Scenic spot on PV peninsula may be saved

Letters are needed in support of open-space acquisition

By Jim Knight
July 2002

Nestled on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is one of largest remaining unprotected natural open spaces left in the Los Angeles basin. This Portuguese Bend area has some of the most spectacular ocean vistas along the South Bay coastline. Currently the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy and the city of Rancho Palos Verdes are collaborating to permanently preserve this treasure by purchasing 700 acres from two private landowners, both of which have development plans in various stages.

(c) TOM POLITEO/CAM ERA COMMITTEE Prone to landslides and home to threatened species, the Portuguese Bend area is an ideal candidate for preservation.

By adding these parcels to the Forrestal Preserve on the east, the Barkentine Preserve on the west and Abalone Cove Shoreline Park to the south, the public would have access to more than 1,150 contiguous acres of natural coastal open space that collectively would be called the Portuguese Bend Preserve. This preserve would have more than 20 miles of stunning Catalina Island view trails and would protect critical coastal sage scrub habitat for the threatened California coastal gnatcatcher and the coastal cactus wren. The preserve also has suitable habitat for the reintroduction of the endangered Verdes blue butterfly.

The Portuguese Bend area has remained undeveloped because a series of landslides eventually prompted the city of Rancho Palos Verdes to place a building moratorium in the area. However, landowners are currently pushing the city to grant exclusions to that moratorium with new landslide mitigations to open development within the proposed preserve boundaries. Presently the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council seems to be favoring preservation of open space. But the political climate could change in the future. These risks, combined with this area’s biological significance and the availability of recent funding opportunities, make this acquisition a top priority for the conservancy.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the Palos Verdes Peninsula as critical gnatcatcher habitat. One significant wildlife corridor for the gnatcatcher identified by the California Department of Fish and Game happens to be on the west side of this proposed preserve, between the Barkentine Preserve and Abalone Cove Shoreline Park. It is in this section that one developer has completed grading plans for more than 90 homes.

If acquisition efforts are successful, these critical habitat areas would be freed from the threat of development and millions of people in the L.A. basin could enjoy one of the largest coastal open spaces between the Santa Monica Mountains and Laguna Beach for generations to come. The conservancy has committed not only to raise funds for the acquisition but also to establish a management plan once the preserve is secured. The conservancy has an excellent administrative track record managing nearby parcels and will no doubt make this new preserve a model for others.

The Palos Verdes-South Bay Group has endorsed the creation of this reserve. Members are collecting data on the recreational merits of the Portuguese Bend area, because if decision makers understand its importance to the community, the chances of success in establishing the preserve will improve. If you hike in or otherwise use this area, send an email describing how many times a year you use this area—and also how much you’d be inclined to use it were it to become a preserve—to PVSB Group Conservation Chair Barry Holchin (bholchin@cox.net). Please provide your name, membership number and city of residence.

If you are interested in more information about the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, go to the group’s website at www.pvplc.org or call 310-541-7613.

Jim Knight serves on the PV-SB Group Executive Committee and is a member of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy.