By Mary O’KEEFE
On Friday the House passed a bill that would preserve open space, The Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act. This would add more than 191,000 acres of the Rim of the Valley Corridor to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
The bill passed the House on a bipartisan basis as part of the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act.
Congressman Adam Schiff has promoted the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act of almost two decades.
“I am thrilled that the House of Representatives has passed the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act, legislation I have championed for nearly 20 years,” stated Rep. Schiff in a release. “Millions of residents in the Los Angeles Basin depend on open space in our communities for recreation, and the benefits of widely accessible natural land have never been more apparent than during this public health crisis. The Rim of the Valley Corridor is an area of breathtaking natural beauty, and we must preserve this pristine land for the sake of our environment, wildlife and ecosystems, and for the benefit of LA residents, the millions each year who visit, and for generations to come.”
There is a growing number of people visiting open public lands. Last year national park attendance grew by 21%.
“Los Angeles is the second most populous metropolitan region of the country, yet has less open space per capita than all other large cities on the west coast. The Rim of the Valley represents an opportunity to better protect and manage some of the region’s last open spaces, critical wildlife habitat, and historic places,” stated Dennis Arguelles, senior program manager of the National Parks Conservation Association. “By facilitating partnerships between the National Park Service and local communities, it will help connect youth and families to these resources and ensure future generations have access to the region’s natural and cultural treasures.”
The lands included within the expansion will be known as the Rim of the Valley Unit and stretch from the Simi Hills and Santa Susanas to the Verdugos and on to the San Gabriel Mountains. The bill will enable the National Park Service and the local community to better protect natural resources and habitats, and provide members of the community with improved access to nature for recreational and educational purposes.
The expansion of the SMMNRA boundaries respects private property rights and existing local land use authorities, and it will not put any additional restrictions on property owners. The bill does not allow for land acquisition through eminent domain.
Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act includes Colorado Wilderness Act, Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act, Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation and Working Forests Act, Central Coast Heritage Protection Act and Grand Canyon Protection Act.
The Grand Canyon is also among the sites that will benefit from the passage of the public lands act. The Grand Canyon Protection Act would protect the Grand Canyon from threat and pollution of uranium mining by removing more than one million acres of federal land from eligibility for future mining, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.
“Through the tenacity of many, the Grand Canyon and the Havasupai people are a huge step closer to a future without threat of uranium mining. And throughout Southern California, communities long-dubbed ‘park poor’ will have the chance to write a new story in the expanded and enhanced Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area,” stated David Lamfrom, vice president of Regional Programs at the National Parks Conservation Association. “This lands and waterways package honors the deep and diverse connections between communities, individuals and place.”
“Uranium mining has a toxic legacy of soil and water contamination and the prospect of future mining has been a serious threat to the Grand Canyon’s fragile water supplies,” stated Kevin Dahl, Arizona Senior Program manager. “This bill will ensure that the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon’s rivers, springs, waterfalls and creeks remain uncontaminated by uranium pollution and can continue to supply vital water to park visitors and the Havasupai tribe.”
The bill would also contribute towards the United States’ conservation target to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030, a target based on scientific recommendations in order to address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, according to the National Park Conservation Association.
The senate is the next step for the bill and is hoped to be heard sometime in April.