HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
In June 1989, the Sierra Madre City Council appointed a citizens’ ad hoc committee to consider the formation of a conservancy for the preservation and protection of the foothills above the developed residential areas of the City. The ad hoc committee contacted Sierra Madre citizen groups to develop a support base for our Conservancy goals.
This action continued a historical commitment by the citizens of Sierra Madre to preserve the foothills. In Little Santa Anita Canyon, land that was acquired by the City for watershed preservation in 1949 was designated the 1200-acre Sierra Madre Historical Wilderness in 1967, protecting the Mount Wilson Trail. That same year the 73-acre Bailey Canyon Wilderness Area was created. The SMMC holds conservation easements on all the City’s designated Open Space.
The Conservancy has held public workshops hosting the Nature Conservancy and Trust for Public Lands, as well as conducted field trips to view our open-space acquisitions for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Trust for Public Lands.
We have assisted other regional conservancies in their start-up efforts and participated in workshops conducted by the San Gabriel Mountains Regional Conservancy and the California Council of Land Trusts.
