SIMI VALLEY : Public’s Ideas Sought on Canyon Parkland

The National Park Service is holding meetings tonight and Thursday to solicit public input on how to manage its parkland at Palo Comado and Cheeseboro canyons.

The two canyons that make up a 4,400-acre park are part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The site includes the former Jordan Ranch, which became part of the park last April after years of debate over whether its oak-lined canyon and grasslands should be developed.

“When we acquire a site we need to develop a detailed plan for what specifically we will do with that space,” said David Gackenbach, superintendent of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “We’ve got to decide whether we are going to build trails, parking lots, picnic areas. We want to find out from the public what they want to see.”

The comprehensive management plan for the two canyons will not be complete for nearly two years, Gackenbach said. After gathering public input, the Park Service will develop a draft plan and environmental assessment for release in the fall of 1995, he said.

Tonight’s meeting is at the Sycamore Drive Community Center in Simi Valley, 1692 Sycamore Drive, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. On Thursday, the meeting is in Calabasas at the A.E. Wright Middle School, 4029 N. Las Virgenes Canyon Road, also from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

For more information, call (818) 597-9192.