A hike through the Rim of the Valley wilderness area celebrates passage of the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act in the House of Representatives.
By Mary O’KEEFE and Charly SHELTON
On Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff hiked a trail that overlooks Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge within the Rim of the Valley wilderness area. He was with a group of stakeholders on a celebratory hike in recognition of the House of Representatives passing the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act.
“It is important for people to connect with nature and to have the ability to access open space near where they live,” Schiff said.
He added that the importance of open space was highlighted during the pandemic when being on hiking trials was the only way many people experienced being out of the house during lockdown.
Last year, there was a record number of visits to public land – a 21% increase on average in national park attendance, according to the National Parks.
In 2008, Schiff authored the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act. The bill directed the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct a special resource study of the Rim of the Valley Corridor.
“The study sought to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating all or a portion of the Rim of the Valley Corridor as a unit of the existing Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA), and how these areas could be better managed and preserved,” according to a statement released in 2016. “The National Park Service began the study in 2010 and transmitted its final report to Congress and the public in February 2016. Throughout the process, both NPS and Schiff solicited and considered thousands of comments from the public.”
The study was released to the public in 2015 and several community meetings were held to discuss the findings.
In 2017 Schiff, along with then-California Senator Barbara Boxer, introduced the Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act.
“The Rim of the Valley is the critical bridge between the urban city centers and suburbs in the Los Angeles basin, and the spectacular wilderness beyond, and our bill would help protect these lands for generations to come,” said Schiff at the time. “As more of this area is developed and open space diminishes, the wildlife it supports is increasingly at risk. Congress has the power to preserve the Rim of the Valley for generations to come, but we must act quickly or the opportunity will be gone.”
On Feb. 26, 2021, the House passed the Act, which 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. 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 NPS 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.
“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,” said Schiff after the vote. “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.”
The bill will provide the NPS authority in several management aspects, including implementing capital, acquisition of land through donation, exchange or purchase from willing sellers, and directly managing NPS owned lands.
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.
The bill will now go to the Senate.