Join us in preserving the legacy of Laurel Spring, a 2.4-acre sanctuary nestled at the crossroads of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Lookout Mountain Avenue. This is an open space acquisition partnership between Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife (CLAW) and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) and the future home of Laurel Spring Park.

Want to help CLAW get the word out and raise funds? Download 5 Reasons to Support Laurel Spring here.

Why work with us? We bought a mountain!

In 2017, Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife (CLAW) and longtime neighborhood organization, Laurel Canyon Association, successfully completed the purchase of the “Let’s Buy A Mountain” 17-acre mountain ridge for open space and wildlife habitat, nestled in historic Laurel Canyon, in the heart of Los Angeles. The 17 acres are located between Lookout Mountain Avenue and Stanley Hills Drive and were purchased as the result of a non-profit donation campaign and turned over to the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority (MRCA) for land management and permanent preservation.

CLAW’s wildlife camera has repeatedly photographed an un-collared mountain lion on the “Let’s Buy A Mountain” property. The camera remains in place and provides a firsthand look at the myriad of wildlife roaming the now-protected land, all of whom continue to use the watershed as a wildlife corridor. View our nature cam here.

Now let’s buy its spring.

There was a time when mountain-filtered artesian water flowed out of Laurel Canyon. That water was so pure that an enterprising person actually bottled it in the 1920s and sold it as a health aid to thirsty Angelenos.

Believe it or not, that water continues to flow today emerging on one of the last, large and virtually wild parcels of land at the corner of Lookout Mountain and Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

This pristine property is a lifeline for our local wildlife and a crucial habitat linkage hub. Your support ensures the preservation of woodland teeming with Southern California black walnut and oak and a perennial stream that is a permanent water source for local wildlife. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recognizes the property as critical to the local ecology. The threatened local mountain lion population relies on sanctuaries such as this one, and its significance reaches beyond our community, contributing to a functional habitat linkage from Laurel Canyon Boulevard to Griffith Park.

Throughout the eastern Santa Monica Mountains, there are a number of high-traffic roads along densely developed areas, such as Laurel Canyon. These conditions make it difficult for wildlife to traverse through the mountains. Laurel Spring holds significance as one of the few areas in this region with suitable habitat on both sides of a high-usage road, providing safer opportunities for wildlife to cross Laurel Canyon.

Map of the property at 2401 Laurel Canyon Boulevard and surrounding wildlife corridors. See key to map below.

In addition to its ecological importance, this land has a rich history

Once the terminus of a trackless trolley from Hollywood, it featured a rustic log cabin compound that was briefly home to rock performer Frank Zappa. While the structures were lost to fire decades ago, the property went on to host a Christmas tree lot and remains a stop on a MTA bus line.

Today, it symbolizes nature's resilience.

Help us secure this precious piece of land for the community and wildlife and ensure the lasting beauty of Laurel Spring, where our neighborhood's past, present, and future converge.

How will this unique land be used?

Through its voter-approved Community Facilities District, the MRCA has an established funding source to maintain and enhance the property and will make decisions about access to the land subject to public input. Human use, by definition, will be limited and regulated by the MRCA, just as they do with the other thousands of acres of open space they manage such as nearby Franklin Canyon Park.

The MRCA will responsibly manage public use, ensuring limited access and adhering to standard park rules, including restrictions on camping, smoking, and fires. MRCA rangers will actively enforce these rules, and MRCA will conduct annual brush clearance as mandated by the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

The bottom line is that this wild property will be removed from the threat of development. It will remain an open space, a critical wildlife habitat, and a unique local park for the community. For more information, see the Q&A below.

How Can You Help Preserve Laurel Spring?

Join CLAW and MRCA in our mission to raise $1,000,000 by April 20, 2024.

Your contribution will go directly to purchasing and permanently protecting this perennial stream, a vital connective wildlife habitat, and creating a local community park. No matter the size, every donation brings us closer to our goal.

Suggested Giving Levels for Let's Buy Laurel Spring

🌱 Seedling Sustainer ($1000+): Plant the seeds of change and receive special project updates and recognition on our website.

💧 Sacred Waterkeeper ($5000+): Help preserve a life-sustaining water source for wildlife and receive a historic poster of the 1920s Laurel Spring Bottled Water ad. 

🌲 Canopy Contributor ($10,000+): Help grow our canopy of support and receive named recognition on a commemorative plaque at Laurel Spring.

🌳 Habitat Steward ($25,000+): Preserve the canyon as a Habitat Steward and enjoy a private property tour with our experts.

🦉 Wildlife Guardian ($50,000+): Champion the cause as a Wildlife Guardian and receive customized recognition opportunities, such as naming specific features within Laurel Spring.

No matter the size, every donation brings us closer to our goal. All contributions are welcome.
All contributors at the $1,000+ level will be invited to a VIP donor celebration event in the early summer. 

Checks may be made payable to:
Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife
P.O. Box 50003
Studio City, CA 91614

Please put "Let’s Buy Laurel Spring" in the memo line.

Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife, Inc. is a public benefit non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation.
All donations are tax-deductible.

Questions & Answers

Who is doing this?

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), in coordination with Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife (CLAW), has negotiated an option agreement to purchase 2.4 acres of open space abutting Lookout Mountain Avenue and Laurel Canyon Boulevard. CLAW will lead the fundraising, and MRCA will take title to the property.

Why is the MRCA involved?

The MRCA is a local agency that works with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (a State agency) and other agencies to acquire and manage open space. They are expert at this, and they take on the costs associated with land management. This frees local organizations from long-term liabilities such as brush clearance, insurance, and taxes.

Why this land?

It's not often that ecologically critical and historic open space parcels become available with a willing seller and buyer. The 2.4-acre Laurel Spring property at the northwest corner of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Lookout Mountain Avenue harbors these publicly significant attributes and much more. The landowner is willing to pause the entitlement process on the house to allow the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) to join CLAW in seeking funding to buy the property in its entirety. The property features a robust year-round spring and stream and acres of native oak/walnut woodland. Multiple wildlife corridors feed into the property, uniquely aligning with habitat connections on the east or opposite side of Laurel Canyon Boulevard. The long-term ecological health of the eastern Santa Monica Mountains pivots on this property's ultimate permanent land use. The property has a storied past, beginning in the 1920s through the colorful 1960s and beyond until all of the log cabin structures burned down in the 1980s.

The ONLY way to permanently stop the development of this Laurel Spring property is to buy it.

What is the land worth?

$1 million is a bargain for 2.4 acres with excellent access and ample flat land. The owners have come to believe in our mission to create wildlife habitat and have offered it to us at this price.

What are the terms of the deal?

The MRCA has negotiated an agreement to pay the owners $1 million by April 20, 2024. Time is very tight. MRCA will grant CLAW a conservation easement after the close of escrow. MRCA will manage the property.

How will the land be used?

Through its voter-approved Community Facilities District, the MRCA has an established funding source to maintain and enhance the property and will make decisions about access to the land subject to public input. Human use, by definition, will be limited and regulated by the MRCA, just as they do with the other thousands of acres of open space they manage. The MRCA shall post its standard park rules sign that limits park access to only between sunrise and sunset.  No camping will be tolerated, and MRCA rangers will cite offenders.  Smoking and fires are absolutely prohibited. The MRCA shall conduct the annual brush clearance as required by the Los Angeles City Fire Department. The bottom line is that this unique wild property will be removed from the threat of development. It will remain an open space, wildlife habitat, and a local park for the community.

Will MRCA or CLAW be erecting a building on the property? 

No.

Will my donation go directly to preserving the property?

Yes. All funds raised for this project will be directed to the Laurel Spring property escrow. In the event that the property purchase does not go through, CLAW will hold and direct the funds to another land conservation opportunity in Los Angeles.