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The Santa Monica Mountains Really Want The N.Y. Times To Know L.A. Is Not A Desert
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.
Desert? You meant mediterranean ecosystem, right? ;) https://t.co/GSLLASAbcF
— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) May 13, 2017
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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We're in one of five such ecosystems. Together, they cover 2.25% of the world's landmass, yet host 16% of the world's plant biodiversity!
— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) May 13, 2017
Mediterranean ecosystems have dry summers, mild wet winters, and are primarily found on the western or southwestern edges of continents.
— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) May 13, 2017
These ecosystems are also found between about 30 and 45 degrees latitude (mediterranean comes from medius and terra, or middle land).
— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) May 13, 2017
Great weather in mediterranean regions makes them highly desirable places to live, but w/population density comes habitat fragmentation.
— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) May 13, 2017
No shade to deserts though, the Twitter account was quick to say:
We love our desert park friends (hey, @JoshuaTreeNPS!), but we also are deeply invested in killing the myth that L.A. is a desert.
— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) May 13, 2017
So, just to recap, the Santa Monica Mountains would very much like everyone to know: L.A. is #notadesert.
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#notadesert. pic.twitter.com/dsGhH1GHVf
— Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) May 13, 2017
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