"If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it." President Lyndon B Johnson on signing the Wilderness Act, 1964
“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”Aldo Leopold
In April 2005, the Fond Land Preservation Foundation purchased a significant number of parcels of land, totaling nearly 500 acres within the Verdugo Mountains in the city of Los Angeles between the Shadow Hills and La Tuna Canyon communities. The acquisition make the Foundation’s open space of the largest privately held open spaces within Los Angeles County. The “Photos” link has a map of the Fond Family Open Space. Due to its size and scope it will significantly add to the open space, and will serve to act as a significant deterrent to future development within this unique and remarkable area located within the City and County of Los Angeles.
The Fond Family Open Space is bordered on the East by the 210 Freeway, the North by residential development along and adjacent to Sunland Boulevard, the West by residential development and open space within the Verdugo Mountains near Rotta Street and on the South by the ridgeline within the Verdugo Mountains between Sunland Boulevard and La Tuna Canyon.
A review of historic maps indicates that the Fond Family Open Space was once part of Hispanic land grants – Rancho San Rafael on the South and Rancho Tujunga on the North. The bulk of the Fond Family Open Space was carved from Rancho Tujunga and is located in the community now known as Sunland.
Our short-term goals would include turning over the day-to-day operation of the Fond Family Open Space to a government agency to manage it as a park or open space, ideally with hiking and riding trails and public facilities. However, budgetary constraints may not allow for a quick transition. Our long-term goals include raising supplementary funds that will be used to purchase additional undeveloped parcels and create more public open space within Los Angeles and/or Ventura Counties.
The Tongva Native Americans were the first known human occupants of Los Angeles County. Archaeologists believe that later in their history this indigenous group became known as the Gabrieleno people. During the height of their presence, the Gabrieleno people were living in most of the Los Angeles Basin as well as few of the Channel Islands. The name “Gabrieleno” is thought to have been is derived from their proximity to the Mission San Gabriel Archángel.
Archaeologists also believe that the “Fernandeno” people are a subgroup of the Gabrieleno people. The Fernandenos lived in closer proximity to the Mission San Rey de España (the San Fernando Mission).
All of these Native Americans were hunter/gatherers whose subsistence relied heavily on harvesting vegetation and seeds. This nourishment was supplemented with a variety of meat and fish products.
In the 1700’s, the Mexican army was colonizing California and had arrived in the Los Angeles area. The Native American populations began to decline after the founding of the local missions in 1771 and the subsequent Christianization of the area.
In 1784, one of the officers in the Mexican army, Jose Maria Verdugo, was granted 36,000 acres of land for his many years of honorable military service. In 1797, when Verdugo retired from the army, he and his extended family moved onto the rancho, which he called “La Zanja” to begin raising cattle. In 1831, Verdugo died, and left La Zanja to his two children, Julio and Catalina.
Meanwhile, the American army was engaging the Mexican army for possession of California. In 1847, the Mexican army, under the leadership of a newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of Mexican Forces in California, Andres Pico, was forced to surrender to the Americans by Colonel John C. Fremont. The Articles of Capitulation were signed in the San Fernando Valley at a Cahuenga Pass ranch house.
Following the American takeover, Verdugo’s children, Julio and Catalina, filed a claim with the new government to keep title to the land, and, eight years later, in 1855, the Board of Land Commissioners granted title to them, but required a survey of the exact borders of the land. Once a survey had been completed, a land patent was issued for “Rancho San Rafael”. Subsequently the Rancho was split between the siblings and ultimately sold only to be subdivided again.
After secularization of the mission system by the Mexican government in 1834, individuals were granted portions of the former mission lands. In 1840, Governor Alvarado granted 6,680 acres of the Tujunga lands to Pedro and Francisco Lopez. Like Rancho San Rafael, Rancho Tujunga was used almost exclusively for raising cattle. The Board of Land Commissioners ultimately granted this property, which had been a portion of the Mission San Fernando claim, to be Rancho Tujunga. Rancho Tujunga was subsequently sold in 1874.
Near the beginning of the 20th century, the community of Sunland was established. In 1926, Sunland had grown to encompass over 3,800 acres and La Tuna Canyon had about 4,900 acres, both of which were annexed by the City of Los Angeles. At the time of annexation, both Sunland and La Tuna Canyon were primarily residential and lacked significant nearby commercial ventures. As a result, growth in this area tended to be slower than in other parts of Los Angeles where commercial ventures were prevalent.
The Verdugo Mountains (the “Verdugos”) were most likely thrust above sea level in the middle Pliocene time. The uplift of the Verdugos has continued to the present. Several known active fault zones that collectively comprise an active thrust belt surround the Verdugos. The Raymond Hill, Verdugo-Eagle Rock and Sierra Madre Fault Zones are nearby.
The Verdugos are primarily characterized by Mesozoic crystalline metamorphic and basement igneous rocks, including granite, quartz and metamorphic gneisses. Alluvial deposits occurred in the Quaternary age and included stream terrace deposits. Recent alluvium occurs in the present-day stream courses and primarily consists of brown clays, silts and sands with gravel. Colluviums and topsoil consisting primarily of silty sands appear at the surface.
Much of the Fond Family Open Space is characterized by steep terrain with distinctive ridgelines that drop into deep “V” canyons. Elevations of the Fond Family Open Space are approximately between 1,000 and 2,000 feet above sea level. The varied topography of the Verdugos permits streams to flow and also allows runoff collection at the bottom of the steep canyons. During periods of heavy precipitation, rills will form and slumping may occur.
As noted above, the Fond Family Open Space contains many drainage courses and tributary streams that normally flow during the winter and early spring rainy seasons. These unlined stream channels and water basins act as a means to replenish underground aquifers in the area.
In addition, the Fond Family Open Space contains several “blue-line streams”. Blue-line streams are defined as significant stream channels either with, or without, year-round running water as mapped on the most recently published U.S. Geological Survey 7.5 minute series topographic maps. Blue-line streams provide surface and/or ground water for both vegetation and wildlife, as well as create a natural corridor for wildlife movement. Blue-line stream courses are important in defining the unique characteristic of the property.
In the Fond Family Open Space, fauna includes a number of large and small animal species. Wildlife such as deer, coyotes, rabbits, wood rats, raccoons, birds, lizards, squirrels and rattlesnakes are commonly sighted. Some of the more common birds that have been sighted on the property are wren, swift, larks, sparrows and hawks. In addition there are a number of insects including dragonflies, bees and beetles. Poisonous and non-poisonous spiders are also present. There have been a greater number of sightings of fauna in the area immediately surrounding the blue-line streams, including a small herd of deer, near the Sunland Boulevard onramp to the 210 Freeway.
The ecosystems in the Verdugos consist of a number of native plant communities including: chaparral, coastal sage, Southern oak woodland, Southern oak riparian woodland, and alluvial scrub. The majority of the Fond Family Open Space is covered by drought tolerant native vegetation typically found in open scrub and chaparral habitats. More specific vegetation would include spineflowers, asters, mariposa lilies, morning glory, sages, milkwort, ragwort, sunflowers, yucca, poppies and a number of varieties of lichen. Trees on the property consist, in part, of oak, sycamore, and black walnut trees. Poison Oak is also present.
The Verdugos are located in the Northeastern San Fernando Valley, within the City and County of Los Angeles. The Verdugos are geographically defined by the Los Angeles Basin to the South, the San Fernando Valley to the West, the communities of Sunland and Tujunga to the North and the San Gabriel Valley to the East. The Verdugos are located approximately 16 miles north of downtown Los Angeles and are in essence, an island of wilderness, surrounded by the cities of Los Angeles, Glendale and Burbank.
The Verdugos have been able to retain their rural atmosphere by having much of their zoning as agricultural; and, in areas of residential development, properties tend to be on larger lots and usually contain equestrian rights. Zoning on the Fond Family Open Space is governed by the City of Los Angeles’s Sunland-Tujunga-Lake View Terrace-Shadow Hills-East La Tuna Canyon Community Plan. There are additional guidelines relating to the Fond Family Open Space falls within the San Gabriel/Verdugo Mountain Scenic Preservation Plan. And, while the Verdugos have been designated by Los Angeles County as Significant Ecological Area, No. 40, those policies do not apply to the Fond Family Open Space as it is within the limits of the City of Los Angeles.
The Fond Family Open Space lies within the Mediterranean climate zone. Dry summers and wet winters characterize the area. In addition, because chaparral dominates the vegetation of the Fond Family Open Space the hills are prone to burn easily.
Just south of the Fond Family Open Space on the north slope of the Verdugos (off of La Tuna Canyon Road), is the 1,100-acre La Tuna Canyon Park, which is owned by The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (the “SMMC”). In addition, the SMMC owns a number of smaller contiguous and non-contiguous parcels off of La Tuna Canyon Road on the south slopes of the Verdugos.
West of La Tuna Canyon Park is Verdugo Mountain Park, which is operated by the City of Los Angeles Department of Parks. Councilmember Wendy Greuel noted in 2005, that after the donation of an additional 145 acres by the Krausen family this property became the largest dedication of parkland in the City of Los Angeles in the last 15 years. In 2006, the City of Los Angeles, through Councilmember Greuel, acquired an additional 80 contiguous acres. Councilmember Greuel went on to note that Verdugo Mountain Park is currently the fourth largest park within the City of Los Angeles and is comprised of over 500 acres.
Sunland Park is located near the northeast portion of the Fond Family Open Space. It is operated by the City of Los Angeles Department of Parks.
Tour the property daily during daylight hours. Enjoy the Open Space which is rich in wildlife, including deer, raccoons, rattlesnakes, and coyote as well as the beauty of the yucca, oaks, and wildflowers.
Enjoy the natural beauty of the Fond Family Open Space, just minutes from the 210 Freeway and Sunland Boulevard in Shadow Hills. Despite its proximity to the freeway, the sound of traffic disappears when you enter into the nearly 500 acre Open Space.
The Fond Family Open Space will provide the opportunity for public access to a blue-line stream and incredible vistas. The Open Space serves as a showcase for chaparral, oak woodland, valley grassland as well as a small riparian plant community.. It offers an important habitat for rare and endangered flora, such as the southern tarplant (centromadia parryi ssp. australis) and slender-horned spineflower (dodecahema leptoceras). Native fauna present on the site include deer, coyotes, raccoons, ground squirrels, bees, wasps, a variety of spiders, rattlesnakes and ticks.
The __ foot ridge line offer panoramic views of the northeastern San Fernando Valley. Whether you are a hiker, birdwatcher, painter, equestrian, or just out for a picnic, the Open Space provides a scenic setting.
In April 2005, the Foundation identified and acquired approximately 500 acres. The purchase was recently finalized and preparations were begun for the public's use of the property.
The Fond Family Open Space is open to the public.
The Open Space is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk.
A map of the property is available for downloading from this link.
Daily from dawn to dusk.
None at this time. No restrooms, no drinking water.
From the 210 Freeway North, take the Sunland Boulevard off ramp. Turn left and go under the freeway. Entrance to the park is located at the sign. The Open Space is adjacent to the 210 Southbound onramp.
From the 210 Freeway South, take the Sunland Boulevard off ramp. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left. Entrance to the park is located at the sign. The Open Space is adjacent to the 210 Southbound onramp.
Currently parking is free. Please obey all posted parking restrictions.
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” John Muir
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