Description
The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving California's native plants
and their habitats. Originally formed in 1965 in the East Bay region, the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a statewide
non-profit organization of amateurs and professionals with a common interest in California's native plants. The organization's
10,000 members work to promote native plant appreciation, research, education, and conservation through 35 regional chapters
throughout the state. This collection features documents from the organization's South Coast Chapter, which oversees Los Angeles
and Long Beach, focusing specifically on the chapter's work in the Rancho Palos Verdes area. Documents refer to property development,
legislation, planting guidelines, court cases, reports, studies, and surveys pertaining to Rancho Palos Verdes. Also included
are photographs and maps of the area, as well as brochures from affiliated organizations and newspaper clippings.
Background
The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) was founded in 1965 in Berkeley, California, with the goal of protecting the biodiversity
of the state of California. Since its inception, CNPS has worked to protect California's native plant heritage and preserve
it for future generations. Today, CNPS continues to preserve the state's wildlife by contributing to legislation, publishing
informative articles and reports, fighting legal battles, hosting workshops, and managing databases. This volunteer-based
organization has 35 chapters spanning the state. The South Coast chapter, the focus of this collection, oversees the LA and
Long Beach area. This collection focuses on the chapter's work in the Rancho Palos Verdes area. The time period represented
by these documents (1972-2014) was one of intense development pressure on local natural habitats and native flora and fauna
of the area, and the chapter overcame many challenges in order to preserve the natural landscape.
Restrictions
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.