Deeply honoring the relationship between people and land.
What is the SAMO Field Institute?
SAMO Fund’s Field Institute transforms ecological knowledge into lived experience by bringing together science, culture, art, and the land through place-based, experiential learning. Students gain hands-on experience by applying their knowledge to mentored restoration projects that address real environmental challenges.
Created to help restore more landscapes while building the next generation of environmental stewards, the Field Institute bridges the gap between education and action—empowering students with the skills and experience to make a lasting impact on the world.
SAMO Fund's Field Institute is a place where both science and cultural wisdom are held in equal reverence, where beauty leads with purpose, and the relationship between people and land is deeply honored.
— The Field Institute
Rooted in Place, Built for the Long Term
This field institute was created to answer a simple, yet urgent question: how does SAMO Fund heal more landscapes while building the ecological workforce needed to sustain them?
By creating a well-rounded environmental education rooted in place-based, experiential learning, students apply their knowledge through mentored, real-world restoration projects that address a pressing global challenge.
The Field Institute exists to bridge the gap between education and action, between being a student and being a life-long steward, between learning and making lasting real-world impact.
A Partnership Built Over Decades
1988
SAMO Fund becomes the official non-profit partner to the National Park Service for the Santa Monica Mountains.
2000
SAMO Youth launches with 10 students, growing into a program hundreds of young stewards have now completed.
2025
SAMO Fund forms a new partnership with California State Parks, extending stewardship across public lands.
2026
The Field Institute opens, bringing science and cultural wisdom together under one roof for the first time.
Make the Field Institute Possible
The Field Institute is made possible through your generous support of the Santa Monica Mountains Fund. Every contribution helps educate future environmental stewards and restore the landscapes they serve.
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