Conservancy Needs $625,000 for Millard Canyon Purchase

We reported last week that the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy has an agreement in place to purchase 13 acres of land in Millard Canyon.

What we did not realize at the time, however, is that the Conservancy still has a lot of fundraising to do to make the purchase a reality.

According to John Howell, the Conservancy's president, the land purchase will cost $675,000.  So far, the conservancy has raised about $50,000 and will need to raise the funds by the end of 2012 to complete the purchase.

The group has had similar arrangements in the past: last year, the conservancy was awarded a $545,000 grant to buy 18 acres in Rubio Canyon, completing a purchase agreement that was set in 2010.

As reported last week, the 13-acre parcel is west of the La Vina housing development and to the east of homes in The Meadows, another residential neighborhood.

Leaving the parcel undeveloped preserves a connection between open space north of JPL and the foothills north of Altadena.  

A biological survey conducted by the conservancy lists various amphibian species, including newts and the endangered Arroyo toad as occupants of a seasonal stream on the property.  Coyote, bobcat and mule deer have been reported as frequently sighted on the property by the current owner, according to the survey.