Santa Monica Mts. : Mountains Trust Purchase

The Mountains Restoration Trust has agreed to pay $2.4 million to a private landowner to acquire 56 acres in the Santa Monica Mountains near Calabasas for inclusion in Cold Creek Preserve, officials said this week.

Betty Wiechec, executive director of the land trust, said the property includes “the last segment of Cold Creek in its pristine condition.” It also provides a key link to several trails in the 650-acre nature park, she said.

The trust is a private, nonprofit land trust that helps acquire private land for public parkland. Among the public and private funds used for the purchase, the California State Coastal Conservancy last week approved $1 million for the acquisition, Wiechec said.

The property is part of a 66-acre parcel that has long been identified as a top priority for acquisition by federal and state parks officials. As part of the arrangement, the owners will retain 10 acres to develop as two five-acre lots for single-family homes, Wiechec said.