Public Input Time Extended on Parks Plan

The deadline to comment on the draft management plan for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area has been extended to May 31, officials said.

The original deadline was the end of February, but National Park Service officials said there were printing delays for the draft plan and the public asked for extra time.

It has been nearly two decades since the plan has been revised. The National Park Service currently has four alternative draft proposals to guide the future of the 150,050-acre Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, which includes lands owned by the park service, California State Parks, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and other agencies.

In 1982, when the current plan was written, the National Park Service owned 6,252 acres, said park spokeswoman Jean Bray. The goal at that time was to expand the park service holdings to 35,000 acres. “Today we own 21,712 acres,” Bray said. “We figure that’s about 350% [growth].”

The new management plan will guide the entire recreation area.

Within the park are 26 distinct natural communities from freshwater aquatic habitats and coastal lagoons to oak woodlands, valley oak savannas and chaparral. More than 450 animal species are found there, including 21 plants and animals listed as threatened or endangered by the federal government.

The new management plan will guide the park’s future over the next two decades and address such issues as traffic and congestion. “We’re experiencing overloaded parking areas in Cheeseboro Canyon and other areas,” Bray said. “We’re studying such ideas as creating a shuttle system.”

Copies are available by calling (805) 370-2301 or on the Internet at: https://www.nps.gov/samo/supplans/gmp.htm.