Save Our Ring of Green

Shari Czerwinski today announced the formation of the open space advocacy group SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN. Ms.Czerwinski is founder and Co-Chair of the organization,
which has received strong support from other local environmental groups.

SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN is a growing group of concerned citizens whose aim is to protect the ring of open space round the City of Thousand Oaks with particular attention to the Mountclef Ridge area. This area has seen recent development and the ring of open space is in imminent danger of being destroyed by a proposed development.

The Mountclef Ridge is an important wildlife corridor that runs between Wildwood Park and the Joel McCrea Park and Nature Preserve. It lies on the north side of
the city of Thousand Oaks near Cal Lutheran University. The ridge is the boundary that separates Conejo Valley from Santa Rosa Valley.

For many years the City of Thousand Oaks has been working to preserve this ring of open space. With one exception, this protected buffer now stretches west from the Joel McCrea Park and Nature Preserve, along the Mountclef Ridge, through Wildwood Park and across
Hill Canyon to the Western Plateau. But now this vast natural wildlife corridor is threatened by a single development.

An application has been made to build four houses on the north side of the Mountclef Ridge. This proposed development LD249/HPD2002-80 would complete the northward urban sprawl and connect the development in the City of Thousand Oaks to development in the Santa Rosa Valley for the first time ever. It would obliterate the ring of open space and cut off the Mountclef Ridge wildlife corridor.

The four lots that the developer is currently applying to build on were designated on the city’s plan as “undevelopable”. The builder is asking for a large number of waivers to city building codes and ordinances in order to build there. SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN is
asking the Planning Commission and City Council to allow no waivers. They are also encouraging the City to enter into negotiations with the developer at the soonest possible opportunity to purchase these four lots, dedicate them as open space for perpetuity and
SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN.

The City Planning Department has received letters of concern from both the State of California Fish and Game Department and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
regarding degradation of the Mountclef Ridge wildlife corridor by this proposed development.

SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN has received the endorsement of numerous local environmental groups and agencies. This includes Save Open Space, the Thousand Oaks Citizens Action Network, Save the Conejo, the Santa Rosa Valley Community Association and the Santa Rosa Valley Municipal Advisory Council.

Other founding members of SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN include:

Sue Boecker, board of directors of Save Open Space and board of directors of Save the Conejo.

Mark Burley, member of the Santa Rosa Valley Municipal Advisory Council and board of directors of Save the Conejo.

Suzanne Duckett, board of directors of Save the Conejo and committee member for the Thousand Oaks Citizen Action Network.

Janis Gardner, vice-chair of the Santa Rosa Valley Municipal Advisory Council and the Santa Rosa Valley Community Association.

Debbie Gregory, chair of Save the Conejo, member of the Thousand Oaks Residents Roundtable and the CVUSD Bond District Advisory Committee.

Clint Matkovitch, wildlife issues coordinator for the Thousand Oaks Citizen Action Network.
Tom Ritch, president of the Thousand Oaks Citizen Action Network.

Mary Weisbrock, board of directors of Save Open Space and board of directors of Save the Conejo.

(Use of a founding member’s affiliations does not imply endorsement by that organization unless expressly stated elsewhere in this press release.)

SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN has been endorsed by Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks.

SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN is circulating a petition and has already collected over 1,000 signatures of local residents who are opposed to this development.

More information about SAVE OUR RING OF GREEN and a copy of the petition that can be downloaded will be found at: