Review Comments1
the things that would have been useful at this
symposium would be a look at how people live and
recreate within mediterranean ecosystems.
Robert Chandler2
My summary will be from a what I think is a
very different perspective since I have lived in
Southern California only two and a half years. I
transferred to Los Angeles to set up our newest
national recreation area in the Santa Monica
Mountains. My introduction to a mediterranean
ecosystem was right after the Agoura fire that
burned some 26 thousand acres in Malibu, and the
Mandeville Canyon fire which occurred at the
same time. I remember looking at those charred
hills and saying to myself, "My God, what have I
gotten into?" It was not long before those same
hills were ablaze with wildflowers and new
growth. It was the beginning of a fascinating
learning experience. I was at once impressed
with the resilience and diversity of a mediterranean ecosystem and I felt a tremendous need to
accelerate my learning. This symposium has certainly been a continuation of my education in
this special area.
The focus of this summary then, is from the
standpoint of putting together a national recreation area in a mediterranean ecosystem in the Los
Angeles megalopolis. I am looking at the indicators that are present here that may apply to
similar ecosystems in this country, and perhaps in
other parts of the world as well. We need to have
our antennae out to sense what is happening in
these ecosystems as a result of mass urbanization.
This will give us insight into the issues many of
us, both scientists and managers, will face in the
future as the migration to these areas continues.
Consider, for example, the Southern California
sun belt. It is attracting a tremendous number
of people, businesses, and industries because it
is a great place to live and work. The housing
industry continues to grow rapidly in spite of
the economy, and vast areas are being converted
into subdivisions. We must understand the impact
of this continual urban growth on the ecosystem,
and, conversely, how the system affects those
living in it. From my perspective, this urban/
wildland interface is the area which needs
increased attention by researchers and managers.
I would like to see more emphasis in the future
on the people as a part of these systems. One of
Relating to the focus on people, there is a
tremendous need for better educational methods so
people begin to understand in common terms the
dynamics and importance of mediterranean ecosystems. From what I have heard here it appears
that in some areas scientists are working extremely well with managers in applying the increased
knowledge to better manage the resource. However,
I am concerned about how much of this good work is
passed on to the public at large as information.
I think it's principally the role of the managers
to make sure that such information is shared with
the public in an understandable form. We are all
facing a time where budgets are not going to provide for a lot of publications. The major publications that are produced are technical papers
which are useful but miss the mark in reaching
average people living in these areas. We should
be looking for new ways to communicate this information. Our public information staffs need to be
more involved in getting the word out. Also, in
relation to the need to look more closely at the
urban/wildland interface, I would recommend that
future symposiums include more land use planners,
economists, sociologists, etc. I realize that
time is a problem but this could be handled
through a workshop format during part of the week.
There was an underlying focus on fire this
week, and I think it's appropriate from what I
understand of the progress in this area in terms
of the application of research. Perhaps the next
session will not need to be as heavily weighted in
this area.
I would like to see more consideration of the
esthetic qualities of mediterranean ecosystems.
Millions of people come to places that are mediterranean ecosystems for recreation. The more the
ecosystems are understood and appreciated, the
more they will be seen as very special resources
rather than just brush. Too few people see or
understand the complex beauty of these dynamic
biotic systems. Maybe this is not appropriate
for a scientific/management symposium, but if we
are going to reach the people that will ultimately
determine the kind of support and funding for
these important programs then we must give our
attention to how these ecosystems are perceived.
The more people understand the ecosystems, the
more they will support research and the management
programs we have been talking about this week.
I'm not sure how that gets incorporated into this
kind of symposium, but to understand something
about the special nature of this resource is
something that needs to be communicated to the
public at large.
1
Presented at the Symposium on Dynamics and
Management of Mediterranean-type Ecosystems,
June 22-26, 1981, San Diego, California.
2
Superintendent, Santa Monica Mountains National
Recreation Area.
Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-58. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range
Experiment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 1982.
The people that I have worked with for a very
short time in the Santa Monica Mountains really
get turned on when they begin to understand the
mountain resources. I believe these newcomers to
mediterranean ecosystems are hungry to understand
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those systems. When you give them a little bit,
they begin to appreciate the subtleties of chaparral and it's amazing to see how the desire for
knowledge grows as they reach out for more.
There is also a need to consider the coastal
marine resource as part of the mediterranean
ecosystem where appropriate. Too often in planning for the Santa Monica Mountains we tend to
stop at the Pacific Coast Highway, or it may be at
the beach, without looking at the relationship to
the marine offshore resource. The link between
the near shore resources and the coastal uplands
is too often neglected. Remote sensing techniques could be helpful to better understand water
quality and coastal resources.
One of the values of these kinds of conferences
is that we can "shop the competition" and take a
look at who's doing what where. I hope that fu-
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ture conferences attract more managers. Looking at
what is happening in similar areas should provide a great stimulus to our resource management
systems. It is a kind of healthy competition that
really pays off. I heard a discussion yesterday
between two managers arguing about who had the
biggest chaparral. That's good stuff and maybe
next year the two will be discussing who has the
best burn program or the best management program.
Since I'm the last speaker of the panel, I will
conclude with the feeling that I am extremely impressed with the people that participated in this
symposium. The level of commitment, and intensity, and human energy present was outstanding. The
knowledge and enthusiasm of the speakers as they
presented their papers and answered specific questions clearly established the quality of this
symposium; and I appreciate being a part of it.