From Dash Stolarz, Director of Public Affairs Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.
Topanga and Calabasas, California, December 17, 2010 — The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) announced today its acquisition of more than 100 acres of prime Santa Monica Mountains open space that straddles Topanga Canyon and San Fernando Valley watershed divide. The purchase was made with Los Angeles County funding sources offered by 3rd District Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to expand the Los County Trail system in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The new 101-acre parkland, which is accessible from Old Topanga Road, bolsters public ownership of existing trail networks in Topanga Canyon near the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy-owned Summit Valley Ed Edelman Park. The principal trail is the Summit-to-Summit Motorway, a historic fire road that connects the Calabasas Peak Motorway on the west side of Old Topanga Canyon Road eastward to the Henry Ridge Trail and ultimately to Topanga Canyon Boulevard. These trails have been recognized since the County adopted its Trail Master Plan in 1980. They are all wide with easy grades, making them accessible to almost all potential users.
“Zev’s commitment to the preserving open space and creating accessible public parkland is rock solid,” said Joseph T. Edmiston, Executive Director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.
The long-coveted open space and trail network are part of a large habitat area that abuts the southern boundary of the City of Calabasas and descends into Topanga State Park. The oak and walnut forested property offers stunning views of the San Fernando Valley and the many rugged peaks and valleys of the more interior Santa Monica Mountains. This new parkland provides optimal habitat for people and the full complement of mammals, reptiles and birds that occupy the Santa Monica Mountains, National Recreation Area.
The MRCA is a Joint Powers Agency of the State of California which includes the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, and the Conejo Recreation and Park District. The MRCA provides natural resources and scientific expertise, critical regional planning services, park construction services, park operations, fire prevention, ranger services, educational and leadership programs for thousands of youth each year, and is one of the lead agencies providing for the revitalization of the Los Angeles River.
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