RIM OF THE VALLEY PARK PLAN WINS KEY CONGRESSIONAL VOTE.

Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - After being stalled for years, the Rim of the Valley project has finally won federal government backing to fund a study of creating a national park linking the mountaintops surrounding the San Fernando and neighboring valleys. With backing from the Bush administration, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act won approval Wednesday from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is expected to win full Senate approval shortly.

The measure, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, would direct the Interior and Agriculture departments to conduct a $500,000, three-year study to determine the feasibility of creating what would be the nation's largest urban national park.

``We now know it's not enough to save a chunk here and there, even big chunks, unless you connect the major genetic reservoirs,'' said Joseph Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. ``It's a very positive step that Congress is recognizing that.''

The proposed park includes 563,000 acres on the high ground above the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo valleys, as well as Arroyo Seco. It would expand the existing recreation area and utilize corridors of wilderness land to link the Angeles and Los Padres national forests, providing routes for wildlife to travel between the natural preserves.

``I'm thrilled and a little surprised it is moving so fast,'' said Rep. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, sponsor of a companion House bill. ``I plan a full-court press to get a hearing as soon as possible by the House Subcommittee on National Parks.''

The chairman of that panel is Rep. George Radanovich, R-Fresno.

``This Senate vote is excellent news,'' said Rep. David Dreier, R- Glendora, a member of the House Republican leadership and a co-sponsor of Schiff's bill. ``We plan to work very hard to make this park a reality.''

Feinstein said the proposed park would finish the environmental protection effort begun in 1978, when Congress established the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

``This protected area did not include thousands of environmentally sensitive lands,'' she said.

Schiff, who sponsored a similar bill that died on the last day of Congress in December, credited the proposal's fast Senate track to minor modifications sought by federal officials and a change in attitude by the Bush administration.

The old bill called for the Interior Department, which includes the National Park Service, to foot the entire bill for the study and to work with a 17-member local advisory panel. The new measure shares the cost with the Agriculture Department, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, and eliminates the requirement for an advisory panel. Both agencies have pledged to do extensive outreach to local stakeholders as part of their study.

``Last year, it hurt us that the Park Service was neutral on the issue,'' said Schiff, who said Bush's 2002-03 budget provided no money for new park studies and instead concentrated on repairs to existing facilities.

He noted that Bush and his aides have pledged to make urban recreation areas a top priority and have also set aside money in their 2003-04 budget proposal for a number of feasibility studies.

If authorized by Congress and signed into law by Bush, the study could begin as early as next year. If the study supports the Rim of the Valley Corridor proposal, creation of the new national park would also have to be approved by Congress.

Wednesday's key vote came only days after the Rim of the Valley Corridor plan had its first hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks. At that March 4 session, officials of both the Interior and Agriculture departments endorsed the study.

Also, Edmiston announced at the hearing that his state agency had pledged up to $100,000 to help pay for the study.

In his testimony, Edmiston made a plea to preserve the region's unique Mediterranean ecosystem. He also eased the concerns, expressed by many Senate Republicans, that the project might result in government seizure of private land.

Edmiston told the panel that 53 percent of the land within the boundaries of the proposed park, which has already been endorsed by the state, is privately owned. He said the project would enhance land values and that no land would be taken by eminent domain.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, map

Photo:

(1 -- color) Bicyclists ride along a trail in Malibu Creek State Park. Congress has approved funding for a study on a Rim of the Valley national park that would include Malibu Creek.

(2 -- color) Malibu Creek State Park - site of this small waterfall - would be part of Rim of the Valley national park.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer

Map:

PROPOSED RIM OF THE VALLEY CORRIDOR

SOURCE: Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority

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