The City of Santa Clarita was notified this week that its application for continued assistance from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program has been approved.
The project, one of 26 such projects approved by the Park Service for the 2011 fiscal year, has already resulted in the completion of a preliminary corridor study for the trail that will extend from the Pacific Crest Trail east of the City to the California Coastal Trail in Ventura.
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A public outreach and participation process is planned for early 2011. More detailed mapping is underway for the portion of the trail that passes through the Santa Clarita Valley.
“Continued assistance from the Park Service will provide technical staff support to complete the necessary mapping and data collection for the trail,” said Mayor Laurene Weste.
Working together since January of this year, the Park Service and the City have formed a core planning team comprised of representatives from the US Forest Service, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the County of Los Angeles and local trail user groups. Two keys to the success of the planning effort thus far has been the development of a mission and goals statement and extensive field reconnaissance to “ground truth” possible trail routes through the Santa Clarita Valley.
For further information regarding the trail project, contact Tom Reilly of the City’s Parks Planning and Open Space Division at (661) 255-4394.