In the spring of 2020, five acres of mature protected oaks and native pollinator plants were cut down by the LAUSD without permits. After three years of protest against the action, restoration is underway. The destruction of the Oak Woodlands at Topanga Elementary was discovered by parents and students in May of 2020. After hiking the trail leading to the upper campus, it appeared the damage also extended into L.A. County lands that are part of the Backbone Trail of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area and part of the National Recreational Trails system. Among the horrified parents of Topanga Elementary students were Alisa J. Land and her husband, Kent L. Hill, who wrote letters to the LAUSD: “It was observed that the action by LAUSD led to destruction of many mature, live oak trees, despite the legal protected status of these oaks and their critical role in supporting regrowth of young oaks and many additional species of flora and fauna native to this region,� they wrote. “Moreover, the action destroyed hundreds of mature native coastal chaparral plants as well as more than 650 newly planted, native pollinator support plants. These pollinator plants were part of an award received by the TECS Science Committee of 1,600 native plants from the Xerces Society for the Conservation of Invertebrates in 2018, with the aim of supporting habitat building for endangered monarch butterflies and educating students.� LAUSD officials initially claimed they would work with the school community and appropriate environmental experts to mitigate damages and rehabilitate the oak woodland. However, after many weeks of non-responsiveness by the district, the damages moved to the purview of L.A. County regulatory authorities. Lack of Permits “To our knowledge, no permits were sought or obtained for cutting protected live oaks, or destruction/endangerment of native habitats,� Land and Hill wrote in another letter to the District. “Note that, according to what we’ve found as the LAUSD Board of Education Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) protocols, LAUSD did not even follow their own protocols.� “All tree trimming and removal conducted on District property is required to adhere to the procedures described in the LAUSD OEHS Tree Trimming and Removal Procedure. Compliance with this Procedure will ensure that District activities will not conflict with any tree preservation policies while ensuring the protection of breeding and nesting habitat of protected birds. Written approval from the Director of OEHS, Director of Maintenance & Operations, Local District Superintendent, and School Principal is required before any protected tree is relocated or removed. For more information, please contact OEHS at (213) 241-3199 or the District Arborist at (213) 745-1422.� “To our knowledge, the approval from TECS principal (Kevin Kassebaum) was not obtained and we do not know if the other required authorizations were obtained,� they concluded. Mitigation Opportunities “After the damage was discovered by TECS students and parents, we worked diligently with relevant members of L.A. County Regional Planning Commission, the Coastal Commission, the Fire Department, the U.S. Forestry Service, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, LAUSD and regional experts from the Topanga Town Council to determine appropriate measures to mitigate the damage and rehabilitate the area,� wrote Land and Hill. “We also pointed out that this destruction of native species, if followed with appropriate mitigation response, could be used as an opportunity to engage school children in the rehabilitation process as a learning experience in environmental stewardship.� Restoration Plans Yet, help is on the way, thanks to the Resource Conservation District (RCD). “We are hoping to move this as fast as possible so we can get restoration on the ground going ASAP,� wrote Rosi Dagit, Sr. Biologist for the RCD. “Stand by for updates as we get more information and develop the plan. [We are] grateful for all your efforts to keep the pressure on LAUSD to do the right thing.� Dagit wrote in an email that “as of February, Architerra (the LAUSD lead vendor) and RCDSMM staff (we are a subconsultant to Architerra) met with LAUSD staff to restart the contract that was closed in 2021.� According to Dagit, LAUSD requested assistance from the RCD to: Complete preparation of all documents required to submit a Conditional Development Permit (CDP) to LA County to resolve the outstanding violation. (This includes completing the native tree report and adding mitigation recommendations, updating the Biological Assessment, preparing the fuel modification and restoration planting plan, and preparing the Mitigation Monitoring and Management Plan) Assist LAUSD in preparing and submitting the CDP application. Assist LAUSD in developing a plan with state parks regarding long-term management of the property adjacent to the Backbone Trail and State Park property. “We have started our tree survey updates, and met briefly with Principal Kevin Kassebaum to discuss how we can work with the students to have them assist with monitoring once these efforts are further along,� Dagit wrote. “We set up the required vegetation transects the week of March 20 and hope to complete the tree survey updates. “We will be meeting with the Architerra folks to coordinate the fuel modification plan and restoration plan updates and have reached out to State Parks and Regional Planning to further coordinate things. The goal is to have all these documents pulled together so LAUSD can submit their CDP application to Regional Planning no later than this summer. Fingers crossed, we can then hope to implement restoration actions next fall/winter.� TECS Parents Respond “We are so glad to hear that this special site will be rehabilitated,� said Land and Hill, who helped keep the pressure on to restore the decimated woodland. “We are also delighted that RCD will be able to collaborate with our current science teacher, Jeffrey Esparza, to ensure the students will be able to support this restoration and the stewardship of this environmental resource.�