State grants could supplant county tax measure's failure
By Grace Lee, glee@VenturaCountyStar.com
December 2, 2004
The city of Thousand Oaks is trying to find
another way to preserve a key wildlife corridor in the region after one
possible source of money fell through.
Council members had hoped revenue from an additional quarter-cent
sales tax for open space would help the city purchase a 25-acre expanse
on the city's northwestern edge. But voters turned down the proposed
countywide tax, Measure A, in the November election. "Now that we know those funds will not be available, we need to look
at other alternatives," said Councilman Dennis Gillette. "But the goal
remains the same -- the acquisition of the property into public
ownership." Plans for four homes on the north slope of Mountclef Ridge have
sparked fears that development could cut off a key wildlife passageway
stretching from the Simi Hills to Wildwood Regional Park and into the
Santa Monica Mountains. Mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes, as well as
smaller animals such as skunks and raccoons, travel through the
passageway. Open-space officials, city staff and council members will meet in
closed session Dec. 14 to plan other ways to purchase the property,
said Councilman Ed Masry. Masry and Gillette are part of an ad hoc
group trying to negotiate the land's purchase. Mike Dubin, the developer who had planned to build homes on the
land, which is divided into four parcels, has said he and his partners
are willing to sell the land for $2.6 million. Dubin could not be
reached Wednesday. With the rejection of the tax, "I think it is definitely more
challenging and places greater emphasis on grant sources," said Mark
Towne, manager of the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency. Towne said two possibilities are money from statewide measures,
Proposition 40 and Proposition 50. Proposition 40 earmarks money for
clean water, air and coastal protection. Proposition 50 sets aside
money for clean water and coastal protection. Paul Edelman, deputy director of natural resources and planning for
the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, said preserving the corridor
was one of the most important purchases the city could make. Cutting off the link could endanger the animals that have depended
on the passageway, Edelman said. In addition, he said, "It's a lot more interesting and enjoyable to
have open space with the full complement of native animals. And there's
the real nuts and bolts aspect of it -- having top predators is
important to controlling everything from deer population to rabbit
population." The stretch of land marks the last private undeveloped parcel on the
Mountclef Ridge. Over the years, the city and Conejo Recreation and Park District
have purchased open space along and near the ridge to preserve about 23
acres. An additional 56 acres west of Mountclef Boulevard have been set
aside as a nature preserve by California Lutheran University.