LAS FLORES CREEK SANCTUARY
OUR BELOVED LAS FLORES CREEK SANCTUARY HAS BEEN DEVASTATED BY THE PALISADES FIRE. DONATIONS TO "OUR COMMON HEART" NONPROFIT WILL SUPPORT RESTORATION AND FUTURE PROGRAMING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Love, Rhonda
Las Flores Creek Sanctuary is Our Common Heart's initial restoration project. Our Common Heart is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering community wellness through our shared connection to the natural world. Our initiatives offer free psychological and nature focused educational programs, mental health services, digital resources, and supportive products to uplift at-risk families and communities. Additionally we engage in special projects aimed at restoring and enhancing sustainable native plant habitats on public and private lands. Together, we strive to cultivate a compassionate and resilient community that honors the bonds we share with one another and the Earth.
Las Flores Creek Sanctuary is located in rural Malibu, uniquely positioned adjacent to a large and wild region of open-space parkland. Previous home of the Chumash tribe and early settlers, the general area has been comparatively protected from the over development of other areas in Malibu.
Our team at the sanctuary loves all the hard work!
PRESERVATION
Our mission is to preserve and protect the natural habitat and cultural history of this privately maintained property, and we are passionate about the preservation of the native indigenous vegetation of the Santa Monica Mountains. Our project involves non-native invasive plant removal and native seed propagation. The Las Flores Creek Sanctuary is a certified Monarch Waystation through Monarch Watch and is a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation.
EDUCATION
In addition to restoring the property's historic farmhouse, the sanctuary will serve as a low-impact campground in order for community members to intimately experience the interplay between the environment, wildlife and the human species. All visitors will be educated regarding the core outdoor ethical principles of the “Leave No Trace” program and “Keep Me Wild” campaign of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Educational materials will be available to learn about the early Native American inhabitants and history in this area, including a self-led “ethnobotany” walk. Interactive media resources will assist identification of local native plants which were traditionally used for medicinal and food sources by Chumash tribes. Finally, the sanctuary features a spectacular rock collection, animal bone collection, and a mini-museum which includes household artifacts from the historical homestead farm house which was destroyed by wildfires.
TRANSFORMATION
Dr. Rhonda Jessum, a clinical psychologist, environmental activist, and sanctuary steward. Dr. Jessum is the Founder and Director of Our Common Heart. Dr. Jessum creates wilderness based personal growth programs which are designed to increase mindfulness and insight, and to facilitate an understanding of transcendent experiences in nature. All programs are currently being held in public and parkland spaces within the greater area of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Dr. Jessum is a member of the American Psychological Association Division 34, The Society for Environmental Population and Conservation Psychology. She has a long history of active engagement in community based environmental concerns. Dr. Jessum was awarded the 2015 Environmental Champion Award through the prestigious non-profit, California Safe Schools. Dr. Jessum is currently an active member of the Malibu Monarch Project, a certified California Naturalist. Dr. Jessum has effectively worked with citizens’ groups to remove toxic chemicals from the City of Malibu and the Las Virgenes Unified School District.
For more information regarding Dr. Jessum's professional psychology experience, please click on the following link to DrRhondaJessum.com.
