Groups Discuss Plans for Santa Susana Park

To make the Santa Susana Mountains State Park more attractive to visitors, three area groups met this week to discuss a range of issues, from the need for signs and clearly marked trails to organized hikes and nature tours.

Members of the boards of directors of the Santa Susana Mountain Park Assn., the Foundation for the Preservation of the Santa Susana Mountains and the Chatsworth Historical Society met to sort out some areas of concern.

Dan Preece, the Calabasas-based superintendent of the Angeles District of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, praised park association members on lobbying efforts that led to the January designation of the Santa Susana Mountains as the state’s newest historical park.

“[The association] has accomplished a great deal at a time when state funding for parks have been very lean,” he said.

In celebration of the designation by the state Park and Recreation Commission, the three organizations plan a May dedication ceremony at Chatsworth Park, located at the base of the Santa Susanas.

For details, contact Susan Gerke, association treasurer, at (818) 704-9304.