By Robin GOLDSWORTHY

The Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy – AFC – celebrated 25 years of providing unspoiled, natural acreage to those living near its 19 properties. On Friday, April 10, in the afternoon a celebration was held at the Rosemont Preserve.

About 85 people attended the event, which highlighted the legacy of the organization.

“AFC sees itself as the current caretakers of this land,” said program director Kyle Cavazos in his opening remarks.

Frank Colcord, co-chair of the Friends of Rosemont Preserve, welcomed guests and said that the land was like “his backyard.”

“We’ve lived at the end of this street for 40 years,” he said. “It’s been a treasure, not only for our family but for the Crescenta Valley community … There is no other open space in the San Gabriels, in La Crescenta, so this is a significant piece of our community.”

The Rosemont Preserve is about 7.75 acres and purchased in 2012, he added, saying that funding came from the county supervisor’s office and large and small donations from the community.

Colcord went on to say that one of the best things the AFC does is develop relationships.

“We have a field trip program, which Kyle manages, bringing about 3,000 people through here a year,” he said adding that working with local scouting troops is another component of the Rosemont Preserve. He added the success of partnering with the Crescenta Valley Water District.

“They own the entrance to the Preserve, so they’ve given us access,” he said. “About a year (or so) ago, we partnered with them to build a stormwater capture.”

AFC CEO John Howell noted how critical it is to have open space and to have people who are dedicated to preserving “these natural habitats.”

“That’s why we’re celebrating today,” he said. 

Among the many things the Preserve is noted for, he went on, is working with legislators “to help with our conservation goals (and) we shape municipal plans.” 

He went on to share the history of the AFC, how it was the vision of four women who volunteered their time and has since grown to an organization that has nine employees and a board of directors.

David Coher is on the board of directors of the AFC.

“We wanted to expand some of the pathways [for wildlife],” he said. “The idea is to create pathways, which is a necessity, for wildlife to travel.”

“Saving the land from development and turning it into a permanent sanctuary for wildlife effectively doubled the amount of available green space in La Crescenta,” states the organization’s website. “Since then, volunteers have worked tirelessly at our monthly restoration days and have mostly restored the area to strictly native plants.”

The Rosemont Preserve has regular “open gate” and restoration events. According to its website, remote wildlife cameras at Rosemont  have captured mountain lion, black bear, coyote, gray fox, bobcat, raccoon, opossum, Audubon’s cottontail, brush rabbit, Western gray squirrel, California ground squirrel, California mouse, brush mouse, great horned owl and mule deer. Also, dusky-footed wood rat (dens), and Botta’s pocket gopher (burrows) were observed on the property. Since 2015 10 different mountain lions have been documented.

In addition, various birds, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates have been recorded on the site.