I grew up in South Pasadena and spent boyhood years in the San Gabriel Mountains. My father was the principal at Gompers and Belvedere Junior High Schools in East Los Angeles decades ago. He would take me along on campouts with his students in the San Gabriel Mountains in the 1950's and '60's. As a botany major at Pomona College, I took field trips and did research in the coastal sage foothills and chaparral of these mountains. I would love to see expanded protection of these lands for future generations.