SC River full of surprises as another extinct flower found on Newhall Ranch

October 09, 2002
Santa Paula News

The Santa Clara River continues to be full of surprises: now, a flower thought to be extinct for almost 70 years has been found along its riverbanks, on the proposed site of the Newhall Land & Farming Company’s proposed massive housing development known as Newhall Ranch.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThe Santa Clara River continues to be full of surprises: now, a flower thought to be extinct for almost 70 years has been found along its riverbanks, on the proposed site of the Newhall Land & Farming Company’s proposed massive housing development known as Newhall Ranch.A biologist from the company conducting plant surveys found the Los Angeles sunflower, thought to be extinct since 1937. The flower, up to 12-feet tall, was discovered on a boggy bank along the river. The flower produces large yellow blossoms much like the standard sunflower, prefers marshy habitats and was once found in San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles counties.Urbanization and the channelization of many Southern California waterways forced the flower into apparent extinction and it has not been seen until the biologist stumbled upon fewer than a dozen of the flowers early in September in an area of riparian habitat.The Los Angeles sunflower is the third plant previously thought extinct to turn up on the Newhall Ranch site or in the immediate area, joining the San Fernando spineflower and the Ventura marsh milkvetch on the list of born again flowers.Newhall Land & Farming Co. wrote to the state Department of Fish & Game, requesting that the flower be added to the state list of endangered and threatened plants. Plants and animals thought to be extinct have no protection under state laws, but rather undergo an approximate yearlong study for inclusion.On Sept. 20th, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed a misdemeanor complaint against Newhall Ranch & Farming alleging destruction of a streambed.
The complaint alleges that the company changed the banks, bed and channel of an unnamed tributary of the Santa Clara River south of Highway 126 and west of Interstate 5.The streambed site is not far from the bank where the Los Angeles sunflowers were discovered.The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has also been investigating whether or not Newhall Ranch & Farming Co. disturbed the habitat of the San Fernando spineflower.Newhall Ranch is a proposed development of almost 22,000 homes; the housing project is now undergoing environmental review and will be considered by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors in January.Ventura County and environmental groups have filed a lawsuit over the proposed Newhall Ranch, supported by the City of Santa Paula.



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