MOUNT PINOS, Calif. -- For the artists of the Arts For Earth Foundation, there's a lot of natural beauty they've captured in the Los Padres National Forest in their work over the years.

Now, they're trying to bring some of that to light in the form of a botanical garden, to be located off of Lockwood Valley Road.

"There are waterfalls, there are valleys, there are mountaintops here," said Michelle Nosco, the foundation's president. "The diversity of the plant life and of the animal life is exceptional, and we have it all."

Some Native American tribes often refer to the area around Mount Pinos as the "center of the universe," the meeting point of 5 major ecological areas: the Mojave Desert--the Sierra Nevada--the San Joaquin Valley--and the central and south coasts.

Plant life native to each of the ecological areas will be on display at the garden.

"It's a place they look at as a healing center, and it really is," Nosco said. "We're looking at the way families and individuals can come spend time here and get over what they're calling nature-deficit-disorder."

The garden is a tribute to the legacy of Mike Foster, a long-time forest ranger and botanist in the area who passed away four years ago.

He often marveled at how plant and animal life native to other areas could survive in the Mountain Communities, according to O'Dell Tucker, the acting supervising ranger at the Chuchupate Ranger Station of the national forest.

"A lot of people would like to see this project move forward, and that's the reason why we want to support it," Tucker said.

The garden will also feature handicapped-accessible pathways and an ampitheater for educational programs, to give visitors more knowledge about what's around them.

"This is a way for people to get away from the city, come here, and experience nature at its best," Tucker said.

The Arts For Earth Foundation is holding a grand opening ceremony on Saturday, December 5 for an art gallery and nature center located on Mt. Pinos Way in Frazier Park.

The foundation is still raising money for the project and is hoping it will be ready by the end of next year, Nosco said.

For more information, you can visit www.artsforearth.org.