Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) is a national recreation area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains. Located in greater Los Angeles, two thirds of SMMNRA's parklands are in northwest Los Angeles County and the remaining third, including a Simi Hills extension, is in southeastern Ventura County. It is administered by the National Park Service in coordination with state, county, municipal, and university agencies.

In size, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is the largest urban national park in the world.[1][2][3][4] It is also one of the best examples of a Mediterranean climate ecosystem and it protects one of the highest densities of archaeological resources in any mountain range in the world.[5]

Geography

The Santa Monica Mountains NRA contains Script error: No such module "convert".[6] in the Transverse Ranges's Santa Monica Mountains, with its southeastern slopes part of the Los Angeles River headwaters. The California State Park system and other public agencies own Script error: No such module "convert"., the National Park Service own Script error: No such module "convert"., and the rest of the SMMNRA lands are owned by local agencies, university reserves, and private property conservation easements.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Park history

National Forest proposal

During the first decade of the twentieth century, Frederick H. Rindge attempted to create a forest reserve (precursors to national forests) in the Santa Monica Mountains several times. In 1902, California's State Mining Bureau also attempted to establish a forest reserve, but their proposal was denied.[7]

In 1907, a proposal requesting at least Script error: No such module "convert". in the Santa Monica Mountains be designated a forest reserve was submitted to the Secretary of the Interior,[8] but state mineralogist Lewis E. Aubury opposed the venture.[9] The U. S. Forest Service then advised Aubury that it was highly improbable a forest reserve would be created owing to local opposition and the small amount of public land still remaining in the mountains.[7]

National Park proposals

In 1925, limestone deposits were discovered in the mountains behind Pacific Palisades, which led to a lengthy battle between home owners and land developers.[10] Alphonzo Bell Sr. led the push for development, while local opposition was led by Sylvia Morrison. After much criticism of Bell's original plan, Bell submitted an updated plan that saw the limestone pulverized, mixed with water, and pumped via a buried pipeline to the mouth of Santa Ynez Canyon, where it would continue along the ocean floor to an offshore buoy.[11] Will Rogers parodied the plan on the front page of the Los Angeles Times,[12] after which William Mulholland came to Bell's defense. Around the same time, Morrison urged to establish the Santa Monica Mountains as Whitestone National Park, named after the limestone cliffs.[13]

In 1930, lifelong national park advocate Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. proposed a network of parks, beaches, playgrounds, and forests to promote social, economic, and environmental vitality in Los Angeles,[14] and he also advocated for public ownership of at least Script error: No such module "convert". of beach and mountain between Topanga and Point Dume.[15] His report, however, was not successful.[14]

In 1938, May Rindge (widow of Frederick H. Rindge) lost control of her Santa Monica Mountain lands and was forced into bankruptcy. She proposed to establish a park in exchange for the cancellation of $1.1 million Template:USDCY in unpaid taxes,[16] but the county refused her offer.[17]

File:Heteromeles arbutifolia 1.jpg
The toyon species that Toyon National Park would have been named after

In the 1960s and 70s, possibly even as early of the 1950s, several proposals designating the Santa Monica Mountains as Toyon National Park went before U.S. Congress, and in 1971, Representative Alphonzo Bell Jr. introduced the first a bill to create Toyon National Park.[18]

State Parks

In 1944, Will Rogers State Historic Park was created, marking the first state park in the Santa Monica Mountains and the first public land in the mountains since Griffith Park in 1896.

In 1967, the State Division of Beaches and Parks acquired Script error: No such module "convert". of the Broome Ranch (originally part of Rancho Guadalasca) for $15.1 million Template:USDCY, which they used to establish Point Mugu State Park.[19] In 1972, the park system purchased Script error: No such module "convert". for $2.1 million Template:USDCY, nearly doubling the park's size.[20] In 1980, a remaining Script error: No such module "convert". that adjoined the property was purchased, becoming Rancho Sierra Vista open space park.

In 1974, the Script error: No such module "convert". Topanga State Park (originally Topanga Canyon State Park) was opened to the public.[21][22] The park encompass large areas outside Topanga Canyon, from Pacific Coast Highway to Mulholland Drive.[21] Also in 1974, the State of California purchased the Script error: No such module "convert". Century Ranch including a 120-acre property formerly owned by Ronald Reagan for $4.8 million Template:USDCY. In 1975, Bob Hope's Century Ranch-abutting Hope Ranch was purchased for $4.1 million Template:USDCY, and in 1976, the State Parks and Recreation Commission officially named the Century, Reagan, and Hope Ranch lands Malibu Creek State Park.[23]

Establishment of the National Recreation Area

In 1964, Susan B. Nelson, later known as the mother of the Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area, helped organize Friends of the Santa Monica Mountains, Parks and Seashore.[24] The SMMNRA was established on November 10, 1978,[25] with a strategy of growing the park through "mosaic pieces" that would link critical habitats, save unique areas, and expand the existing park.

File:Rancho Sierra Vista.jpg
Rancho Sierra Vista in the SMMNRA

In the 1980s, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was created to acquire and preserve land for open spaces, habitat preserves, and public recreation.[26][27] One of their first acquisitions was Rancho Sierra Vista in 1980, and Paramount Ranch was also acquired that year.[28]

In the early 1990s, Bob Hope created controversy when he proposed selling Script error: No such module "convert". of land in the Corral Canyon area to the government in exchange for Script error: No such module "convert". in the nearby Cheeseboro Canyon section of the SMMNRA, land he planned to use for access road to a new golf course and housing development.[29] The land swap was never completed, with the Jordan Ranch becoming the Palo Commado section of the Cheeseboro Canyon/Palo Comado Canyon Open Space parks and most of the land for the Script error: No such module "convert". Corral Canyon Park later donated by Hope.[30]

File:Rolling Hills at Upper Las Virgenes Canyon.JPG
Rolling hills at Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve

In 2003, Ahmanson Ranch was acquired by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to create the Script error: No such module "convert". Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve.[31] In 2010, Script error: No such module "convert". of land northwest of the U.S. 101/Las Virgenes Road junction, as well as additional land to the southeast of Las Virgenes Road, were acquired by the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy.[32][33][34] Additionally, several hills with undeveloped ranch land in the area also had their viewsheds protected from development, and these areas now serve as an unofficial gateway to the SMMNRA and its visitor center on Las Virgenes Road at King Gillette Ranch.[33]

In 2018, the Woolsey Fire burned 88% of the federal parkland[35] and more than 40% of the natural area in the Santa Monica Mountains.[36]

Park superintendents

  • Robert Chandler, 1979–1982
  • Daniel Kuehn, 1983–1988
  • William Webb (Acting Superintendent), 1988–1989
  • David Gackenbach, 1989–1995
  • Arthur Eck, 1995–2002
  • Woody Smeck, 2002–2012
  • David Szymanski, 2012–2024
  • Jody Lyle, 2024–present

Studies

File:P-64 taken 2018-05-22.jpg
P-64, a mountain lion who frequently visited the SMMNRA

In order to understand the effects of U.S. 101 on Santa Monica Mountains wildlife survival, movement, and genetic diversity, the National Park Service began tracking bobcats in the area in 1996,[37] mountain lions in 2002,[38] and black bears in 2019.[39] The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, a vegetated overpass spanning U.S. 101 at Liberty Canyon, is meant to alleviate some of the negative effects discovered by the study.[40]

The National Park Service's Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study, which entails connecting the Santa Monica Mountains and parklands surrounding the San Fernando, Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi, and Conejo valleys is also currently under study.[41][42][43][44] This study could involve adding up to Script error: No such module "convert". to the SMMNRA.[42]

Cultural resources

File:Satwiwa (9096567035).jpg
Satwiwa, one of SMMNRA's many historic sites

The Santa Monica Mountains have been occupied by humans for more than 10,000 years[5] and contain many prehistoric and historic sites.[45] More than 1,000 archaeological sites are in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, making it one of the highest densities of archaeological resources in any mountain range in the world.[46]

At least 73 archeological sites, structures, cultural landscapes, and cultural properties in the SMMNRA are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.[47] The SMMNRA also contains 26 known Chumash pictograph sites[48] and a number of California Historical Landmarks lie within the area, including the site of the Port of Los Angeles Long Wharf (#881), Point Dume (#965), and Adamson House (#966). Also within the SMMNRA is Paramount Ranch, however, the Woolsey Fire severely damaged the ranch in 2018.

Santa Monica Mountains Fund (SAMO Fund) works to encourage appreciation and understanding of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) by supporting its National Park Service and California State Parks programs.[49] The SMMNRA encompasses homelands of indigenous people including the Chumash people in the western portion and the Tongva people in the eastern end.

National Recreation Area information

File:Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center (11426009985).jpg
Santa Monica Mountains Interagency Visitor Center

The Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center opened in June 2012 and is operated by four partner agencies: National Park Service, California State Parks, Santa Monica Conservancy, and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. The Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center is the only site in the SMMNRA dedicated to Indian cultures. Park headquarters are located offsite in Thousand Oaks.

Main entrances to the SMMNRA are located in Malibu, Newbury Park, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Woodland Hills, and Topanga.

Parks within

State Parks

File:Malibu creek1.jpg
Malibu Creek State Park

Beaches

File:POINTDUME CA6.jpg
Westward Beach at Point Dume

Other

File:Boney peak.jpg
Boney Peak in Circle X Ranch
File:King-Gillette-Ranch-01.jpg
King Gillette Ranch

See also

References

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  1. ↑ White, Mel (2009). Complete National Parks of the United States. National Geographic Books. Page 405. Template:ISBN.
  2. ↑ Schreiner, Casey (2016). Day Hiking Los Angeles: City Parks / Santa Monica Mountains / San Gabriel Mountains. Page: Introduction. Mountaineers Books. Template:ISBN.
  3. ↑ Vlahides, John A. and Tullan Spitz (2004). Coastal California. Lonely Planet. Page 162. Template:ISBN.
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: Statement of National Significance, ca. 2000, page 4
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b "Forest reserves. Santa Monica scheme turned down," Los Angeles Times, March 8, 1907, section II, page 5
  8. ↑ "Private snap of reserve?" Los Angeles Times, February 10, 1907, section II, page 19
  9. ↑ L.E. Aubury, "Against the Malibu reserve," Los Angeles Times, February 10, 1917, section II, page 4
  10. ↑ Betty Lou Young, Pacific Palisades: Where the Mountains meet the Sea, Pacific Palisades Historical Society Press, 1983, page 135
  11. ↑ Young, Pacific Palisades, page 139
  12. ↑ Young, Pacific Palisades, page 141–142
  13. ↑ Young, Pacific Palisades, page 144
  14. ↑ a b Robert Garcia, et al, Free the Beach! Public Access, Equal Justice, and the California Coast, Center for Law in the Public Interest, April 2005, 6–7
  15. ↑ Mike Davis, "Let Malibu Burn: A Political History of the Fire Coast", L.A. Weekly, 1996
  16. ↑ "Mrs. May Rindge loses control of great rancho", L.A. Times, June 30, 1938, A1
  17. ↑ Mike Davis, "Let Malibu Burn: A Political History of the Fire Coast", L.A. Weekly, 1996, page 3
  18. ↑ Skip Ferderber, "U.S. will hear 100,000 acre park proposal," Los Angeles Times, June 13, 1974, page WS1
  19. ↑ "Point Mugu Park Land Acquired," Los Angeles Times, March 5, 1967, page H6.
  20. ↑ "Point Mugu Park Addition OKd," San Diego Union, March 12, 1972, page 17.
  21. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Robert A. Jones, "Century Ranch gets Park Status in Compromise," Los Angeles Times, January 10, 1976, page B1.
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ McLellan, Dennis (May 22, 2003) Susan Nelson, 76; Mountain Parklands Advocate Obituary. Los Angeles Times
  26. ↑ "Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Preserves Nature's Treasures in Metropolitan Los Angeles" Template:Webarchive California Biodiversity Newsletter. CERES accessed February 28, 2010
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ National Park Service, General Management Plan: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, March 5, 2003, page 17
  46. ↑ National Park Service, Statement of National Significance, page 1
  47. ↑ National Park Service, Statement of National Significance, page 4
  48. ↑ National Park Service, General Management Plan, page 17
  49. ↑ Template:Cite video
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Topanga Park
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Topanga State Park
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Malibu Creek Park
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Malibu Creek State Park
  54. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". -access date: September 6, 2010 Arroyo Sequit Park
  55. ↑ Paramount Ranch Park, access date: 6/9/2010
  56. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". -access date: September 6, 2010 Peter Strauss Ranch Park
  57. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". -access date: September 6, 2010 Rocky Oaks Park

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External links

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