Environmentalists worried about losing open space protections

SOPHIA FISCHER/Acorn Newspapers BACK TO NATURE—Marie Panec and her dog Sphinga hike along one of the Oak Park open space trails. Environmental activists are reminding the public that much of Ventura County's open space, including hiking trails and farmland, won't stay protected forever and that action needs to be taken now to protect the land from development.

Deed restrictions that safeguard more than 400,000 acres of open space expire in 12 years.

A series of informational meetings to discuss the future of Ventura County's open space is planned over the next few months. The first meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m.Sat., Jan. 31 at the Oak Park Community Center in Oak Park.

The county's open space inventory is currently owned by a collection of conservation agencies, park districts, school districts and other special districts.

The U.S. Forest Service owns the Los Padres National Forest which makes up nearly two-thirds of the county.

"There have been discussions by some public agencies to sell their land to developers," said Linda Parks, a Ventura County Supervisor and member of the SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) board of directors.

"In these hard economic times, even public lands are threatened as public agencies look to sell their assets to enhance their revenue," Parks said.

Of the 400,000 acres currently protected, about half is grazing farmland, a fourth is active farmland and another fourth is passive open space. But those protections expire between 2020 and 2030, leaving the land open to possible development.

"You realize that citizen involvement is critical to forcing government to protect things that we consider essential," said Marilyn Carpenter, a Thousand Oaks open space advocate.

For now, the land is protected under the SOAR laws approved by Ventura County voters between 1995-2001.

"Having the foresight to protect our agricultural lands has paid off in strengthening our local economy and promoting wise land use patterns," Parks said. "Having local farmland also provides a measure of security from food shortages. The open space that SOAR covers protects property values, provides critical wildlife habitat and offers quiet places for people to get away and enjoy nature."

Prior to the SOAR initiative, developers could build on farmland or open space if approval was met by city and county governments. But today voters must give their consent to any changes on the land and, as a result, developers are forced to make their projects more palatable to the public by offering recreational acreage and setting aside parcels for open space, schools and parkland.

Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District owns 1,440 acres of open space in Oak Park and 4,260 acres in Simi Valley.

Rancho Simi is actively pursuing additional parcels for preservation, said Larry Peterson, district general manager.

"We preserve it for wildlife habitat, view shed, recreational opportunities for hiking and horseback riding," Peterson said. "We are stewards of open space. It goes to the very heart of our mission as an agency."

The Oak Park open space agreements were negotiated between the district and Oak Park's original developer about 40 years ago, Peterson said. The agreements require that the open space be returned to the developer if it's decided the land should be built upon. There are a total of 50 parcels, each with its own expiration date. The first deed expires in seven years, the last in 27 years. After each agreement expires the properties belong to Rancho Simi with no deed restrictions.

The Oak Park Unified School District owns a parcel of land at King James Court in Oak Park where the China Flats trailhead begins. About a year ago Oak Park Superintendent Tony Knight asked Peterson if the park district would be interested in purchasing the property from the school district. Peterson said yes, but has not heard back from Knight.

"We'd love to be able to preserve this as part of our parkland, our open space," Peterson said.

The status of Ventura County's open space is discussed at www.soarusa.org.

"We are encouraging people to give us their input on our atrisk report, offer suggestions on extending the SOAR laws, volunteer, support open space preservation and local farmers and become a member of the SOAR organization," Parks said.

For more information about the Jan. 31 Oak Park meeting, call Marilyn Carpenter at (805) 495-9541.