A study into how best to manage lands surrounding Santa Monica Mountains NRA is recommended the addition of 170,000 acres to the NRA's oversight/NPS

A long-term study into how best to manage the mix of private and public lands surrounding and within Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California has led the National Park Service to recommend a 170,000-acre addition to the NRA, though it would not entail actually purchasing all those additional acres.

Rather, the Park Service would look to use a variety of management tools and partnerships to oversee the landscape in a fashion that would benefit both recreation and wildlife corridors, said Anne Dove, the agency's lead on the Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study.

“Land acquisition is going to be a fairly small piece of the tool box," she said during a phone conversation from her office.

Instead, the Park Service would provide technical assistance to surrounding local communities, agencies, and private landowners to maintain habitat connectivity, protect significant resources, and plan for new parks and trails.

The study was ordered by Congress in 2008, though the work didn't get underway until 2010 while the Park Service waited for funding to be made available. The task posed to the Park Service was to examine: (1) the suitability and feasibility of designating all or a portion of the corridor as a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area; and (2) the methods and means for the protection and interpretation of this corridor by the National Park Service, other federal, state, or local government entities, or private or non-profit organizations.

As part of the study, the Park Service looked at about 650,000 acres of land, including the 153,000 acres already contained within the NRA as well as 180,000 acres managed by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. Land use is the study area is "diverse with large natural areas, parks and recreation areas, suburban communities, farms and ranches, highly urbanized areas, freeways, and an array of public infrastructure," a Park Service release said.

In the end, none of the Forest Service land was recommended for inclusion in the NRA, said Ms. Dove.

"Expanding Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area would provide one of the most densely populated areas in the United States better access to open space and recreational opportunities, as well as increase protection of ecological connections for wildlife," Martha J. Lee, acting regional director of the Park Service's Pacific West Region, said in a release.

The National Park Service's final study recommendation, or "selected alternative," is essentially a combination of possible alternatives proposed in the Rim of the Valley Corridor Draft Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment released in April 2015. The selected alternative would add portions of the Los Angeles River and Arroyo Seco corridors, the Verdugo Mountains-San Rafael Hills, the San Gabriel Mountains foothills, the Simi Hills, the Santa Susana Mountains, and the Conejo Mountain area to the national recreation area. Existing parks such as Griffith Park, Hansen Dam Recreation Area, Sepulveda Basin (recreation areas and wildlife reserve), Los Encinos State Historic Park, Debs Park, El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, and Los Angeles State Historic Park would serve as major portals into the Rim of the Valley Corridor area. The recommended area does not include any areas of the Angeles National Forest or San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

As envisioned, the expanded NRA would "further contribute to the high biodiversity of the Santa Monica Mountains with functioning wildlife corridors," the Park Service said. "Exceptional public enjoyment opportunities in the expanded area include historic and archeological sites, geologic and paleontological resources, highly scenic landscapes, thousands of acres of open space and recreation areas, and miles of trails."

The recommended 170,000-acre addition to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area would extend the park's partnership-based management approach, which recognizes the area's complex mix of land uses, ownership patterns, and regulatory authorities. The National Park Service would also provide technical assistance to surrounding local communities, agencies, and private landowners to maintain habitat connectivity, protect significant resources, and plan for new parks and trails.

Implementation of the selected alternative would require congressional legislation.