The National Park Service (NPS) is pleased to announce the completion of the Rim of the Valley Corridor Special Resource Study. The Secretary of the Interior transmitted the final study to Congress on February 16, 2016. This polygon dataset delineates the selected alternative recommended to Congress by the Secretary of the Interior and supported by the National Park Service determinations about the eligibility of the study area as an addition to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA).

Selected Alternative

The alternative recommended to Congress is a combination of alternatives C and D, a hybrid alternative that was selected based on public and stakeholder input and professional judgment of the NPS. The selected alternative is the National Park Service Director’s most effective and efficient alternative for the long-term protection and public enjoyment of nationally significant resources in the Rim of the Valley Corridor.

The selected alternative includes a 170,000-acre boundary adjustment to SMMNRA. The proposed boundary addition would provide recreational opportunities to a broad range of urban communities. Within the expanded area are: habitat types that contribute to the high biodiversity of the Santa Monica Mountains; functioning wildlife corridors; highly scenic landscapes; historic and archeological sites; geologic and paleontological resources; thousands of acres of open space and recreation areas; and miles of trails, all of which provide exceptional public enjoyment opportunities. In areas beyond the proposed boundary addition, SMMNRA would use existing authorities to partner and provide technical assistance to land managers and private landowners to maintain and enhance habitat connections to the Los Padres and Angeles national forests and to assist local communities in planning for recreational opportunities.

Implementation of the selected alternative would require congressional legislation. In the absence of such legislation, the study remains a recommendation.

For additional information and study documents: http://www.nps.gov/pwro/rimofthevalley/

*** Please note that this boundary does not imply or convey any ownership or direct legal authority over the lands within it. Also note that this boundary was drawn at a broad, landscape scale and based largely on a study area originally mapped without benefit of current geospatial technology. Some effort was made to align with available property, land use, road, hydrology and other spatial data from various sources. However, implementation of the selected alternative will require further boundary refinement.***