The Los Angeles Urban Rangers is a group of scholars and artists who interpret domestic and international urban landscapes using the perspective of the United States National Park Service. The group develops "guided hikes, campfire talks, field kits, and other interpretive tools to spark creative explorations of everyday habitats." Their most recent and longest-running outing - the Malibu Public Beach Safari - has been featured in media reports and by Huell Howser on his show. The group was formed to highlight all the wonders of Los Angeles—both concrete and natural.
While below the average mean high tide line is public property in the state of California, efforts in some parts of Malibu to maintain an image of privacy have a deep history. Ranger safaris teach people what the actual laws are, and educate them on how to safely and legally use these beautiful beaches without trespassing on the complicated property easements. The Malibu Safaris include activities such as a public easement potluck, a lateral easement hike, a sign-watching activity and a no kill access way hunt.
The Urban Rangers' Portable Ranger Station was shown at the 2009 International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam in the Netherlands Architecture Institute, and the group has had its work included in "Actions: What You Can Do With The City", at The Graham Foundation in Chicago, and in the Experimental Geography on the road show on display through 2011.
In 2009 the Urban Rangers received a 2009 Emerging Artist Fellowship award from the CA Community Foundation in conjunction with the Getty Trust. The group is scheduled to conduct "Actions, Conversations, and Intersections" at the LA Municipal Art Gallery at Barnsdall Art Park in January 2010.
Currently the L.A. Urban Rangers are developing new programs in and around Los Angeles and greater California.