TreePeople uses music and moonlight hikes to grow a new generation of environmental stewards

By Michelle Edgar

On Friday night, as the sun sets over the Santa Monica Mountains and darkness settles across Coldwater Canyon Park, visitors gathered for something that feels part concert, part community gathering, and part outdoor classroom. Hosted by TreePeople, the monthly Friday Night Moonlight Hike series has quietly become one of Los Angeles’ more distinctive experiences, blending live music, storytelling, environmental education, and guided hikes beneath the stars.

What began years ago as an educational program has evolved into a larger effort to build community and create new pathways into environmental engagement.

“Our moonlight hikes have been a longstanding tradition,” said Maria Adame, TreePeople’s Director of Environmental Education and Outdoor Equity. “They’ve really grown over time because there’s a lot of interest from the nearby community and there truly is something for everybody.”

Held at TreePeople’s headquarters in Coldwater Canyon Park, the evenings begin with performances curated in partnership with Living Earth. Since early 2022, Living Earth has helped shape the artistic component of the experience, introducing everything from musicians and experimental performers to theatrical and immersive experiences.

Living Earth is outdoor arts series that works in conversation with conservation organizations, public parks, gardens, unique land projects, and cultural institutions to gather peoples of all ages to explore Los Angeles through live performances, workshops, and transformative outdoor adventures.

“We’ve collaborated with TreePeople for this Friday Night Moonlight Hike series each and every month since January 2022, and it’s been a joyous journey,” said Living Earth’s Noah Klein. “This Friday we’re trying something new by incorporating more of a storytime and reading element with live music that’s been a gorgeous, feel-good experiment when we’ve held it with other community partners around town.”

Organizers offer three hiking levels, making the evening accessible for everyone from casual walkers to more experienced hikers.

Behind the moonlit trails and music sits a larger purpose. TreePeople has long operated as a volunteer driven organization focused on restoring landscapes and strengthening urban forestry efforts throughout Southern California. For Adame, the work extends beyond planting trees. “Those trees that go into the ground are only successful if they receive the care they need,” she said. “So much of the survival of the tree depends on the community we work with understanding the value of those trees, understanding how to care for them, and understanding the benefits those trees bring not only to themselves, but to the entire community.”

That philosophy has increasingly shaped the organization’s environmental education efforts.

Rather than assuming environmental spaces naturally attract everyone, TreePeople has intentionally focused on creating spaces where people who may not traditionally see themselves represented in environmental work feel welcomed into the conversation. “Our goal is to create a space for those who maybe don’t see themselves represented in the environmental sector,” Adame said. “We want to bring them in through music, art, and community so they can find a place within this larger mission and movement.”

As Los Angeles continues navigating conversations around climate resilience, public spaces, and community connection, TreePeople’s moonlight hikes suggest another possibility, that environmental stewardship does not always begin with a shovel in hand.