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The Santa Monica Mountains Really Want The N.Y. Times To Know L.A. Is Not A Desert

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Does this look like a desert to you? (Photo of the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon by 98463039@N00/ via the Creative Commons on Flickr)
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In yet another instance of The New York Times writing tone deaf articles about L.A., the venerable newspaper wrote that Dior unveiled its latest cruise collection in the “desert” of the Santa Monica Mountains. The Mountains weren’t having it.

The official Twitter account of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area issued several tweets yesterday calling out the wrong-headed article, which made a central point of the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, where the show took place, being a desert. But the area is actually part of a Mediterranean ecosystem, according to the mighty mountain range.

Further tweets highlighted how our ecosystem hosts a great amount of biodiversity, and agreeable weather makes Mediterranean regions like ours highly desirable places to live, in case you didn’t know.

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No shade to deserts though, the Twitter account was quick to say:

So, just to recap, the Santa Monica Mountains would very much like everyone to know: L.A. is #notadesert.

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