Two of the four cougars radio-collared by the National Park Service last year were found dead in December in the Simi Hills.

P-3, a young male whose range covered the Simi Hills and the Santa Susana Mountains, was found north of Oak Park. P-4, a young female who lived in the Santa Clarita Woodlands, but had crossed under the 118 Freeway in the last few weeks of her life, wandered south to Ahmanson Ranch and died west of Chatsworth.

Sustainably harvested wood. Solar paneling. Green energy. These and many other criteria are rapidly becoming the standard of the building industry thanks to an innovative program called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

For Laura McCutcheon, the most recent Inner City Outings 'moment' came a month or two back. The group of third graders she was leading had just read a story about a deer that wandered from the woods to eat from backyard gardens, stirring a neighborhood debate whether to kill the animal or let it live.

'A week later, we hiked and saw deer in the Santa Monica Mountains,' McCutcheon said. 'You couldn't measure my kids' excitement.'

Did you know that painting releases over 50 tons of smog-forming pollution each year in Southern California, five times as much as all our area's oil refineries? Paint is classified as toxic waste, and for good reason-the solvent in both oil- and water-based paint can trigger headaches and asthma attacks, weaken the immune system, damage the liver and kidneys, and poison groundwater.

But paint doesn't have to be bad for the environment. Today's green paints come in a huge range of colors, finishes, and materials. They're easy and fun to use and can accommodate most budgets.