Two new reserves will be named for generous gifts from two Peninsula families who joined the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy’s Go Wild for the Peninsula. The campaign is raising $30 million to preserve and restore the last large remaining parcels of coastal open space by creating a Wildlife Corridor as well as supporting the restoration of critical habitats throughout the Peninsula.
The new reserves will be named for Rolling Hills residents Dorothy and Allen Lay and for Palos Verdes Estates resident Jacqueline M. Glass. The Lays and Glass Family each donated $1 Million. A third $1 million gift was donated anonymously. They share a dedication to helping preserve the rare coastal lands of the Peninsula which will provide refuge for threatened wildlife. Reserve namings are one of several recognition opportunities including: Palos Verdes Nature Preserve naming at $10 Million, Individual Reserve naming at $1 Million, Scenic Overlook naming at $250,000, Trail naming at $100,000, and listing at the Group Recognition site $30,000+. City of Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Barbara Ferraro stated at a City Council meeting, “The fact that the Glass and Lay families live in other cities on the Peninsula shows at heart we are really ONE community.” For Council member Eric Alegria, “I believe these donors should be celebrated for their generosity.”
The new Wildlife Corridor will connect coastal land to the contiguous Preserve above. The Conservancy will remove inva-sive, fire-prone plants such as mustard and acacia using goats, organized volunteer crews, and skilled landscape contractors to prepare the land for native plant seedlings and wildflowers. In addition to these two major private gifts, public funding was awarded from the US Fish & Wildlife Service with $12.6 million through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conser-vation Fund. The Wildlife Conservation Board awarded $4.8 million, Senator Ben Allen’s discretionary budget awarded $5 million, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes contributed $1.3 million and the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District awarded the Land Conservancy a competitive grant for $1 million from Measure A. This brings the total public funds to $24.7 million, and with many community contributions received, the Conservancy is edging closer to its $30 million goal.
Executive Director Adrienne Mohan is “gratified that the Lays and Glass Family understand the value of our coastal land and the need for restoration to replace in-vasive vegetation with native species to create a healthy environment on the Peninsula for future generations to enjoy. It is exciting that they both jumped at the chance to ‘Go Wild for the Peninsula’ and we know their gifts will inspire others. We are amazed by the outpour-ing from the community and encourage Peninsula and South Bay residents to make a contribution of any size in order to protect and restore the natural lands we all cherish. Other generous gifts have been received with a request for anonymity. There is still a lot of work to be done!” Please join us and “Go Wild for the Peninsula” at: GOWILDPV.ORG.