Allied Waste Industries, Inc. along with County and City officials, yesterday officially dedicated its grant of 400 acres of land in Elsmere Canyon in the County of Los Angeles to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) for permanent open space and for public park and recreational uses.

The 400 acre parcel of undeveloped land, which is located in Elsmere Canyon near Santa Clarita, CA, contains wildlife corridors, riparian habitats, coastal sage, and oak woodlands.  Combined with recently preserved Whitney Canyon, the property donated by Allied Waste creates contiguous dedicated open space and an important wildlife corridor that will be maintained by the MRCA.

The grant of land was celebrated yesterday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Elsmere Canyon near Santa Clarita, CA.  District General Manager, Greg Loughnane, represented Allied Waste at the ceremony, joining Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, and elected officials from the City of Santa Clarita.

“As long-standing members of the Los Angeles community, we are proud to make this new grant of acreage and contribute to the improvement of our quality of life in Los Angeles County,” said Loughnane.  “We are pleased in this grant to have partnered once again with the MRCA, which has proven itself to be vital to the preservation and management of parkland in our region.”

Loughnane also stated, “The decision to donate this land for the public benefit was easy, but actually donating it was a long process that required a lot of work.  We would like to thank Congressman Buck McKeon, Supervisor Antonovich, Council Member Laurene Weste, Mayor Marsha McLean, and the entire Santa Clarita city council who worked so hard to get us where we are today.”

Allied Waste’s Ecological and Environmental Commitment

In addition to the land grant completed yesterday, Allied Waste has a lengthy record of supporting the Los Angeles community.  Past actions include:

1) The dedication of 426 acres of East Canyon, an area immediately west of Sunshine Canyon, to the MRCA for permanent open space and park and recreation uses.

2) The purchase and transfer of ownership of 490 acres in Upper Bee Canyon, an area just south of Sunshine Canyon, to the County of Los Angeles.  The County will transfer this property to the MRCA, again for permanent open space and park and recreation use.

3) The grant of approximately 80 acres of easements for hiking trails along the perimeter of Sunshine Canyon and in East Canyon, Bee Canyon and Weldon Canyon. This grant also included $50,000 to the County for the acquisition of trail access into East Canyon.

4) The provision or planting of more than 50,000 oak trees: 7,500 oak trees planted on ridges and in open space surrounding Sunshine Canyon; 850 trees earmarked as replacement for future removal of oak trees in Los Angeles County; and 25,000 trees are being used for planned off-site mitigation and as donations to various causes.

5)At Chatsworth Nature Preserve, Allied Waste has developed a comprehensive plan to create more than 40 acres of wetlands, riparian and wildlife habitat, and is working with the Department of Water and Power and the City of Los Angeles to enhance the designated Nature Preserve at that site.

John J. Zillmer, Allied Waste’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “At Allied Waste Industries, we take our role in the community and our responsibility to the environment very seriously, and I believe our record of preservation and conservation speaks for itself.  The open space preserve we are celebrating today is just the latest example of Allied Waste’s commitment to environmental stewardship.”