California Wildlife Conservation Board Approves Final Funding for Chesebro Meadow

Former mayor and State Senator Fran Pavley announced this morning that the California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) approved a grant of $3.35 million in voter-passed Proposition 50 funds, completing the $7 million purchase price for the acquisition of Chesebro Meadow, a key parcel on the east boundary of Agoura Hills. 

The property consists of 71± acres of fragile chaparral, coastal sage scrub, native grasslands and oak woodland-savannah habitat, and enhances wildlife linkages and watershed protection while providing future wildlife-oriented public use opportunities.

Long sought by environmentalists as a critical component of the wildlife connection between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills, this grant now insures that the wildlife overpass of the 101 freeway, currently in the planning stages, will have the best possible chance of success.

“The property will be acquired to protect the Malibu Creek watershed and to provide key connectivity for the wildlife corridor,” said Senator Pavley. “And we have a willing seller, which was critical for this acquisition.”

We cannot overstate the importance of the role that Senator Pavley played in bringing all the parties together and assembling highly-competitive funding sources. Without her relentless efforts over the past year, it is far from certain that this property would have been saved from development. WCB Executive Director, John P. Donnelly, noted that a letter of support was also received from Agoura Hills’ Mayor, Harry Schwarz.

This puts the City of Agoura Hills one step closer to having a wildlife bridge and fulfilling our city’s identity as “Gateway to the Santa Monica Mountains.”