Palos Verdes Land Conservancy- Sights on the future
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy prepares for a gala event next month as the organization switches gears
Preview of graden-to-table fundraiser presented by the Land Conservancy in partnership with Terranea Resort from left are Chef de Cuisine Michael Fiorelli, mar’sel at Terranea Resort; Executive Vice President/Managing Director Terranea Resort Terri A. Haack; Marketing Supervisor, Whole Foods Market Torrance, Gabriel Dupin De Saint Cyr; PVPLC board member and event co-chair Susan McKenna; and PVPLC President, Bruce Biesman- Simons. Photo by David Fairchild
When supporters of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy toast glasses next month at Terranea Resort they’ll be celebrating some important milestones for the non-profit that’s been able to secure more than 1,600 acres of open space on the Peninsula since 1988.
The event marks the group’s first gala event. Just 200 tickets will be sold at $250 each, representing somewhat of a departure from the Conservancy’s more modestly ticketed fundraisers. But this year is different.
The group is coming up on its 25th anniversary next year. And it’s embarking on a new phase of its mission that focuses almost exclusively on the stewardship of the land. With major land acquisitions completed, the organization’s laser sharp mission on preservation represents the lasting impact the Conservancy can have on generations to come, said Andrea Vona, Executive Director.
“It’s nice to focus on the on-the-ground management, which will help ensure the longevity and the vibrancy for these open spaces now and into the future,” she said.
Vona, who has a graduate degree in environmental science, is uniquely qualified to lead the work of restoring native habitat to the vast acres overrun by invasive species.
Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Anthony Misetich, Bruce Bisman-Simons, Palos Verdes Pinninsula Land COnservancy Foundation President, and Executive Director Andrea Vona enjoy a moment on the Conservency’s preserved open space. Photo by David Fairchild.
Federal and state grants supplied the bulk of the money to buy the various reserves. Though as part of those grants, the organization is required to restore at least 5 acres of habitat per year. In reality, the Conservancy restores closer to 10 acres per year with a $350,000 annual budget, about $130,000 of which is provided by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. The overall Conservancy operating budget this year is $1.6 million.
This funding dynamic requires a more constant stream of funding rather than in bigger chunks, said Bruce Biesman-Simons, board president.
“We’re very interested in the grassroots support because that is the kind of thing that will make a difference 50 or 100 years down the road, which is what I constantly have my imagination set on,” Biesman-Simons said. “Basically everything we do now is with an idea to 500 years down the road.”
By that time Biesman-Simons sees green fields from Del Cerro Park looking out over the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve where dry weeds now occupy the ground for most of the year. As Biesman-Simons explains, the non-native plants introduced here beginning with the first European explorers tend to die off earlier in the year and choke out native plants. The result is land more susceptible to fire and disease.
By planting native shrubs and grasses, the Conservancy hopes to establish a greater diversity of plants and animals so it better withstands hardships like a beetle infestation or a harsh summer. In essence, the Conservancy is trying to make the landscape in its preserves look like it did before Spanish explorers arrived.
“We have research based data of the kind of plant communities that were here about 300 years ago,” Biesman-Simons said. “The point has to do with sustainability and diversity. The mixture of plants that were around then worked better when they were together. When you start pulling out too many of them you tend to create a mono-culture. Then one bug can come through and kill it all.”
White Point Nature Preserve in San Pedro near the border of RPV off Paseo Del Mar represents the Conservancy’s most recent restoration project. Volunteers collected native seedlings and grew them in greenhouses before planting them in the field. With a little water initially, the plants are now sustaining themselves, and the ecosystem is starting to come back.
“In a sense we bought a fixer-upper,” Biesman-Simons said. “Part of the magic of this land is that it’s open and it has huge potential.”
Last year volunteers for the Conservancy logged more than 14,000 hours of service – a record for the organization – including trail maintenance, habit restoration and leading nature hikes.
“Our volunteers are really helpful because it helps supports our events and programs,” Vona said.
Gala event
On September 30 guests at the Conservancy’s gala event at Terranea Resort will enjoy a meal that exemplifies the natural environment. Chef Michael Fiorelli of Terranea’s mar’ sel restaurant designed a menu inspired by renowned cookbook author and teacher James Beard.
The meal that night promises some of the finest and freshest ingredients showcasing the best that California has to offer. It’s farm-to-table at its finest, Vona said.
“We feel like the idea of nature and freshness and connection to the land is supported by this kind of menu,” she said.
Thanks to generous donations from Whole Foods, Torrance, and other local retailers, much of the ingredients for the meal were provided free of charge. The event and the menu really represent the Conservancy’s values, Biesman-Simons said.
“The menu really supports the idea of nature and freshness and connection to the land,” he said.
Milestones and management
In 1988, Bill Ailor founded the Conservancy with the primary hope of preserving the land that now makes up the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve. From the view at Del Cerro Park, earlier this year Ailor helped commemorate the last portion of the preserve called Upper Filiorum acquired in 2009. The parcel marked the last major acquisition for the organization that had achieved almost all its goals.
The Conservancy’s reach now extends throughout the Peninsula from Malaga Cove to White Point. Its first acquisition came from a donation by the Zuckerman family in Lunada Bay. Recently three smaller parcels were donated to the Conservancy, one near Portuguese Bend and the others in the Miraleste area. The majority of the land, though, acquired by the Conservancy did not come as easily. Negotiations took place over large plots owned by Jim York and Barry Hon, who each sold parcels to the organization over the past 10 years.
“We’d love to get more open space,” Biesman-Simons said. “But one of our basic tenants is that we don’t fight with people to get land. We will only deal with a willing seller.”
Later this year, the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council will approve a trail use plan on the last section of unmarked trails at the PV Nature Preserve. In the quest to preserve habitat, the Conservancy helped forge a plan to reduce the number of trails and limit the use on others. The plan riled some mountain bikers who felt they were losing cherished access.
Biesman-Simons is reminded of a quote by the East African environmentalist Baba Dioum: In the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.
“We have to find the right balance,” Biesman-Simons said. “We can’t love it too much until we kill it.”
Today, thousands of people enjoy the space preserved by the Land Conservancy. They hike, mountain bike, ride horses and study the ecosystem amidst one of the most populated metro areas in the country. As the number of people grows, leaders at the Conservancy believe their mandate to protect the rare open spaces on the Peninsula becomes even more important to last for generations to come.
“That’s a really important thing to be a part of,” Vona said. “We’re shaping a little piece of Southern California history, and it’s really exciting.” PEN