'Here we are 40 years later': CALM celebrates landmark birthday
May 21—The California Living Museum celebrated its 40th birthday Saturday and Sunday with its annual Birthday Bash.
CALM opened in 1983, three years after it was first established as a nonprofit.
It all started with Mike Hopkins, then a schoolteacher, who was inspired by his time studying wildlife in India and formed his dream of CALM.
"He had a dream and people thought it wouldn't happen but here we are 40 years later," Kern County Superintendent of Schools' Chief of Staff Steve Sanders said.
CALM has become a tradition for many. The zoo is a safe, educational place for families to visit and bring their children. It's a destination for locals and people all over the world, dedicated to showcasing California's native species.
"People that came as kids are bringing their kids and to me that's what this birthday means," Sanders said. "Celebrating a vision and seeing that come to reality."
Kathryn Hart, a former student of Hopkins, visited CALM as a child and now brings her granddaughter, 7-year-old Ila Hart-Wells, on a regular basis.
