Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is a model of how a masterful conservancy can develop financial and political strength, and change the face of a region.
"Twenty-three years and $317 million later, the agency and its longtime director, Joseph T. Edmiston, are still around, having emerged as masters of the land deal. With projects from Santa Clarita to South-Central Los Angeles, the conservancy has steadily expanded its reach, while continuing to develop its political and financial muscle... The conservancy's success is undeniable. The 115-member agency has helped preserve more than 55,000 acres of parkland throughout the region, stretching from the rolling hills of east Ventura County to the freeway-laced Whittier Narrows.Flush with $40 million from a recent state bond measure to preserve wetlands and watersheds, the conservancy is poised for another buying spree. This time, it will focus on the Los Angeles River watershed, which it hopes to transform into a 51-mile "recreational greenway" of trails and parks."
Thanks to Laura Kranz
Read the full story: Conservancy Emerges as Force in Land Preservation
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Journal of the American Planning Association