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July 13, 2000 YAROSLAVSKY ANNOUNCES GRANT FOR MOUNTAINS RESTORATION TRUST PARCEL PURCHASE FOR TRAIL LINK, WILDLIFE CORRIDOR AND OAK WOODLAND HABITAT BETEWEEN TOPANGA, MALIBU CREEK STATE PARKS Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has announced a $90,000 County grant to the non-profit Mountains Restoration Trust toward the purchase of a 3.14-acre parcel near Mulholland Highway and Las Virgenes Road for wildlife and oak woodland habitat conservation, and to retain a vital link in the County's Master Trail Plan. "Acquiring this property will protect a vital east-west wildlife corridor between Topanga State Park and Malibu Creek State Park," Yaroslavsky said. "It will also help us preserve the Soka University Connector Trail on the parcel's eastern boundary, a key part of our trail system east of Las Virgenes," he added. Mountains Restoration Trust President Steve Harris praised the Board action, saying, "When the public and private sectors join together in partnership, so much can be accomplished to protect and preserve natural resources." Yaroslavsky said that MRT acquired the 3.14-acre parcel in March, 2000 for $180,000 - a relative bargain at 25% under its appraised value. Funding came from the MRT's operating budget and a three-year loan from the Quercus Fund, due on January 1, 2003. The MRT subsequently applied for the County grant from Quimby Funds, which are set aside under state law for parkland purchase, to reimburse its operating fund. Absent the grant, MRT would have to divest itself of the property; with it, he said, MRT will be able to preserve it as a wildlife and oak woodland habitat, and as a trail link with an unobstructed view of Malibu Creek State Park.
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