Kudos to Agoura Hills and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for leading the way re: Rim of the Valley Corridor!

Last Wednesday, Agoura Hills, our Gateway City to the Santa Monica Mountains, voted UNANIMOUSLY to support Rim of the Valley Corridor – Alternative D!

And yesterday, likewise, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors – lead by Supervisor Linda Parks, in a 4-1 vote endorsed Rim of the Valley Corridor – Alternative D.

Alternative D is being championed by Congressman Adam Schiff who has been driving the Rim of the Valley Corridor effort for more than a decade. He was joined recently by six other members of Congress including: Reps. Ted Lieu, Judy Chu, Tony Cardenas, Brad Sherman, Xavier Becerra, and Lucille Roybal-Allard.

The Rim of the Valley Coalition is a broad collection of diverse organizations based in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties who are also all working together to ensure Alternative D comes to fruition – as is the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

As you know, the National Park Service (NPS) evaluated and studied the feasibility and suitability of designating all or a portion of the Rim of the Valley as a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The study included four options – Alternatives A, B, C and D. D is the most acreage expansive and would comprise a boundary adjustment for our national park that takes in new territory from the sea through several mountain ranges, wrapping a wildland/urban park rim around the valleys – and it includes an overlay for the Los Angeles River.

Alternative D is the superior choice because it​ ​is the most extensive and therefore delivers the most benefits to all. It provides more parks for more people, engages more urban audiences and affords more recreation with better access – and – it is the most cultural and natural resource protective.

D is very much focused on connectivity. It links a comprehensive, vital network of wildlife corridors and pristine habitat critical to saving our threatened wildlife – and – it preserves more of our rich biological diversity and rare Mediterranean eco-system. Alternatively, option C for example, would leave thousands of acres of “nationally significant resources” without adequate protection.

Expanding the boundaries of our Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area via Alternative D is a win-win for everyone ​​- ​our ​homeowners, property owners, wildlife, natural resources​, quality of life and commerce.

Public comments are due to NPS by June 30.

LVHF’s e-comment letter is forthcoming.