Welcome to Las Flores Creek Sanctuary. We are 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 mission is to preserve and protect the natural wildlife 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 current 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.
In the future we plan to provide life-enhancing environmental and cultural events. We value and explore the significance of the interplay between the environment, wildlife and the human species. The core outdoor ethical principles of the “Leave No Trace” organization and the “Keep Me Wild” campaign of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are integrated into every educational program held at the sanctuary. Programs will be available related to Native American culture and history, including a program of “ethnobotany” which teaches identification of local native plants which were traditionally used for medicinal and food sources by Chumash tribes.
Dr. Rhonda Jessum, a clinical psychologist, environmental activist, and sanctuary steward. Dr. Jessum’s wilderness based personal growth interventions are designed to increase mindfulness and insight, and to facilitate an understanding of transcendent experiences in nature.
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 volunteer for the Mountains Restoration Trust, and she has effectively worked with citizens’ groups to remove toxic chemicals from the City of Malibu and the Las Virgenes Unified School District. Dr. Jessum has been invited to participate on the Calabasas Environmental Commission's rodenticide task force subcommittee.
Dr. Jessum also participates in educational and citizen science opportunities. She is a member of the California Native Plant Society, The Theodore Payne Society, and regularly attends UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science educational events and presentations. As a citizen scientist, Dr. Jessum assists research teams through The University of Minnesota Monarch Lab and the Xerces Society. Dr. Jessum has recently participated as a mentor in a youth conversation program by the Environmental Protection Agency, and has taken a course through the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources to study the tree pest invasion problem effecting the Santa Monica Mountains.
For more information regarding Dr. Jessum's psychology professional experience, click on the Dr. Rhonda Jessum link at the top of this page.
