Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Encyclopedia
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency
of the state of California
in the United States
founded in 1980 and dedicated to the acquisition of land for preservation as open space
, for wildlife
and California native plants
habitat
Nature Preserves, and for public recreation
activities.
and Santa Monica Mountains
, and the Simi Hills
; areas located north and west of metropolitan Los Angeles
in Ventura County and Los Angeles County. Since then its territory has been extended to the east to include parks in the San Gabriel Mountains
, Verdugo Mountains
, San Rafael Hills
, and Puente Hills
.
The 450,000 acre (1,800 km²) "zone" in which the conservancy can acquire land is bounded on the south by the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica
to Point Mugu. The zone extends inland roughly 50 miles (80 km) from Malibu north to Newhall Pass and 65 miles (105 km) from Thousand Oaks
east to Pasadena
. Several major freeways in Los Angeles cross the zone, including the Hollywood
, Ventura
, San Diego
and Interstate 5.
s and identified another 15,000 acres (61 km²) within its zone as crucial for preservation. In addition to buying land outright, the Conservancy operates through public-private partnerships to promote low-density use among private land-owners. The conservancy also acquires rights to land through "time-leasing", receives land through donations and acquisition of foreclosures, and as mitigation for development projects.
The Conservancy zone includes the 155,000 acre (627 km²) Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
, created by Congress
in 1978, as well as 40,000 acres (162 km²) of state parks including Topanga State Park
, and parks within Los Angeles' city limits including the Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park
above Tarzana
.
The Conservancy was responsible for the 1990s acquisition of the 'Jordan Ranch' lands in the western Simi Hills
near Thousand Oaks
from entertainer Bob Hope
, creating the Cheeseboro and Palo Commado Canyons Park section of the SMMNRA. The ranch was purchased by a developer and turned over the National Park Service
as part of a land development deal, which then allowed their development of new housing and golf courses on the Ahmanson Ranch land adjacent to the east.
Late in 2003, the Conservancy secured state funds to purchase Ahmanson Ranch as well, creating the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
, a huge green belt
on the western edge of West Hills and Woodland Hills
.
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy also acquired the Peter Strauss Ranch
from the entertainer Peter Strauss
in the central Santa Monica Mountains, which was also turned over to the National Park Service and opened to the public in the SMMNRA
.
The Anthony C. Beilenson Visitor Center for the
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is located in Thousand Oaks, California
.
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California executive branch
The California executive branch of the state of California includes many agencies including those listed below.-Governor:Agencies under the direction of a secretary that report directly to the Governor are cabinet-level agencies, to which other agencies are subordinate to:*Governor**Office of the...
of the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
founded in 1980 and dedicated to the acquisition of land for preservation as open space
Open space reserve
Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...
, for wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and California native plants
California native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
Nature Preserves, and for public recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
activities.
Territory protected
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy territory originally was within the in the Santa Susana MountainsSanta Susana Mountains
The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
and Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
, and the Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
; areas located north and west of metropolitan Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in Ventura County and Los Angeles County. Since then its territory has been extended to the east to include parks in the San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
, Verdugo Mountains
Verdugo Mountains
The Verdugo Mountains are a small, rugged mountain range of the Transverse Ranges system, located just south of the western San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, Southern California...
, San Rafael Hills
San Rafael Hills
The San Rafael Hills are a mountain range in Los Angeles County, California. They are one of the lower Transverse Ranges, and are parallel to and below the San Gabriel Mountains to the south, adjacent to the San Gabriel Valley overlooking the Los Angeles Basin.-Geography:The Hills contain all or...
, and Puente Hills
Puente Hills
The Puente Hills is a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California.-Geography:...
.
The 450,000 acre (1,800 km²) "zone" in which the conservancy can acquire land is bounded on the south by the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
to Point Mugu. The zone extends inland roughly 50 miles (80 km) from Malibu north to Newhall Pass and 65 miles (105 km) from Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
east to Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. Several major freeways in Los Angeles cross the zone, including the Hollywood
Hollywood Freeway
The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route over the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley...
, Ventura
Ventura Freeway
The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. From Ventura to its intersection with the Hollywood Freeway in the southeastern San...
, San Diego
Interstate 405 (California)
Interstate 405 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass of Interstate 5, running along the western areas of the Greater Los Angeles Area from Irvine in the south to near San Fernando in the north...
and Interstate 5.
Preservation process
Since its founding, the Conservancy has acquired over 55,000 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s and identified another 15,000 acres (61 km²) within its zone as crucial for preservation. In addition to buying land outright, the Conservancy operates through public-private partnerships to promote low-density use among private land-owners. The conservancy also acquires rights to land through "time-leasing", receives land through donations and acquisition of foreclosures, and as mitigation for development projects.
The Conservancy zone includes the 155,000 acre (627 km²) Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or SMMNRA, is a United States National Recreation Area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California...
, created by Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1978, as well as 40,000 acres (162 km²) of state parks including Topanga State Park
Topanga State Park
Topanga State Park is a California state park located in Los Angeles County. It is located adjacent to the unincorporated community of Topanga, California, within the city of Los Angeles, California...
, and parks within Los Angeles' city limits including the Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park
Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park
Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park is a park in the Santa Monica Mountains with its trailhead at the southern terminus of Reseda Boulevard in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California. The park was named for former Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude who for more than 30 years led the effort to...
above Tarzana
Tarzana, Los Angeles, California
Tarzana is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The neighborhood is located on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who named it Tarzana after his jungle hero character Tarzan.-Geography:Tarzana, a district...
.
Some Examples
The Conservancy was responsible for the 1990s acquisition of the 'Jordan Ranch' lands in the western Simi Hills
Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
near Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
from entertainer Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, creating the Cheeseboro and Palo Commado Canyons Park section of the SMMNRA. The ranch was purchased by a developer and turned over the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
as part of a land development deal, which then allowed their development of new housing and golf courses on the Ahmanson Ranch land adjacent to the east.
Late in 2003, the Conservancy secured state funds to purchase Ahmanson Ranch as well, creating the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve
The Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is a large open space nature preserve owned and operated by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy spanning nearly in the Simi Hills of western Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County....
, a huge green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
on the western edge of West Hills and Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
Woodland Hills is a district in the city of Los Angeles, California.Woodland Hills is located in the southwestern area of the San Fernando Valley, east of Calabasas and west of Tarzana, with Warner Center in its northern section...
.
The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy also acquired the Peter Strauss Ranch
Peter Strauss Ranch
The Peter Strauss Ranch is a regional park unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area - and operated by the National Park Service as Peter Strauss Ranch Park. It is located in the central Santa Monica Mountains — on Mulholland Highway near Agoura Hills, Southern California, in the...
from the entertainer Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
in the central Santa Monica Mountains, which was also turned over to the National Park Service and opened to the public in the SMMNRA
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or SMMNRA, is a United States National Recreation Area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California...
.
The Anthony C. Beilenson Visitor Center for the
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is located in Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
.
See also
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation AreaThe Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area or SMMNRA, is a United States National Recreation Area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California...
- California Floristic ProvinceCalifornia Floristic ProvinceThe California Floristic Province is a floristic province with a Mediterranean climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora that bears similarities to floras found in other regions experiencing a winter rainfall, summer drought climate like the Mediterranean...
- Environment of CaliforniaEnvironment of CaliforniaEnvironment of California describes results of human habitation of the State of California.-History of environmental action:California's Mediterranean climate makes vegetation susceptible to wildfires through the dry summers...
- Geography of CaliforniaGeography of CaliforniaCovering an area of , California is geographically diverse. The Sierra Nevada Mountains, the fertile farmlands of the Central Valley, and the arid Mojave Desert of the south are some of the major geographic features of this U.S. state. It is home to some of the world's most exceptional trees: the...
- Ecology of CaliforniaEcology of CaliforniaThe ecology of California is diverse: it is considered to span six biogeographic provinces or ecoregions: "Coastal Chaparral Forest and Shrub", "Dry Steppe", "Coastal Steppe, Mixed Forest, and Redwood Forest", "Sierran Steppe/Mixed Forest/Coniferous Forest", "Coastal Range Open Woodland/Shrub/...
External links
- Official Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy website
- SMMC Map: Territory Covered
- Parks Search-Tool website
- California State Govt. newslettert: "About the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy"
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