Arroyo Conejo Open Space is a

open space reserve An open space reserve (also called open space preserve, open space reservation, and green space) is an area of protected or conservation ethics, conserved land or water on which Real estate development, development is indefinitely set aside. The ...

in the western

Simi Hills The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in eastern Ventura County, California, Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, of Southern California, United States. The range runs ma ...

in northern Newbury Park,

Ventura County, California Ventura County () is a County (United States), county located in Southern California, the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, Ca ...

. Most of it is part of the Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve (sometimes shortened to the Arroyo Nature Preserve).Maxwell, Thomas J. (2000). ''Hiking In Wildwood Regional Park: Natural History, Folklore, and Trail Guide''. California Lutheran University (CLU). Page 182.

Geography

Hill-Canyon-Wastewater-Plant-Wetlands-Newbury-Park

The preserve is often locally referred to as La Branca or the Barranca (Spanish for "the canyon"), and is nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Conejo Valley. Its stated purpose is "the preservation of the scenic areas, natural habitats, wildlife, archaeological and paleontological sites of the

Conejo Valley The Conejo Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle del Conejo'', meaning "Valley of the Rabbit") is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County, California, Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles C ...

and surroundings, specifically including the

Arroyo Conejo Arroyo Conejo (Spanish for “Rabbit Creek”) carries part of the longest creek in the Conejo Valley which sprawls past the cities of Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, and the communities of Newbury Park, Casa Conejo and Santa Rosa Valley. Arroyo ...

". It contains 250 acres of land and has been administrated and owned by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) since its incorporation in July 1977. La Branca is a narrow ravine or gorge that runs three miles from northern Newbury Park near the

Rancho Conejo Playfields Rancho Conejo Playfields is a multi-use community park in Newbury Park, California, adjacent to Conejo Canyons Open Space and the Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve which includes of public open-space land and numerous trails in the western Simi Hi ...

, to

Hill Canyon Hill Canyon is a deep canyon in the western Simi Hills and within northern Newbury Park, California, Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, California, Thousand Oaks, in Ventura County, California, Ventura County, southern California. The Arroyo Conejo ...

near the Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Conejo Canyons Open Space. La Branca has a

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

section with cliffs rising up to . The preserve is home to large variety of plant- and animal species, including for instance southwestern pond turtles,

mountain lions The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, '' KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North, Central and South America, making it the most widely distributed wild ...

, bobcats, black bears,

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

coyotes The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely relat ...

, and avifauna such as

quails Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New W ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

hawks Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and othe ...

owls Owls are birds from the Order (biology), order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly Solitary animal, solitary and Nocturnal animal, nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vis ...

, and numerous others. It contains the perennial South Fork of the

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripari ...

vegetation, steep-sided canyons,

California oak woodland California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico. Oak woodland is widespread at lower elevations in coast ...

s, as well as

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

Wetlands

The Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant has the largest

constructed wetland A constructed wetland is an artificial wetland to treat sewage, greywater, stormwater runoff or Industrial wastewater treatment, industrial wastewater. It may also be designed for land reclamation after mining, or as a Flood mitigation, mitigatio ...

s in

Ventura County Ventura County () is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises ...

, within approximately of the Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve. Natures Image has helped create this area by removal of

invasive plant An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native speci ...

species, as well as the planting of 1,600 native trees, 7,000 emergent marsh plants, 6,000 low herbaceous wetland plants, and 1,200 riparian scrub plants. The area is home to the endemic Southwestern Pond Turtle, as well as large numbers of mallards,

coots Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually ...

herons Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus '' Botaurus'' are referred to as ...

, and numerous other species of freshwater fish and birds.

History

The nature preserve was highlighted in the Conservation Element of the General Plan in 1972 and later identified in the City's Conejo Canyons Study of 1976 as an area with particularly sensitive and important resources. The president of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society met with representatives from

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...

in 1974. One visitor during these meetings mentioned how incredible it was to "find such a primordial setting within the city limits of a

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

."Maxwell, Thomas J. (2000). ''Hiking In Wildwood Regional Park: Natural History, Folklore, and Trail Guide''. California Lutheran University (CLU). Page 181. On July 1, 1976, the Thousand Oaks-based ''News-Chronicle'' reported the formation of a Small Wilderness Area Preserves chapter to protect donated Canyon lands. Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve was incorporated and organized in lieu of the Small Wilderness Group in July 1977.

References

{{Protected areas of California Nature reserves in California Parks in Ventura County, California Simi Hills Conejo Valley Geography of Thousand Oaks, California Newbury Park, California Protected areas of Ventura County, California Protected areas established in 1977 1977 establishments in California

Geography

Wetlands

History

See also

References