Property or habitat? Developers sue activists over Verdugo Mountain luxury homes
A coalition of citizen scientists have been sued by the developers of a 300-acre hillside complex for trespassing and setting up cameras that led to the discovery of a protected species on the project site.
- Share via
Standing between untouched Verdugo Mountain habitat and 221 luxury homes is a bumblebee. Crotch’s bumble bee.
Broadly speaking, you could also say it’s No Canyon Hills, the coalition of botanists, artists and citizen scientists, that discovered the protected species in the 300 acres of open space slated to become a gated community.
They’ve subsequently been sued by the developer’s attorneys for trespassing and setting up wildlife cameras, having caused “irreparable harm” to the company.
The irony isn’t lost on Emma Kemp, who since spring of 2023 has organized to prevent the permanent destruction of this mountain. Her group is urging city officials to deny a grading permit that would flatten this centuries-old habitat.
Their discovery of Crotch’s bumble bee, a protected species under the California Endangered Species Act, further delayed the project. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is now requiring developers Whitebird Inc. to resubmit the Incidental Take Permit, a necessary form for developments that might threaten the habitats of protected species.
Whitebird Inc. says it has attempted to keep a conservation-friendly approach to the project — donating 600 acres of its original 900-acre parcel for permanent preservation — but it also sees the range’s fate as sealed. The L.A. City Council approved the project in 2005, giving the Nevada-based company a now fast-approaching 20-year window for completion.
By 2026, the developers’ entitlement will be over. They’ll have to file a new agreement with the city under new environmental considerations that could stall, or even prevent the project from progressing.
While shocked by the lawsuit, No Canyon Hills’ concern remains preserving the few remaining wildlands in the Verdugo Mountains. The coalition also believes the site deserves a second look, calling on an updated Environmental Impact Report that would better address present-day conservation and climate concerns. According to the group, the project would eliminate a critical wildlife corridor under the 210 Freeway, further fragmenting habitat for Southern California’s mountain lions, a species that was not marked in the first EIR.
Broadly speaking, you could also say it’s No Canyon Hills, the coalition of botanists, artists and citizen scientists, that discovered the protected species in the 300 acres of open space slated to become a gated community.
They’ve subsequently been sued by the developer’s attorneys for trespassing and setting up wildlife cameras, having caused “irreparable harm” to the company.
The irony isn’t lost on Emma Kemp, who since spring of 2023 has organized to prevent the permanent destruction of this mountain. Her group is urging city officials to deny a grading permit that would flatten this centuries-old habitat.
Their discovery of Crotch’s bumble bee, a protected species under the California Endangered Species Act, further delayed the project. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is now requiring developers Whitebird Inc. to resubmit the Incidental Take Permit, a necessary form for developments that might threaten the habitats of protected species.
Whitebird Inc. says it has attempted to keep a conservation-friendly approach to the project — donating 600 acres of its original 900-acre parcel for permanent preservation — but it also sees the range’s fate as sealed. The L.A. City Council approved the project in 2005, giving the Nevada-based company a now fast-approaching 20-year window for completion.
By 2026, the developers’ entitlement will be over. They’ll have to file a new agreement with the city under new environmental considerations that could stall, or even prevent the project from progressing.
While shocked by the lawsuit, No Canyon Hills’ concern remains preserving the few remaining wildlands in the Verdugo Mountains. The coalition also believes the site deserves a second look, calling on an updated Environmental Impact Report that would better address present-day conservation and climate concerns. According to the group, the project would eliminate a critical wildlife corridor under the 210 Freeway, further fragmenting habitat for Southern California’s mountain lions, a species that was not marked in the first EIR.
