U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), along with six members of the Los Angeles Congressional Delegation, recently sent a letter to the National Park Service (NPS) regarding its draft report on the Rim of the Valley Special Resources Study.

The study examined the possibility of expanding the boundary of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor. The letter commends NPS’s proposed enlargement of the existing SMMNRA to include areas in Alternative C of the draft report, which mainly focused on the connection between urban communities and open space. However, the letter urges NPS to expand the boundary even further, by adopting Alternative D, which would include additional land and wildlife corridors in the expansion.

The letter was sent by Reps. Schiff, Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), Tony Cardenas (D-San Fernando), Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles), Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Los Angeles).

“Since the public comment period has been open, the vast majority of my constituents have come out in support of the broadest possible preservation of these natural resources,” Schiff said. “That’s why we feel that Alternative C does not go far enough. My Los Angeles congressional delegation colleagues and I have joined together to support Alternative D — a more expansive option that will provide for more connections between urban populations and nature and better wildlife habitat protection. If we don’t act now to preserve these wildlife corridors, they will be gone for good and, along with them, a lot of what we love about Los Angeles.”