Study Says Golf Course Would Impact 39 Oaks, Plant, Animal Species

THOUSAND OAKS — A plan to build an 18-hole golf course and recreational center in Hill Canyon requires the removal of 39 oak trees and could significantly affect several fragile plant and animal species, according to an environmental analysis of the proposal released this week.

However, most of the adverse impacts from the Hill Canyon Regional Recreational Facility could be minimized, the report states. For instance, as called for in the city’s oak tree protection ordinance, three trees would be planted for each live tree removed.

The golf course, driving range, multiuse trail system, nature center and wetlands preserve would lie in a 284-acre area bounded by Santa Rosa Road to the north, Rancho Conejo Boulevard to the south, Wildwood Park to the east and open space to the west. A shuttle path would connect the clubhouse, which would be at the top of a hill off Rancho Conejo Boulevard, with the course at the canyon floor.

The project, expected to cost about $20 million, would be developed by the Hill Canyon Recreational Resources Authority, a joint powers agency established by Thousand Oaks and the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

If the agency obtains the various permits and approvals needed to proceed with development within the next year, the course is expected be completed in 1999.

Mayor Judy Lazar had only skimmed though the environmental report late Tuesday, but said the plan appeared “very clean,” considering the sensitivity of the Hill Canyon area, which is almost completely pristine save for the presence of Thousand Oaks’ Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant.

She noted that Michael Hurdzan, the architect chosen to design the course, has a reputation for designing courses that blend with the environment.

Hurdzan has designed more than 260 courses in the past 25 years, including such award-winning courses as the Devil’s Pulpit Golf Club in Canada and the Ironhorse Golf Club in Kansas.

Councilwoman Linda Parks had a less optimistic reading of the report. She said losing 39 coastal live oak trees concerned her, as did the development’s potential to affect state and federally listed plant species such as the lyon’s pentachaeta.

“To get my vote, I’d like to see less trees removed, even if it takes a redesign of the course,” Parks said. “Thirty-nine oak trees is way too many.”

Parks also said having the clubhouse atop a hill with a shuttle to the course seemed unnecessary. She argued it would make more sense to put the clubhouse and course entrance on Santa Rosa Road.

“There are definitely more environmental ways to build a golf course, but none that some people find politically feasible,” Parks said.

Among the golf course’s other impacts:

* The course would require cutting slopes by more than 25% and grading slopes to exceed 25 feet in height, both of which exceed city standards and cannot be avoided under the plan.

* The irrigation and application of pesticides on golf course areas could adversely affect Conejo Creek and its aquatic life, including fish such as the arroyo chub. Course designers plan to lessen these impacts by such measures as incorporating biofiltration basins in their plans to prevent pollution of nearby waterways.

* The development in general could affect the area’s birds and pond turtles. To lessen the impact, golf course planners would employ a biologist to conduct a survey of the areas near Conejo Creek where native habitat is removed by construction. Adult turtles that wander into construction areas would be relocated, and any nests within work areas would be moved to incubation facilities.

* The golf course would result in the filling and alteration of three of the 28 acres of wetlands on the site. Part of the project, however, would also involve artificially creating an unspecified amount of seasonal wetlands in the northeastern portion of the site, ensuring no net loss of such habitats.