Ain’t nothin’ out here: recreation, restoration, and remembrance in Kern County’s oil towns

Between the vast oilfields of western Kern County and the voluptuous slopes of the Tremblor Range lie a string of small towns, founded with the discovery of oil in the early 1900s. Ranging in size from 50 to 9,000 souls, these towns endure environmental degradation, progressive erasure, and, according to locals, a distinct lack of things to do. I attempt to address these three issues by integrating outdoor recreation, habitat restoration, and land art into the Tremblor Range National Monument.