Preserve Our Natural Heritage

As Southern California continues to boom both economically and in population, the need to build houses and schools is obvious. But equally important to the region’s quality of life is the need to create parks and preserve open spaces.

In its 20-year history, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has worked to preserve roughly 80,000 acres in the Santa Monicas, along with wildlife corridors and parcels of land in the other ranges that circle the San Fernando Valley. Late last month, it announced plans to expand into the fast-growing Santa Clarita Valley.

Getting in before developers completely lay claim to an area is an obviously smart move. And the conservancy has years of experience in the kinds of trades and transactions needed to snatch land from the jaws of bulldozers. But it also has led a hand-to-mouth existence in the past, scrambling to find the money to save environmentally sensitive areas. Anyone in the Santa Clarita Valley who values their natural heritage must welcome the conservancy’s arrival. Those in the San Fernando Valley might worry that such an expansion could stretch the conservancy’s attention--and assets--a bit thin.

That’s why other players besides the conservancy need to get involved. The Los Angeles City Council, for example, needs to move to protect the rocky outcroppings around Stoney Point before development creeps any closer. Additional requirements on developers, as proposed by city planners, are a start; such restrictions would require developers to apply to the city before moving or disrupting the huge sandstone rocks. But the best way to preserve the rocky peaks, the backdrop for many a Hollywood western, as well as vital wildlife corridors, is to designate the area a park.

Over in Glendale, city officials did just that for another scenic parcel back in 1988, pooling municipal funds with a grant from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to purchase the 702-acre Deukmejian Wilderness Park.

The problem that the park faces today is maintenance. Two years ago, El Nino storms knocked out two bridges that had led hikers to the scenic Rim of the Valley trail. The city has yet to repair the route, citing other priorities such as building playgrounds and sports fields.

True, given limited funding, priorities must be set. And, as the conservancy itself believes, a top priority lies in buying land that would otherwise be developed.

But as trail enthusiasts note, maintaining the land is important too. California voters in March approved a statewide $2.1-billion parks and open-space measure, a boon after years of tight recreation budgets. City officials in both Los Angeles and Glendale should take advantage of their share of the windfall to preserve and maintain a natural heritage that will only increase in value as it becomes, sadly, ever more rare.