OPEN SPACES - Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy

Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
First Quarter 2001, Page 4
H
ard to imagine, but it's been al
most a year since I started with
the Land Conservancy, lured by the
breathtaking beauty of the Palos
Verdes Peninsula and the challenge
of saving the last great natural area of
southern Los Angeles County.
As I’ve become
more familiar with our
work, it occurred to me
that taken together our
projects constitute a
virtual movie depicting
the evolution of a
conservation project. If
we could take a snap
shot of each of our major
projects today and
put them in a flip-deck,
we could view the
time-lapse scenarios of
a successful conservation
project.
The first card in our
deck is the Lunada Canyon Preserve.
This developable 20-acre parcel
was donated to the Conservancy
by the E.K. Zuckerman family in
1992. Since that time, we’ve completed
a survey of the plants and
animals living there, developed a
master plan for the site, and have
been using volunteer assistance to
implement the plan. This site has
also been a favorite part of our education
program, regularly visited by
3 rd and 4 th grade students from a
nearby school.
The second card, the Linden H.
Chandler Preserve, was also an
early success of the PVPLC and is
the most mature in terms of restoration.
Acquired in partnership with
Rolling Hills Estates using LA
County Measure A funds, and financed
in part through a donation by
the Chandler family, this project has
benefited from nearly eight years of
focused effort and nearly $250,000
invested to restore habitat and improved
recreational amenities for hikers
and equestrians.
Last spring, we released over 300
Palos Verdes Blue Butterflies on the
property, a milestone in urban conservation.
This project has demonstrated
conclusively the benefit of
strong partnerships between private
Time-Lapse Conservation
By Keith Lenard, Executive Director
landowners, municipalities, and nonprofit
organizations.
The third card in our deck is the
Forrestal property. Brokered by the
Conservancy and acquired by the City
of Rancho Palos Verdes in 1996, today
this 160-acre property has a completed
management
plan, but little habitat
improvement or
recreational enhancement
has occurred.
The Conservancy
hopes to secure a
management agreement
with Rancho
Palos Verdes that
would both save city
funds and bring our
stewardship expertise
to bear on the
project.
While the land
was acquired for
conservation purposes,
the manner in which it will be
ultimately managed remains open.
Once a management agreement is
crafted, we can begin the process of
attracting the necessary funds.
The fourth card is the former 53-
acre LA County property Shoreline
Park, whose future was uncertain for
years until Supervisor Don Knabe responded
to community desires and
helped effect transfer to Rancho Palos
Verdes. The Conservancy played a
critical role in the acquisition of this
parcel and we hope eventually to be
involved in its management and restoration.
Younger yet in its conservation
life is our 102-acre White Point
project in San Pedro, dedicated as a
nature preserve in May 2000. The
Conservancy is working with the City
of Los Angeles to develop a management
plan for the property, a critical
step in the evolution of this former
military site. In the interim, the Conservancy
has urged the City to donate
a conservation easement on the property
so that its conservation future
will be guaranteed. Early responses
are positive.
The last card is the conceptual Portuguese
Bend Nature Preserve. Totaling
approximately 1000 acres, this
is the largest natural area remaining
in south LA County. Many hurdles
remain as we work to establish the
conservation future of this remarkable
property, but with the help of our
community, we are confident this vision
will materialize.
Your contributions and ongoing
support are essential to
keeping the Conservancy
in a strong position
during this critical
period. Our funding
needs will be significant
in the months
ahead, but dollars in
support of this effort
are dollars wisely invested.
Our organization has
shown through a series
of successively more
ambitious and successful
projects that we are
uniquely positioned to
draw together individuals from the
public and private sectors.
With our nonpolitical philosophy
and our charitable status, the Conservancy
is the essential bridge joining
the many widely varying interests
that share a stake in a conservation
outcome for Portuguese Bend and
the Peninsula.
Thank you so much for your past
support. It is going to make all the
difference as we add the last major
card to our conservation deck.