Area: 212 acres
Location: Montebello, Los Angeles County, California
Date Acquired: 2024
Acquisition Type: CNLM holds a conservation easement to protect the sensitive species and their habitats on the Preserve. The Preserve is owned by a third party.
Key Habitats: Coastal sage scrub; coast live oak woodland
Species of Special Interest to CNLM: coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) and coastal cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus)
Introduction
The Preserve is located in the Montebello Hills, nestled within a matrix of open space adjacent to the Rio Hondo and Whittier Narrows, commercial and residential developments, and ongoing well oil operations. It was established in 2009 as mitigation for impacts associated with the development of the Metro Heights community. The Preserve provides protection for the imperiled coastal sage scrub habitat, which supports many sensitive, endemic, and migratory species. In particular, the coastal California gnatcatcher and the coastal cactus wren are known to breed and forage there during the spring and summer months. In 2024, CNLM was granted a Conservation Easement over the Preserve, which permanently protects its conservation values.
Conservation Significance
The Preserve protects its conservation values through the Conservation Easement granted to CNLM. The conservation values of the Preserve include many plants, animals, and the habitats that support them. Coastal sage scrub is an increasingly rare habitat type endemic to California, and it supports many sensitive and threatened species like the coastal California gnatcatcher and the coastal cactus wren. Due to the continued development and expansion of urban and suburban communities in southern California, coastal sage scrub habitat has been reduced to nearly 90% of its original extent.
The coastal California gnatcatcher is a small non-migratory bird. It was listed as federally threatened in 1993 and is currently a CDFW species of special concern. The species can be found in coastal sage scrub habitat ranging from Santa Barbara County south through Baja, California, as well as inland into San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. During the breeding season, males can be distinguished by a black cap, and their song resembles a harsh kitten-like mew. The coastal cactus wren is another CDFW species of special concern. It can be found in coastal sage scrub habitat between Santa Barbara and San Diego Counties. They predominantly nest in thickets of cholla or prickly pear cacti. They can be identified by their brown spotted coloration, white eyebrows. Both the coastal California gnatcatcher and the coastal cactus wren are indicator species for a healthy preserve system.
The complex structure of coast live oak woodland and valley foothill riparian habitats within the Preserve provide ample niches for various plants and wildlife to seek refuge and food. In addition, the Preserve is located adjacent to two other small open spaces, the Rio Hondo and the Whittier Narrows Reservoir, and it caps the northwestern end of the Puente Hills, the Montebello Hills Preserve extends an opportunity for plants and wildlife to find refuge, forage, and reproduce in the middle of the highly developed Los Angeles basin.
Our Work
The conservation easement provides CNLM with the responsibility and legal authority to help protect the conservation values of the Preserve. CNLM regularly monitors the Preserve to ensure that the habitat and its wildlife remain protected from encroachment or unpermitted activities. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is a third-party beneficiary of the conservation easement, enabling that agency to provide support in defending and enforcing the easement.
Public Access
The Preserve is closed to public access because of its highly sensitive nature. However, there is a plan for multiple public-use pedestrian trails to be installed along paved roads that border the Preserve area.
Contact
For information and inquiries please contact:
For information about the Montebello Hills Preserve or the Center for Natural Land Management, please contact Brigit Harvey-Ayers, Preserve Manager at bhayers@cnlm.org or 661.206.1284.