Its purpose was to provide a place to both educate the public about native wildlife, as well as to help injured and orphaned wild animals.

[2] In 1998, the day-to-day operations of The California Living Museum were transferred to the Kern Superintendent of Schools offices (KCSOS).

Natural exhibits include: The DiGiorgio Education Center, which is the visitor's first stop, houses the gift store, a reading library, Miocene and Pleistocene fossils, and children's discovery rooms with rotating interactive activities.

The California Living Museum is a permitted rehabilitation facility and has a staff trained to care for injured wildlife.

[4] During the Christmas season, from November 28 to December 30, CALM hosts a month-long event called “HolidayLights at CALM.” The zoo is decorated with millions of lights to form scenes of animals and Kern County landscapes.

Certain areas flash in sequence to music playing at each scene, while others feature lite displays of native animals.