Victory Trailhead Dedication

On July 2, 2005, the Victory Trailhead was dedicated on the eastern border of Ahmanson Ranch, formally known as the Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve. This opened the 2,783-acre land to the western San Fernando Valley at the end of Victory Boulevard. The event was attended by a large number of people still wide-eyed in wonder at the opening of the parkland which in unmatched in Southern California.

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Chumash leader Mati Waiya of the Wishtoyo Foundation opened the ceremony with a Native American blessing.

 

The blessing included blowing a conch.

Joseph T. Edmiston, Executive Director Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, opens the program. SMMC maintains and operates the parkland. Ahmanson Ranch is open to visitors year round.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was a key figure in the fight over Ahmanson Ranch. He joked about the name of the new park entrance being most appropriate: Victory Trailhead.

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks was elected to office in 2002 running on a strong anti-Ahmanson Ranch development platform.

Former Assemblymember Fran Pavley was a major player in the push for the parkland.

Nearly 200 people attended the dedication, many with protest signs denouncing plans to build a right of way across part of the property.