Updated: $100,000 Grant Secured for Millard Canyon Land Purchase

Updated: The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy board voted Monday night to approve a $100,000 grant to help secure a land purchase in Millard Canyon, according to a press release sent out by local legislator Anthony Portantino.

The local Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy announced last year it had reached a deal to purchase and preserve 13 acres in Millard Canyon that were in the hands of a private land owner.  The conservancy has said it needs to raise $625,000 to make the purchase.

Conservancy's Millard Canyon Purchase (Photo Gallery)

The $100,000 grant will be combined with a $375,000 grant from the State Wildlife Conservation Board to help secure the purchase, according to Portantino's press release.

Combined with donations from the community and other groups, the group is now $66,000 short of finalizing the purchase, according to Sean Howell of the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy.  That money will likely have to come from local fundraising, Howell wrote in an email.

The 13 acres are adjacent to the La Vina housing development and could one day host new recreational trails.

The area was described in a biological survey done by the conservancy as a prime wildlife corridor and a good habitat for amphibian and other species.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with information from the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy indicating the group still needs $66,000 to complete the land purchase.