Summer is officially here! I don’t know about you, but this beautiful, sunny weather makes me want to be outside all the time. I’ve even been getting up early to fit in some extra hiking before work, and one of my new favorite places to hike is Coldwater Canyon Park. It is one of the few locations in Los Angeles where I feel like I am actually in a forest and not just on a city hill, thanks in great part to TreePeople, an incredible non-profit organization that is not only based out of the park but also helps to maintain its trails and care for its trees.

Starting July 18th, Coldwater Canyon Park will also be home to TreePeople’s “Once Upon A Canyon Night” summer series. All season long, you can enjoy a wide range of outdoor concerts, performances, movie screenings and classes (from photography to yoga to knitting), all of which will be held underneath the trees and the stars, in the beautiful S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheater.

PLEASE JOIN ME at the following TreePeople events, which I will be attending and blogging about:

This Saturday, June 27, at 9am – Coldwater Canyon Park Work Day – we will assist with tree care, help maintain park trails, remove non-native species, and most importantly, have fun and help out the environment! For more information, contact Lisa Sotelo at (818) 623-4879, volunteer@treepeople.org.

Saturday, July 18, at 8pm – TreePeople’s summer series kicks off with comedian Paula Poundstone. For reservations, call 818-623-4877 or email shows@treepeople.org.

I recently had the chance to sit down with Jim Hardie, Director of Park Operations, and Heather Goldberg, Executive Producer of the summer series, to find out more about TreePeople and how to get involved. Below is a sneak peek at what they had to say: (You can read my full interview here!)

JH: We’re trying to make this city a better place to live, and we’re doing it by trying to encourage people to take deeper personal responsibility. We have our year-round community events, whether they’re tree plantings or tree care events, virtually every weekend and sometimes weekdays too. We’re out supporting people in their communities to plant and care for trees and make their communities more sustainable.

HG: The really great thing about being a volunteer here is that we do a mini training before each event, and we teach people how to plant a tree, how to care for a tree, so you can just dive right in. You can leave being inspired and knowing something.

JH: There’s this whole menu of choices for people, in terms of volunteering, and there’s gotta be something that will connect with you; even if you don’t want to go out and get dirty on a particular day, there are other things for you to do to help us out.

HG: And with our summer series coming up, even just coming to enjoy a show or take a class will benefit TreePeople, because the funds we’re going to be raising will go to TreePeople.

JH: The summer series is a great thing. There’s really no other one quite like it, in terms of this intimate outdoor amphitheater, under the trees. We bring people here to have a good time, and they get to experience the park at night, which really is magical. People often say it’s the best kept secret in LA, but we hope more people will share that secret.

JH: If people are at all curious about us, come to the park. There are areas to picnic and hike. Every month, there’s a full moon hike with 3 different levels of activity, including one for kids and families. There are terrific views at night, and there’s no billboards around you, no streetlights.

HG: If people don’t have the extra time to get involved, becoming a member is a great option. You can start for as low as $25 and donate as much as you want, but you know that your contribution will be used in a great way.

JH: And when people become members, they get discount admission at our amphitheater events, so they’re seeing wonderful entertainment at a discount, simply because they’re helping TreePeople.

Read more about TreePeople and to check out their full calendar of events, including information on the summer series.

Hope to see you there!! And remember, even if you don’t live in the LA area and can’t attend one of their events, you can still become a member of TreePeople and get involved in this important cause. Also, as I mentioned in my last blog, you can dedicate a tree or a whole grove of trees to a loved one through TreePeople and help make the world a greener and happier place to live.