Fledgling Open Space Group Has Grand Plans but a Small Budget

For an organization dedicated to preserving the undeveloped land that Thousand Oaks residents cherish, the Conejo Open Space Foundation is starting out small.

The fledgling nonprofit group, which accepts public donations to help preserve open space, has so far received just one contribution, for $300.

The organization’s short-term goal is to help maintain the 75 miles of trails that ring the city and teach residents, especially children, how to protect Thousand Oaks’ natural resources. For starters, the foundation wants to buy a $4,000 wood-chipping machine to grind up branches cleared from the trails, secretary Paul De Nubilo said.

But the foundation, which held its first meeting in January, has grander plans. Should its bank account ever grow large enough, it wants to help acquire more of the undeveloped land that city officials covet but often cannot afford to buy.

“The most important aspect to ensuring that our open space always is open space, and is preserved, rests on having a stable funding source,” said Rorie Skei, chairwoman of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency and a board member of the new group.

The foundation, she hopes, will provide a backup source of funding if tight city finances curtail public efforts to buy undeveloped land and maintain it as open space.

“It’s like saving for a rainy day,” she said. “That’s the idea of starting an open-space fund.”

Maintenance of the open-space system now falls to the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, a joint-powers authority funded by City Hall and the local parks and recreation district. Six agency rangers perform much of the work, repairing washed-out trails after winter rains and clearing weeds in spring.

“It’s whacking back brush, it’s working on the trail tread--the trail surface--it’s installing water bars to divert runoff on the trail,” said Mark Towne, an associate planner with the agency.

The agency had long considered creating a fund-raising wing to solicit donations from residents, businesses and civic groups, Skei said. Before the long-awaited foundation could accept donations, however, it first needed Internal Revenue Service certification as a nonprofit group.

Certification came late last fall, allowing the foundation to begin the hunt for donations. It has now scheduled its first fund-raising event, a June 16 barbecue at Two Winds Ranch on West Potrero Road. The planned entertainment includes a contest for city slickers to round up and cage loose chickens and calves.

Foundation members will also begin hitting up area residents and organizations for contributions. De Nubilo said, however, that the group has yet to set a target for the amount of money it wants to raise during its first year.

“We’re starting out with basic goals,” he said, referring to the wood chipper. “We’re just a group of citizens trying to find a way to help pay for open-space programs.”