Explore former Ahmanson Ranch





By Gloria GlasserSpecial to the Acorn

The Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve—formerly known as the Ahmanson

Ranch propertand now owneby the SantMonica Mountains Conservancy and managed by the Mountains Recreation

and Conservation Authority—offers residents many opportunities

to discover this parkland through

guided hikes and interpretive programs throughout the summer

months.

There are now three ways to

access the property: the recentlyopened Victory Trailhead, the Las

Virgenes Trailhead and Lasky

Mesa. Among the varied programs offered are the “Take a

Closer Look” series, which delves

more deeply into the wildlife of

the parkland in such programs as

“A Frog Went A-Courting,”

“Winged Things,” “Raptors,” and

“Night Creatures.” These programs are available at the Las

Virgenes as well as Victory

trailheads. Among currently

scheduled programs are “Winged

Things” from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Sat.,

July 30 at the Las Virgenes

trailhead and “Raptors” from 8:30

to 10 a.m. Sat., Aug. 20 at the Victory trailhead.

Family campfire programs

will feature marshmallow roasting, stories and songs at Lasky

Mesa. Participation is by reservation only. Upcoming dates

are from 7:30 to

9 p.m. Fri., July

16, 8 to 9 p.m. Sat., Aug. 13 and

from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sat., Sept. 24.

Park visitors can explore Native American culture when Mati

Waiya, a Chumash ceremonial

leader from the Wishtoyo Foundation, leads “A Moment of Twilight” featuring Native American

stories from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Fri.,

July 29 at Lasky Mesa. Waiya will

present more Native American

stories in “A Cultural Path” from

7:30 to 9 p.m. Sat., Sept. 3 at

Lasky Mesa. These events require

reservations.

Those unafraid of the dark will

want to join a “By the Light of

the Silvery Moon Hike,” offered

from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Tues., July 19,

Thurs., Aug. 18 and Sat., Sept. 17

at the Victory trailhead. While

moonlight can be very illuminating, it is never a bad idea to pack

a flashlight with fresh batteries

when venturing on trails in the

dark, and to dress warmly even

during summer months when

mountain evenings can be quite

cool.

Also meeting at the Victory

trailhead, rangers will conduct special programs from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

Sat., Aug. 6 (the topic will be

Search and Rescue: Basic Tracking) and from 9 to 11 a.m. Sun.,

Sept. 4 (Mountain Bike with a

Ranger). The former program

should provide insight on how

Search and Rescue workers perform their challenging work,

while the latter program should

serve to enlighten veteran and

novice riders alike on how to

share multi-use parkland trails

safely and responsibly.

Mountains Recreation and

Conservation Authority has provided directions to reach the

preserve’s three trailheads:

Victory Trailhead: From the

101 freeway in Calabasas, travel

north on Valley Circle Boulevard,

turning west on Victory Boulevard. Visitors will pass through

the park gates to reach the parking lot. The parking fee is $3.

Las Virgenes Trailhead:

From the 101 freeway in

Calabasas, travel north on Las

Virgenes Canyon Road about two

miles until the road ends. Parking is permitted along the street.

Lasky Mesa: From the 101

freeway in Calabasas, travel north

on Las Virgenes Canyon Road,

turning right at Mureau and then

proceeding past Mountain View

Drive. Visitors should turn left

onto Crummer Canyon Road. The

gate is normally locked. For “byreservation-only” events, the gate

will be open; from there, visitors

will gather and caravan up to

Lasky Mesa.

For information and reservations, call (310) 858-7272, ext.

116. Information on the

Preserve’s history and activities,

as well as details on many other

park sites, is available by visiting

www.LAMountains.com.



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