Wilderness Park to Be Dedicated Today
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Local and federal officials will dedicate the newest park in the Santa Monica Mountains today in celebration of acquiring the largest chunk of private land left in the region.
Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and other officials are scheduled to attend the 11 a.m. opening of Westridge-Canyon Back Wilderness Park on a 1,518-acre site off the unpaved stretch of Mulholland Drive near Encino Hills Drive.
The site, formerly known as the Eastport tract, was purchased last October as part of a bankruptcy proceeding, according to Laurie Collins, staff counsel for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
The conservancy paid $6.2 million for the land, though that price could go up depending on the settlement of a lawsuit related to the purchase.
The property, once designated for 500 homes, is adjacent to several other parks in the mountains, including the 20,000-acre tract known as the “Big Wild.”
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