Malibu local and actress Victoria Principal has contributed to a project by TreePeople to fund a new mobile technology project to help Southern Californians prepare for and prevent wildfires, according to a release.
Principal’s donation assisted in the creation of a texting system that will allow people to both volunteer for and donate to TreePeople, a nonprofit that works to improve Los Angeles’ urban environment.
“Ms. Principal is one of TreePeople’s first responders and most generous supporters when it comes to meting urgent needs,” said TreePeople founder and president Andy Lipkis in a release. “Her gift tremendously magnifies our impact by giving us the tools to involve thousands more people in preventing and responding to fire danger.”
Donations raised via texting will go to fire prevention and restoration efforts. Volunteers can sign up via texting to participate in weekend projects in the Santa Monica Mountains, restoring and caring for native trees and pulling out invasive, flammable weeds to prevent fires, according to the release. They will also be on the volunteer list to help restore fire-damaged forests when needed.
TreePeople works with volunteers in the Santa Monica Mountains nearly every weekend to remove invasive plants, helping to prevent wildfires. They also bring in volunteers to replant fire-damaged mountain forests in a partnership with the United States Forest Service, according to the release.
“Having concerned donors like Ms. Principal gives TreePeople the opportunity to get out in front of emergencies and ensure that we have both physical and financial resources to protect and restore our local forests,” said Craig Prizan, TreePeople’s senior director of development and marketing, in a release.
Principal, who is known for her role on Dallas, has worked with TreePeople on previous campaigns.