Santa Clara River Projects
Photo of Santa Clara River (just west of I-5) courtesy of Lisa Fimiani
The Santa Clara River is the last large un-dammed river in Los Angeles County, and one of the best remaining examples of riparian and alluvial wash habitat left in the Los Angeles area. It flows from the arid Antelope Valley of the west Mojave Desert (Soledad Canyon) west to Santa Clarita, into Ventura County and out to sea. The watershed is a true hotspot of rare species, supporting both narrow endemics (e.g., San Fernando Valley Spineflower), species that have suffered major declines throughout the region (e.g., Red-legged Frog), and even the California Condor (Sespe Creek is a major tributary).
More than 90% of the land along the river is privately-owned, and about half the land within five miles of the river is already approved for residential and commercial development. This presents great conservation challenges in balancing development with species protection. One of the largest proposed developments, the Landmark Village phase of Newhall Ranch, is slated to impact thousands of acres of grassland, riparian and sage scrub habitat near Six Flags Magic Mountain, and the effects of this development on the area's birdlife are described in the letter to the left.
In 2002, Dan Cooper initiated a new Christmas Bird Count, the Santa Clarita CBC, which has clarified and documented the winter populations of several sensitive species in the area, such as Northern Harrier, White-tailed Kite, Loggerhead Shrike, and Horned Lark.
