2 min
Overview
In the late 1990s, executives at the now-defunct bank Washington Mutual had their eyes on a nearly 3,000 acre tract of ranch land in the western San Fernando Valley near Calabasas, Simi Valley, Woodland Hills, and Agoura. The land was formerly owned by the Ahmanson Family, one of the most influential families in the history of the Los Angeles area. The bank had come into ownership of the mostly undeveloped land and had plans to build a 3,050 home housing development. Opposition was fierce among local environmentalists, who appreciated the area’s rare open space, wide meadows, wetlands, and seasonal waterfalls, and the development plans immediately ran into some problems. Initial environmental impact reports estimated the leveling of the very hilly land for houses would have created some 20,000 tons of airborne dust, 46,000 vehicle trips per day and more than 840 tons of new smog per year. After the report was filed, scientists discovered the ranch was also one of only two existing habitats for the San Fernando Valley Spineflower, which was thought tho be extinct, as well as habitat for the Red-Legged Frog, which was added to the Federal Endangered Species list after the housing development plans were announced. According to the site Ahmanson.org, which documented the events, Washington Mutual pressed onward with the plan despite the public opposition. Opponents organized boycotts of Washington Mutual, dutifully attended public hearings on the property, and purchased radio ads in Washington Mutual’s hometown of Seattle criticizing its actions in Southern California. In 2003, Washington Mutual instead agreed to sell the land to the State of California, and the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve was formed – bordered on the west by the already existing 2,650 acre Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Park. The land became protected, and Washington Mutual rode off into the sunset (and the financial collapse of 2008). Today, visitors can thank the activists of the early aughts for preserving this incredible open
Trail Stats
8.1 km
124 m
429 m
301 m
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