Study Suggests Adding 270 Square Miles To Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The National Park Service on Tuesday recommended adding 270 square miles of land around Los Angeles to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in order to protect the vast web of wilderness and recreation areas that lie in the midst of millions of people.
The draft of a five-year study examined a complicated patchwork of private and public lands in and around the sprawling Los Angeles metropolitan area — one of the country's most densely populated regions.
The Rim of the Valley Corridor study area covered more than 1,000 square miles of mountains, coastal scrub, deserts, rivers and urban areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, including existing land within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and land in the in the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
Most of the land studied is open space or already is protected, but the study said about 5 million people live within the area and millions more live nearby.
The report said the region contains national historic landmarks, a rich ecosystem and a treasure trove of geological and archaeological resources. But the various landscapes are currently isolated from each other and crisscrossed by roads and housing tracts.
The study examined various alternatives and concluded that it wouldn't be feasible to create a new national park — something that critics had dubbed a land-grab and charged was the real purpose behind the study.
Instead, the report recommended an alternative that would add 270 square miles of land north and east of Los Angeles to the existing Santa Monica Mountains protected area, saying it would create wilderness corridors for wildlife to preserve biodiversity and more recreation opportunities near dense urban areas.
The existing recreational area has successfully managed its land for decades in partnership with the state, conservation groups and others and that model "respects the complex mix of existing land use, ownership and regulatory authorities," the report said.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, who co-authored legislation authorizing the study, called it "the next step toward the process of preserving the Rim of the Valley for future generations."
"Its objectives are to protect natural resources and habitats and provide people with better access to nature for recreational and educational purposes," he said in a statement.
However, Schiff also said he was disappointed that the report didn't recommend an alternative that would have added about 490 square miles and emphasized protection of wildlife corridors.
The draft report now will undergo public review and comment, and eventually a recommendation will be presented to Congress.
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