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riparian habitat in southern California is now gone, resulting in a significant loss of habitat for the species
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that depend on these riparian systems.

The property maintains habitat suitable for the southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)
(FE), which has been known to occur in the area. Coastal sage scrub on the property provides habitat for the
coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) (FT).

Access
The Project will both preserve and expand accessible recreational opportunities in the area. The Pacific Crest
National Scenic Trail (PCT) traverses the Robin's Nest property and the segment is directly accessible to the
public from Soledad Canyon Road. When through-hikers reach the Santa Clara River, they've completed
nearly 20% of the PCT and this property serves as the only private property between two large blocks of
public land. the Angeles National Forest to the south and BLM land to the north. There is currently a narrow
easement allowing for this trail use, and the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) — primary protectors of
the PCT, advocating for its sustentation on national, state and local levels—regards the Robin's Nest property
as a priority for protection. If successful, the Project will help close a critical gap between two sections of
public land, allow this portion of the trail to be made clear and robust and preserve its natural beauty, and it
will broaden opportunities for recreational use by providing needed protection for the land surrounding the
trail.

In addition to the access provided by the PCT easement, the protection of this property will protect the
natural environment and views that draw thousands of hikers to the PCT each year. Additionally, there is an
active KOA campsite directly adjacent to the Robin's Nest property on Soledad Canyon Road. The Project
will provide a natural environment for campers without the encroaching threat of development. Open spaces
and parks increase public health and provide alternatives to urban environments—both of which are
particularly needed in Los Angeles County.

VII Proposition 1/Water Code Section 79732(a)
Provide a detailed description of how the Project achieves one or more of the purposes of Proposition 1 as stated in Water Code
Section 79732(a).

Protecting the Robin's Nest property would implement a part of a regional and statewide strategy to ensure
that the free-flowing Santa Clara River is preserved and restored for maximum water supply, habitat, and
water infrastructure benefits. The Project will achieve, at the very least, the following six purposes of Water
Code Section 79732(a):

• (1) Protect and increase the economic benefits arising from healthy watersheds, fishery resources, and instream flow.
The Santa Clara River is the single most important source of water, for residential consumption and farming,
in northern Los Angeles County and western Ventura County. The Project straddles a 0.5 mile stretch of the
Santa Clara River. As it flows west, draining 1,200 square miles of the San Gabriel, Castaic, Santa Susana, and
Sierra Madre mountains, the Santa Clara River becomes a critical source of water for the vast farmland in the
Oxnard Plain, and the primary means for replenishing over-drafted groundwater supplies and reversing
trends of seawater intrusion and land subsidence in the region. Protecting the regional water resources from
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overdraft and saltwater intrusion into the aquifer provides multimillion dollar value year over year.

This property lies just six miles downstream of Acton, CA where the headwaters of the Santa Clara River
form. Its location within Soledad Canyon, nestled between two significant portions of the Angeles National

5 California Riparain Habitat Restoration Handbook: http://www.water.ca.gov/urbanstreams/docs/ca_riparian_handbook.pdf
6 Ventura County Watershed Protection District and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Santa Clara River
Enhancement & Management Plan (2005) p.18. Available at
https://dpw.lacounty.gov/wmd/watershed/sc/docs/SCREMP_Full_Report.pdf

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