| Babbitt Announce Land
Acquisition To Help Complete Missing Links In Santa Monica Mountains'
Backbone Trail
(Note: Connect the dots, mosaic the Plan, remove the inholders, implement the Wildlands Project.) October 4, 1996 U.S. Department of the Interior Office of the Secretary John Wright: 202-208-6416 Holly Bundock: 415-744-3929 For Release: October 4, 1996 The trail traverses the Santa Monica range, Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades to Point Mugu State Park in Ventura County Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt announced today the acquisition of eight parcels of open space in Ventura and Los Angeles counties that will help to complete the missing links of the 70-mile Backbone Trail through the Santa Monica Mountains. Four of the parcels are being purchased from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy by the Interior Department. The other four parcels are being purchased by The Trust for Public Lands (TPL), a nonprofit land conservation organization. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will receive $3 million for the eight parcels of land which will be administered by the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service. "This is an extraordinary example of successful partnership at work to preserve California's natural heritage," said Babbitt. "This opportunity to work with the local communities and TPL in saving this precious jewel of open space in the Los Angeles Basin, is a gift we give to our grandchildren and their children to enjoy." The Backbone Trail traverses the 1,200 to 3,000 foot mountain range that spans the northern end of the Los Angeles Basin. This hiking trail is within Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and, when complete, will be the wilderness-like link from Will Rogers Historic State Park, to the surf at Point Mugu. "This is one of the last remaining links in the 70-mile trail that serves as the recreational centerpiece of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which joins state and national park properties into a cohesive recreation experience," said Art Eck, National Park superintendent for the recreation area. The eight parcel acquisition announced today helps to close the 9-mile gap of the Trail in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, from Zuma Canyon to Circle X Ranch. |