovery Camera Project, a volunteer-driven initiative launched in response to the 2018 Woolsey Fire. The project, led by park scientists and educators, trained over 4,300 volunteers to deploy wildlife cameras and analyze over one million images, documenting the recovery of mammal populations across the park. The effort revealed both common and rare species, contributing valuable data for long-term ecological monitoring. Now in its sixth year, the project continues to engage the public through educational events and partnerships, highlighting the role of community science in post-fire wildlife research.
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