Hello

My name is Amanda and I am a scenic artist, hiker, and cute dog owner living in Los Angeles for fourteen years. I am making this site to both share my excitement for the natural world found in Los Angeles and as a way to continue learning about LA's ecology by talking to others.

My Story

For 25 years of my life the outdoors meant the beach. I grew up in Orlando, FL and I had only been to Colorado, North Carolina, and maybe a few other places but generally my experience with the outdoors as anything other than a beach day was pretty limited.

So when I had the chance to move to Los Angeles for grad school at CalArts in 2008 I was completely blown away with the landscapes I drove through to move west.

I had a vague idea that I wanted to be a hiker and camper but it wasn't until 2015 that I really started to get outdoors locally and farther to other western destinations like Arizona, New Mexico, Yellowstone, Glacier, and the Eastern Sierras. As with my road trip in 2008 the landscapes I saw on these trips drew me to ask questions and want to learn more.

As many outdoor enthusiasts do, I eventually moved past just wanting to hike and wanting to know what I was hiking through. In 2021 I took the UC California Naturalist Course to become a certified Naturalist.

I learned a lot from this class but still had more questions than answers by the end. This website is a project I created through the class to help me answer those questions and to learn from others doing work to promote, conserve, and connect the unique nature of Los Angeles County to its ten million residents.

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SUPPORT

All proceeds from my online and in-person sales go to funding this website and to supporting me, the artist. I also make donations, volunteer, and donate art to many non-profits working for our amazing biodiversity here in Southern California.

LAINAD ONLINE STORE

TEEPUBLIC

REDBUBBLE