COUNCIL BACKS PRESERVATION MOVE.Byline: Heather MacDonald Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - The Santa Clarita City Council called on Congress on Tuesday night to protect 14,720 acres of wilderness land in and around the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. from development and motorized mo·tor·ize tr.v. mo·tor·ized, mo·tor·iz·ing, mo·tor·iz·es 1. To equip with a motor. 2. To supply with motor-driven vehicles. 3. To provide with automobiles. vehicles. Legislation sponsored by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer Barbara Levy Boxer (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and the current junior U.S. Senator from the State of California. A member of the Democratic Party, Boxer was first elected to the U.S. , D-Calif., would protect more than 2.5 million acres of federally owned land and 22 free- flowing rivers throughout California from new mining, logging, drilling and construction, officials said. Local environmentalists praised the council's unanimous vote, which came at a meeting cut short because of the raging wildfire that threatened homes in Stevenson Ranch on Tuesday night. ``Its just a wonderful thing that Sen. Boxer and the City Council are doing,'' said Karen Pearson, founder of the Santa Clarita chapter of the Sierra Club Sierra Club, national organization in the United States dedicated to the preservation and expansion of the world's parks, wildlife, and wilderness areas. Founded (1892) in California by a group led by the Scottish-American conservationist John Muir, the Sierra Club . ``We need to preserve the most precious land we have left.'' Too much land has been ruined over the past decade because of loud off- road vehicles that scare away animals and uproot plants, Pearson said. The bill calls for 12,160 acres known as the Magic Mountain Wilderness east of Santa Clarita in the Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) was established by executive order on December 20, 1892 as the San Gabriel Timberland Reserve. It covers over 2,600 km² (650,000 acres) and is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, just north of the metropolitan area of Los to be protected, as well as the 2,560-acre Santa Clarita Canyons area that is parallel to the city's southern border. ``That will give an added layer of protection to Elsmere, Whitney and Placerita canyons and prevent anyone from getting a bright idea about developing there,'' Pearson said. The wilderness designation would encourage hiking, horseback riding, fishing, backpacking and rock climbing rock climbing Sports medicine An 'extreme sport' in which the participant climbs rock formations, with or without ropes Injury risk Fractures, abrasions, death. See Extreme sports. , and could boost tourism, Santa Clarita officials said. A similar bill introduced by Boxer last year failed because of concerns raised by the California Department of Forestry that the restrictions would hamper firefighting efforts. Those objections have been resolved, according to Boxer. Heather MacDonald, (661) 257-5257 heather.macdonald(at)dailynews.com |
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