Experts celebrate ambitious project that will transform former industrial site into nature preserve

An abandoned industrial site covering over 100 acres in California is soon going to become a nature preserve, KCLU reported.

The Crooked Palm property is located just off Highway 33 in West Ventura. It includes part of the Ventura River trail as well as the Ventura River.

"We are standing at 4777 Crooked Palm Road, which is Ventura Land Trust's newest acquisition," Ventura Land Trust Executive Director Melissa Baffa said. "We are here, in the industrial portion of the land that was once an agricultural fertilizer plant, and then was a petroleum refinery, and now is ours."

The purchase, which was 10-plus years in the making, was a joint effort among the land trust, the Trust for Public Land, and the California Natural Resources Agency. 

"It's 101.5 acres in total," Baffa said. "The purchase price from an industrial flipper was $7 million. Four million dollars was paid with a grant through Proposition 68 funding that got administered through the California Natural Resources Agency. Then, $3 million was contributed by an anonymous conservation partner."

The land holds six buildings, some of them warehouse-size. Those will need to be assessed for pollutants including asbestos and lead. 

After that, the 50 acres of watershed and other surrounding features will be restored to their natural, healthy state.

"We're going to consult with the community and see what their hopes and dreams are for the property," Baffa said, per KCLU. "The long-term vision is that this gets restored to a beautiful riparian habitat with trails people can enjoy."

Restoring land, removing invasive species and pollutants, and planting native species provides vital footholds for struggling wildlife in the environment. This includes pollinators, which humans rely on for both agriculture and to produce flourishing natural spaces, as well as the unique species that give character to local ecosystems.

Similar restoration projects are taking place across the United States, including in San Diego County and grasslands in 15 states.

"It's going to be about a decade before this plan comes to fruition," Baffa said. "The thing I keep saying is that it's going to be an amazing Cinderella story. We're starting with something really ugly and battered, and it's going to be so beautiful."

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