Cheri CarlsonVentura County Star
A preserve in the Ventura hillsides opens to the public next year, but work on the property once eyed for housing will be far from finished.
The Ventura Land Trust has promised the public will have free access totheMariano Rancho property’ssteep climbs and sweeping 360-degree views of the Topa Topa mountains and the Channel Islands.
But some of the trails in place when it opens could later be decommissioned, said Melissa Baffa, the organization's executive director. Others likely would be added in the future.
“We know that there are long-lasting ripple effects to any decision we make," said Baffa, who described the organization’s planning as deliberative and based on scientific studies.
“We’re in the business of forever,” she said.
The nonprofit promised to preserve the 1,645 acres in perpetuity, she said. Restoration and conservation efforts from managing invasive plants to the long-defunct oil pipelines on the property will remain a work in progress for years if not decades.
As the opening gets closer, some in the community have concerns about trail locations, fencing and other plans for the land, which shares a boundary with dozens of homes. Most support the land being preserved, said Nick Bonge, whose home borders the property.
The concept of public hiking trails is largely positive, he said. But depending on trail locations, he worries about privacy and security of nearby residents.
"That’s a big concern," Bonge said.
Why preserve Mariano?
Back in 2020, theVentura Land Trustbought the land off Hall Canyon Road for roughly $4 million from Mariano Rancho LLC. The small nonprofit, which oversees more than 3,800 acres in the county, took out a loan and quietly sought donations and grants to help pay it back.
That same year, the organization opened the 2,100-acreHarmon Canyon Preserve off Foothill Road in Ventura. Officials held off announcing the Mariano purchase for two years.
By then, state legislators had earmarked $7.2 million for the land trust, money partly used to pay off the remaining loan. Funds also would be spent on efforts to open Mariano and other projects.
Plans called for balancing public access and recreation with protecting the habitat and wildlife that depends on it, officials said. Coastal sage scrub once carpeted the hills and oak woodlands shaded canyons. But decades of grazing and other uses changed the landscape.
In some spots, invasive plants pushed out much of the native habitat. Others remain “beautifully intact," said Laura Pavliscak, the land trust's conservation director.
Over the past year or so, the land trust has evaluated plants, animals and soil. A recent survey counted more than 300 plant species at the site, from tall stands of giant wild rye to a rare coastal buckwheat.
Concerns raised include fencing, trail locations
The land trust plans to install fences along the property boundary —a proposal some neighbors oppose. In spots, existing cattle fencing is located farther onto the Mariano property, not on the border. Among their concerns, residents say new fences could allow hikers to reach the edge of someone's yard instead of providing a buffer.
Bonge has lived in the area since the mid-90s. He and his wife rebuilt their home after it and hundreds of others were destroyed in the Thomas Fire. The 2017 blaze also burned the Mariano property.
The couple feel lucky to live near what Bonge called a spectacular hillside, he said. He's not against the land trust but wants issues like trail locations addressed. He also would like to see a greater degree of public input on plans.
Bonge thinks trails 600 feet or so from homes would be reasonable. But when he saw early conceptual maps, some trails came within a couple hundred feet of homes. He thinks hikers also would prefer the views at higher elevations and not to feel like they are in someone's backyard, he said.
“I think it will be better for VLT’s neighbors and the hikers to keep trails about where they are now,” he said.
Where will trails be located?
Nearly 10 miles of old access roads and social trails already exist on the property. Some may stay, but others may go. As of this week, no decisions have been made or maps approved, Baffa said. First, officials need to figure out how the public will access the preserve.
Historically, some trespassed onto the property, crossing other private land. The nonprofit plans to work with those neighbors either to formalize agreements or find out if they want the access shut down. Knowing those answers will help inform where to locate trails, Baffa said.
"That's probably one of those next steps beyond our biological and geological studies," she said.
Over the past few years, the land trust held a series of community meetings and heard some concerns. Baffa plans to continue to work with residents, she said, but there may be times when the answers won't make everyone happy.
How many hikers, cyclists will go to Mariano?
At the nearby Harmon preserve, roughly 83,000 visited last year, down from around 100,000 a year earlier, likely because of storm-related closures. That's an average of 227 to 274 daily.
But it is not yet clear how many people to expect at Mariano. The numbers are hard to predict and likely will vary widely depending on the season, Baffa said.
The Mariano property is steep. Utility and oil companies use access roads on the site, which may deter some visitors. While Harmon has one way in and one way out, Mariano could have several access points.
Even now, dozens likely hike or bike at Mariano daily despite no trespassing signs, officials said. The land trust discourages the use but also does not chase people off the property, Baffa said.
“We recognize that this land has been accessed by the community for generations,” she said.
Ventura City Councilor Doug Halter, whose district includes the area, called the land trust's work to preserve the land “absolutely astounding” and something that many never thought would be possible.
As work continues, he hopes to find a way to make the boundary more manageable for the land trust but also palatable to the property owners, he said.
For updates or more information about Mariano, go toventuralandtrust.org/mariano-faqs.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
