Funds in Hand to Preserve Coal Canyon

Preservation of the Coal Canyon wilderness, sought for years by environmentalists, appears a certainty with the Friday approval of $4.67 million in state funds to complete the public purchase of the land.

Supporters have labeled the canyon “a river of life” because it helps link two large pieces of remaining wilderness amid one of the fastest-growing areas of California. The swath of open land allows mountain lions, deer and other wildlife to roam freely between Chino Hills State Park and Cleveland National Forest.

“This is arguably the most critical biological corridor in California,” said state Parks Director Rusty Areias, who called the Coal Canyon purchase especially important because of burgeoning growth elsewhere along the border of Orange and Riverside counties.

The 1,550 new homes earmarked for Coal Canyon will not be built because the land will be added to Chino Hills State Park. Scientists have called the 649-acre parcel essential to the survival of many plants and animals in the area. Some experts have estimated that 50% or more of the wildlife now found in the state park would die off if the corridor were developed.

Public ownership of the canyon now appears assured. The state Public Works Board on Friday approved the last piece of funding needed for the $40-million purchase of the land from the St. Clair Co. of Newport Beach.

“We were ready to break out the champagne,” said Claire Schlotterbeck, president of Hills for Everyone, which helped create the state park and championed the purchase of Coal Canyon. Schlotterbeck was in Sacramento for the board vote.

The land had been appraised at $50 million because the city of Anaheim approved the building of 1,550 homes there in the early 1990s. St. Clair Co. officials agreed to lower the price to $40 million.

The firm had intended to develop the canyon but agreed to talk with state parks officials who wished to purchase the land.

“Once we sat down, it seemed like the best thing to do was to sell to State Parks, which will get the property,” said David Hudson, a St. Clair vice president. He expects to close escrow on the property within the next few weeks.

While the Friday vote will preserve Coal Canyon, a 32-acre parcel remains to be purchased from a separate landowner before the corridor link is fully protected. Animals pass through the corridor today, but their freedom to roam would be dramatically curtailed if the smaller parcel were developed. Canyon advocates say they do not know the cost of that parcel, north of the Riverside Freeway.

The parcel recently was sold, and Schlotterbeck said it is posted for sale again. She calls that an encouraging sign that the parcel might be added to the state park and preserved.

If the corridor is preserved, it will allow wildlife to continue to move between the 12,000-acre state park and the 472,000-acre national forest. Such movement can ensure the health of plants and animals and stave off potential extinction.

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Gathering the Pieces

Coal Canyon supporters have raised money to buy 649 acres to preserve as part of a wildlife corridor. They hope to fund the purchase of one small additional parcel north of the freeway.

1. $40 million needed to buy this parcel has been raised.

2. 32-acre parcel is also sought to complete corridor.

Source: Calif. Department of Parks and Recreation