Who We Are

Co-Founder & Former President,
John Luker

Sky Valley Volunteers began in 2017, when John Luker and Wendi Gladstone, officers on the Board of Directors of the Santa Susana Mountain Park Association, created the project under Save Chatsworth, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit. SVV’s Mission Statement is “to promote healthy and positive stewardship of the local mountains and regional open space through education and habitat restoration.”

SVV has formed strategic relationships with other local non-profits and community groups which help spread the word about the need for Habitat Restoration. Tree People has been especially valuable for training and advice, as has Rosi Dagit, Senior Conservation Biologist at the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains.

President & Co-Founder,
Wendi Gladstone

L.A. County Supervisor Katherine Barger was instrumental in promoting the project’s work, approving the first sizable grant to launch the program.

The Boeing Co. graciously accepted Sky Valley Volunteers’ proposal to reforest several groves on its property. The Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority (MRCA) gave SVV tremendous encouragement by granting access to two of its properties. SVV developed a strong relationship with the L.A. Department of Water and Power, extending the group’s efforts into the Chatsworth Nature Preserve.

Sky Valley Volunteers has attracted some wonderful like-minded community members to serve on its Board of Directors, and many more participate as the field crew. The group is a strong and dedicated team, primarily focused on planting sapling native oak trees in the local mountains and open spaces, where drought, fire and/or invasive insects have taken their toll. SVV is creating a living legacy for the health and future of wildlands in this corner of the planet.