Milt McAuley Milt McAuley, a Santa Monica Mountains trailblazer, author and dedicated member of the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, made such an impact on friends and colleagues that a special memorial has been planned three months after his death.

McAuley died of natural causes at his Canoga Park home on Dec. 10, 2008. He was 89.

McAuley's life and achievements will be recognized at 3 p.m. Sun., March 8 at Paramount Ranch. The program is being sponsored by the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council in cooperation with the National Parks Service, said Ruth Gerson, a friend and colleague of McAuley's.

McAuley's love of the Santa Monica Mountains was legendary. He lived in Canoga Park for 47 years, and much of his time was spent blazing new trails in the Santa Monica Mountains.

McAuley was known as much for his expertise on local plants and wildflowers as he was for his storytelling skills.

"He regaled the hikers with many stories, whether he was describing the history or geology of the land, or recalling stories from his childhood or from 20 years in the Air Force," Gerson wrote in a dedication sent to The Acorn. "He clearly enjoyed teaching and sharing his life."

McAuley's first book, "Hiking Trails of the Santa Monica Mountains," is considered to be a definitive guide by local hikers. A self-taught botanist, he also wrote "Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains" and other hiking guidebooks.

Jerry Mitcham of Thousand Oaks said McAuley's book on wildflowers was considered the "bible" by many people.

"I have three or four of his books, and I refer to them on a regular basis," Mitcham said. "Wildflowers" features 500 photographs of wildflowers categorized by color for easy identification. McAuley was also an artist and illustrated the book with line drawings of flowers.

As a member of the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council board of directors, McAuley had a knack for entertaining and inspiring people on his hikes. Gerson jokingly said that his "ulterior motive" was to recruit volunteers for trail maintenance crews.

Burt Elliott of Thousand Oaks was one such volunteer. He met McAuley in 1991 during a lecture series and workshop on trail maintenance.

"(Milt) inspired me to get involved in open space, trail maintenance primarily," Elliott said. "I got hooked."

Gerson listed an array of McAuley's achievements in her dedication. He initiated the Adopt-A-Trail plan, wrote "Trailheads Guide & Map" for the Santa Monica Mountains and for many years led a 65mile, weeklong Backbone Trek.

Other media reports credit McAuley as one of 10 people to plot the Backbone Trail, a 60mile stretch of land between Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades and Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County.

Gerson said McAuley was also involved with the Ventura County Archaeological Society and participated in the annual Native American Rock Art Caravan. Caravan volunteers travel to various sites in California and nearby states to view and photograph petroglyphs and pictographs left behind by Native Americans, she said.

"If there are no trails in heaven, Milt will flag the routes and recruit volunteers to build them," Gerson said.

McAuley is survived by his wife of 66 years, Maxine McAuley; daughters Pat Maylard-Romolo and Barbara Frisk; son William McAuley; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.