As mist weaving through the mountains above Secret Valley dissolved into sunshine, a dozen state and city officials caravanned up Calabasas/Cold Creek Trail on Friday morning for a ceremony to dedicate 40 acres of land for preservation.
The Secret Valley acreage, located in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, south of Calabasas, “functions as a wildlife corridor and habitat,” said Jo Kitz of the Mountains Restoration Trust (MTR), a private nonprofit organization, which acquired the land last year.
This area is crucial for wildlife migration because it connects existing trails in several parks, including Topanga and Malibu Creek state parks. Visitors will also be able to enjoy the raw wilderness without the threat of encroaching developments.
MTR members organized the tour to communicate the importance of protecting wildlife corridors. Participants, including Assemblymember Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, MRT members and state and national parks officials, stood on the trail’s ridge overlooking the valley to view the pristine surroundings, much of it green despite the unusually dry season. As the heat escalated toward noon, speeches were offered, “blessing” the open space with the feel of a modern-day Chumash ceremony.
“I really believe the health of our country depends on the health of our wild lands,” said Kitz with reverence. Many of those present mirrored her sentiments.