Group Calls for More Money for Parklands

A coalition of 20 national conservation groups Thursday urged Congress to spend $35 million to buy land in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area--more than three times what President Bush dedicated to the park in his 1991 budget.

The Wilderness Society said the money was needed to purchase privately owned and undeveloped sections of the park that will provide coastal access and link several major activity centers. Specifically, it identified 1,303 acres in Corral Canyon as a significant ecological area and said acquisition of the 314-acre Whizin tract in Medea Valley near Paramount Ranch is “critical to expand public use in the area.”

The money would come from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is maintained by revenue from offshore drilling. The fund is the government’s primary source of money for purchasing natural and recreational areas.

In his 1991 budget, though, Bush proposed $11.55 million for the park, slightly less than last year’s high of $12 million.

Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Los Angeles), a leading advocate of the park, called Bush’s figure a status quo amount. But rising land prices mean the Park Service will need more money, he said.

“The truth is we ought to be spending much more for land acquisition than either the Bush Administration is proposing or Congress is spending. . . .

“We are simply losing potential park properties all over the country,” he said, adding that he will seek between $20 million and $30 million next year.