The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy and the City of Rancho Palos Verdes announced their partnership in the creation of a 96-acre Wildlife Corridor on August 26, 2022. The 96-acre coastal wildlife corridor connects coastal land to the existing 1000-acre contiguous Palos Verdes Nature Preserve above.
The announcement was made on the site overlooking Rancho Palos Verdes’ beautiful coastline with Adrienne Mohan, Executive Director, Rob Kautz President of the Conservancy, David Bradley, City of Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV) Mayor. Dignitaries from Sacramento and Carlsbad came to represent the US Fish & Wildlife Service, California’s Department of Fish & Wildlife and Christina Angeles, District Administrator LA County Regional Park & Open Space District.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to protect and restore undeveloped coastal California land on the peninsula,” said Executive Director Adrienne Mohan. “Precious coastal natural lands have all but disappeared beneath bulldozers and concrete, but this campaign, Go Wild for the Peninsula, will benefit our communities, support threatened and endangered species, reduce fire risk, and contribute to California’s 30×30 goal of conserving 30% of our lands and coastal waters by 2030.”
The US Fish & Wildlife Service awarded $12.6 million from the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, the largest grant in the nation last year! CA Department of Fish & Wildlife and CA Wildlife Conservation Board awarded $4.8 million in matching funds towards the wildlife corridor. Senator Ben Allen secured a discretionary state budget award of $5 million, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes contributed $1.3 million and the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District has awarded the Land Conservancy a competitive grant for $1 million from Measure A. To date, $24.7 million in public funds have been raised.
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes will own the parcel and the Land Conservancy will hold a conservation easement in perpetuity as Habitat Manager. “For over thirty-five years, the City of RPV and the Conservancy have collaborated to acquire and conserve approximately 1,500 acres of land within our city. These beautiful lands can now be protected forever,” said RPV Mayor David Bradley. “This is a dream fulfilled for the founders of RPV and residents throughout the Peninsula. This success is the product of a long and strong partnership between the City and the Land Conservancy.”
The Land Conservancy has a proven history of successfully conserving natural land with beautiful views for people to enjoy while restoring healthy ecosystems with native plants for beauty and for wildlife. Establishing the wildlife corridor will require extensive habitat restoration and fire risk mitigation work to help an array of endangered and threatened species like the Palos Verdes blue butterfly, the El Segundo blue butterfly, the Monarch butterfly, songbirds such as the Coastal California gnatcatcher, and rare local species like the cactus wren, raptors and owls, along with countless other birds and land mammals such as the grey fox. Restoration will include the removal of invasive plants—through the help of volunteers and goats—and the addition of drought-tolerant native plants local to the area. These plants provide food and habitat for native birds and butterflies connecting the coast and the land above in a wildlife corridor.
Land Conservancy Founder and Board Member Bill Ailor urged “residents throughout the Peninsula and South Bay to join us and contribute to this extraordinary vision of a Wildlife Corridor.” Rob Kautz, President of the Conservancy’s Board said, “We’re on our way to our $30 million goal and we ask community members and businesses to Go Wild for the Peninsula and contribute to help us restore this iconic coastal land.”
Please join us and “Go Wild for the Peninsula” at: GOWILDPV.ORG