LOS ANGELES COUNTY — The City of Glendora, Glendora Community Conservancy, Los Angeles County, Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, and Wildlife Conservation Board announced today the permanent protection of 262 acres in the San Gabriel foothills, northeast of Glendora.  The purchase is part of an ongoing effort to conserve the historic Bluebird Ranch, and secure the natural boundary between the Los Angeles metropolitan area and protected lands in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Originally part of the Dalton/Rancho-Azusa Spanish grant, the 350-acre Bluebird Ranch was established by land patent in the 1880s.  Around the turn of the century, an Englishman named Peterson bought it.  During Peterson's time, the ranch became a haven for the Hollywood silent movie crowd, including Charlie Chaplin.  With the coming of the Great Depression, Peterson was forced to sell.  The Ferguson family bought the ranch in 1933, and has passed it down through five generations.

In 2003, the family was approached by a developer who wanted to build homes on their property.  They chose instead to work with conservationists to preserve it.

"Over the past few years, we were repeatedly approached by developers to purchase, subdivide and develop the Bluebird Ranch.  The thought of seeing this unique piece of land, with its magnificent mountains, beautiful vistas and diverse vegetation and wildlife claimed by developers was very disturbing to family members," said John Ferguson.  "Trying to find another 'solution' became a top priority."

In 2006, the City of Glendora and Wildlife Conservation Board partnered to preserve 69 acres on the south end of the ranch.  This 262-acre acquisition nearly completes protection of the ranch and helps link the Glendora Wilderness Area and the Angeles National Forest, to form a corridor for wildlife and recreation.  Both properties will be managed by the Glendora Community Conservancy as part of the Bluebird Preserve.

Bluebird Ranch is just one project in a larger effort to create a natural buffer zone between the rapidly urbanizing San Gabriel Valley and the Angeles National Forest.  By purchasing land in the foothills, conservationists are providing recreational opportunities for area residents, preserving wildlife movement corridors and watersheds, and creating new access points for the National Forest.  Congressman David Dreier is one of the original proponents of the acquisition, envisioning corridor connectivity regionally.

"Urban Los Angeles has a 675-mile border, where houses are built alongside natural lands.  That is 675 miles of opportunity to protect open space and build trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding so that area residents are able to get outside and enjoy themselves," said Reed Holderman, executive director of The Trust for Public Land-California.

"Bluebird Ranch has been on the RMC work plan for many years and is a key piece in keeping the integrity of the Wildlife Corridor along the San Gabriel Foothills viable.  This acquisition allows for not only north-south wildlife movement but east-west wildlife movement as well.  The Bluebird Ranch is also an exceptional opportunity for recreational access from the local and regional communities within the RMC territory, the San Gabriel River Watershed," said Belinda Faustinos, Executive Director of the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.

In addition to recreational opportunities, Bluebird Ranch contains a variety of natural resources.  It is an important watershed property with springs that feed Walnut Creek and later flow into the San Gabriel River.  It also contains coastal sage scrub, oak woodlands, and high quality native grasslands, which provide habitat for wildlife.

"Bluebird Ranch is home to a variety of sensitive plant species, including the federally-listed coastal California gnatcatcher and Cooper’s hawk," said John Donnelly, Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Board.  "Its protection helps to create a contiguous wildlife movement corridor, which is increasingly important as the valley’s population grows."

Funding for the $10.1 million acquisition came from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Board, City of Glendora, and Los Angeles County.

"This is a great accomplishment for the city of Glendora, for the San Gabriel Valley and for our environment in general," said Glendora Mayor Karen Davis.  "This acquisition provides protection for our natural heritage and for the wildlife corridor and it's very important for our future."

"Los Angeles County is committed to providing quality recreational opportunities that support a healthy lifestyle and strengthen the community.  This preserve will provide new trails and access to millions of residents in the San Gabriel Valley," said County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

Key roles played by local and regional nonprofit conservancies, numbering more than a dozen now, have been critical to the closing of the corridor connectivity gaps for watershed protection and biodiversity preservation in this highly sensitive region.  Of particular note in taking the lead on regional vision, preservation planning, and project acquisitions has been the San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy (www.sgmrc.org).

"The successful acquisition of the Bluebird Ranch has brought together a variety of players and funding to achieve one of the most exciting successes in land and watershed protection in the San Gabriel Foothill Corridor," said Ann Croissant, President of the Glendora Community Conservancy.  "By its very nature: habitat, biodiversity, wildlife, and pristine grassland, complemented by wildlife migration, springs, and aquifers, Bluebird Ranch Preserve is already on its way to becoming one of the key and signature wildlands properties of the Foothills Corridor."

The Trust for Public Land is a national, nonprofit land conservation organization dedicated to preserving land of recreational, ecological, and historical value for the public.  TPL works with local, state, and federal agencies and grassroots community groups to protect open space nationwide.  Since its founding in 1972, TPL has protected more than 2 million acres nationwide and nearly 10,000 acres in Los Angeles County, expanding public recreation opportunities, protecting the region's natural heritage, and creating parks where people live.  For more information regarding TPL's work in Los Angeles, please visit our website at www.tpl.org/cal.