April 20, 2018 | Lily Nia, an intern with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Los Angeles, serves as a Community Engagement Liasion. Her main duties involve conducting community outreach with the LA Ranger Troca, the mobile visitor center for the National Park Service on behalf of the Santa Monica Mountains. Her projects as a community engagement liaison are focused on outreach and interpretation at community park pop-ups and special events. This quarter, she has focused on doing outreach in communities that are mostly underserved. She notes that in these communities, residents “seem intrigued in our being at their local park. I’m sure to make them aware of Every Kid in the Park (E.K.I.P.) a measure that president Obama passed that allows for every 4th grader to experience our great outdoors with their families. I am happy to inform them of the resources available to them. I really hope they take away that these parks and green spaces are theirs to enjoy with their family and friends.

Aside from her main duties, Lily has kept busy with a number of outreach events. “I conducted programing for schools that celebrated Earth day early. I participated in the Lantern Festival in El Pueblo, LA Walks Block Party, National Park Night, and REI events. I assisted Ranger Tori on an event she helped organize at King Gillet Ranch for the Dream Rocket Art Project. I participated in Nature Fest at the Natural History Museum both days. I did programming for School on Wheels for the children living in shelters. I assisted Ranger Kevin in the hike at Charmlee Wilderness Park for our Transit to Trails program; we took a different School on Wheels group from skid row in Downtown, Los Angeles.”