By Julie BUTCHER

On Wednesday, Oct. 18, local politicians took legislative steps to make the long-imagined Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act a reality. If adopted, the legislation would add more than 191,000 acres to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, protecting various parklands and wildlife-friendly areas, running from the Santa Susanas and the Simi Hills to the Verdugos and on to the San Gabriel Mountains.

On Oct. 18, Congressman Adam Schiff greeted a jubilant crowd of local electeds, community supporters, and members and representatives of environmental and conservationist organizations such as the Sierra Club at an afternoon news conference at Glendale’s Brand Library in Brand Park. After thanking a host of local councilmembers from the cities of Glendale, Burbank, Santa Clarita, and West Hollywood for their “dogged support,” Schiff shared an update on the legislation, its history, and its prospects.

“In 2008 the law was signed that started the study in 2010 that was completed in 2016 that furthers the vision our friend Tony Beilenson had all those many years ago, shared since by so many others. It is your inspiration and advocacy – all of you plus so many others – that will make this vision a reality and help enable local government to best preserve this ecosystem for generations to come,” Schiff said. “If we don’t act now to preserve these wildlife corridors, they will be gone for good and, along with them, a lot of what we love about Los Angeles. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am happy to report that this week Diane Feinstein introduced similar legislation in the U.S. Senate, and we continue to work together towards its implementation.”

State Senator Anthony Portantino, introduced as “an ardent supporter,” acknowledged Schiff’s leadership on the issue.

“There are two kinds of elected representatives, the kind who takes the temperature and the kind who sets the temperature. Adam Schiff sets the temperature, and he makes it hot. Adam Schiff understands this district, nestled up against these foothills, passionately committed to protecting our parks and open-space treasures. I was honored to go to Washington to stand with our Congressman, a man who knows how to stand up on the right side of the right issue with the right message and strategy.”

Glendale Councilmember Paula Devine thanked the Congressman “for another job well done. This is an opportunity to add 190,000 acres, to connect all of our communities, to conserve and preserve this treasure for our children and our grandchildren, and we thank you,” Devine said.

Vice Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy and Councilmember Bob Frutos represented the City of Burbank at the news conference.

Santa Clarita Mayor Pro-Tem Laurene Weste spoke in support of the effort and the legislation on behalf of her city.

“We all cherish our open space and our wildlife, our mountain lions and every one of their cubs,” said Weste. “The chance to connect these resources, to protect the watershed as a legacy for our children – not only do the people of Santa Clarita support this work, we have already acted to keep the Santa Clara River protected and have added 9,000 acres of permanent public land to the Rim of the Valley. This adds to the buffer and it is a gift for the future. Our commitment is 100 percent. Not only have we voted to protect these lands, our people have voted to buy and pay for them. That’s how important this is to us.”

Dennis Arguelles, National Parks Conservation Association, Pacific Region Program Manager, spoke for the organization: “National parks represent the places we cherish most as Americans, and for almost a hundred years, the National Parks Conservation Association has worked to ensure they are protected and strengthened for future generations. The Rim of the Valley represents what we, as Angelenos, cherish most in our local landscape: verdant mountains and hillsides that are home to unique and threatened species, and historic waterways and iconic treasures that help tell the region’s human stories.”

“Nature, history, community: the Rim of the Valley addresses all of these issues,” Arguelles said before some in the group headed up to the trail head for a hike in the hot afternoon.

The Rim of the Valley was first envisioned in the mid-1970s thesis of Cal State Northridge student, the late Marge Feinberg. Schiff introduced the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act in 2008; it directed the National Park Service to study the feasibility of the corridor to determine if all or part of the area could or should be added to the existing Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to “enable the local community to better protect natural resources and habitats, and provide members of the community with improved access to nature for recreational and educational purposes.” The study was concluded in February 2016 paving the way forward.

The legislation specifically excludes the use of eminent domain to acquire lands.

Maps of Rim of the Valley Corridor possibilities and an informative fact sheet are available on Congressman Schiff’s website https://schiff.house.gov/.

  Julie BUTCHER