Natural Communities Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP) Homepage

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes contains one of California’s 21 Natural Communities Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP) areas in California.  NCCP plans provide for regional protection of sensitive species and their habitats, while streamlining appropriate economic activity.  The City’s NCCP/HCP establishes the 1,400-acre Palos Verdes Nature Preserve for species and habitat protection in perpetuity, while streamlining several City public and private infrastructure and development projects.  Click here for FAQs on the Palos Verdes NCCP/HCP.

While the primary purpose of the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve is sensitive species and habitat protection, it is also an area for the public to enjoy passive recreational use, governed by the regulations in the Preserve Public Use Master Plan, and the City’s Municipal Code.  

The City partners with the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC) to manage the Preserve.   The PVPLC serves as the Preserve Habitat Manager under the NCCP/HCP.  Click here to learn more about the NCCP/HCP history.  

For more information on the NCCP/HCP, please contact Katie Lozano, Senior Administrative Analyst at (310) 544-5267 or via email at katiel@rpvca.gov. For further information on PVPLC conservation efforts, please contact PVPLC at 310-541-7613 or via email at info@pvplc.org

If you would like to be placed on an "interested parties" list to receive public notices and electronic updates related to the City's Palos Verdes Nature Preserve via email, please click here to subscribe to the Preserve listserv group.

NCCP/HCP Planning Documents

City-PVPLC Management Agreement

Public Use Master Plan (PUMP)

Palos Verdes Nature Preserve Annual Reports

2018 Final Draft Natural Communities Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP) Documents 30-Day Public Review Period

Info on the NCCP/HCP 30-Day Re-Circulation for Public Comment

2018 Final Draft NCCP/HCP documents (click here)

Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP) Workshop/City Council Meeting

The City Council will be discussing and reviewing the draft Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP) at a public meeting on Monday, October 2 at 6pm. The meeting, which is devoted solely to this topic, will be held at Hesse Park, located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard in Rancho Palos Verdes. For more information please email the Parks department or call 310-544-5260.

Natural Vegetation and Sensitive Species for NCCP/HCP

2016

  1. 2/2
  2. 3 15

February 2, 2016 City Council Meeting - 2014 PVPLC Annual Report

According to the current Management Agreement between the City and the PVPLC and the Draft NCCP and Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), the PVPLC is required to submit an annual report to the City Council on its management activities in the Preserve. Thus, the Council will be asked to receive and file the 2014 PVPLC Annual Report at its upcoming February 2, 2016 meeting.

View the 2014 PVPLC Annual Report (PDF) 

View the February 2, 2016 City Council Staff Report on the 2014 PVPLC Annual Report (PDF)

2015

  1. 12/21

Wednesday, December 21, 2015 Public Forum Meeting

Pursuant to City Council direction, the next quarterly public forum meeting will be held at the Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall Community Room located at 30940 Hawthorne Boulevard, on Wednesday, December 21st at 6:00 p.m.

2014
  1. 12/16
  2. 10/1
  3. 5/28
  4. 4/15
  5. 4/1

December 16, 2014 City Council Meeting - Renaming the Burma Road Trail to Hadley Trail

On December 16, 2016, the City Council, as a consent calendar item, will rename the "Burma Road Trail" to "Hadley Trail" to recognize a charitable gift towards the management of the City's Preserve. The PVPLC's request is pursuant to the conditions of Section 2.5 of the Management Agreement between the City and the PVPLC allowing, among other things, trails to be named after individuals who make monetary contributions to the City or the PVPLC for the acquisition or management of the Preserve.

2013

  1. 12/10
  2. 12/3
  3. 4/2
  4. 3/19
  5. 2/11

Portuguese Bend Reserve - SCE Utility Power Pole Replacement Project and Helicopter Flight Activity

On December 10, 2013, between 8 AM and 5 p.m., Southern California Edison (SCE) will be replacing 4 utility power poles partly in the lower Portuguese Bend Reserve (near Klondike Canyon) of the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve and partly in the Sea View neighborhood (off Admirable Drive).

Due to the limited access to the utility pole locations, a helicopter will be used to remove the existing poles and install new poles.The equipment and helicopter staging area will be located at the upper portion of Gateway Park outside of the Preserve.This activity will require certain trails through the Gateway Park area to be intermittently closed throughout the day.

Traffic on Palos Verdes Drive South will be intermittently stopped while the helicopter operates close to the street.There may be some minor traffic delays between Schooner Drive and Gateway Park during the hours noted above.

If you have any questions, please contact Southern California Edison Aircraft Operations at (909) 974-4676 or the City's Public Works Department at 310-544-5252.

2012

  1. 10/2
  2. 5/15

October 2, 2012 City Council Meeting

The City Council will conduct a public meeting on Tuesday, October 2, 2012, at 7 p.m. at Hesse Park Community Building, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho Palos Verdes, to consider, among other things, the following matters related to the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve that were originally discussed at the May 15, 2012 City Council meeting:

The October 2, 2012 City Council Staff Report will be posted on the City's website in the coming weeks. Information presented to the City Council at the May 15, 2012 meeting can be found below on this page.

2011

  1. 11/1
  2. 10/18
  3. 4/30

Updated Management Agreement

On November 1, 2011, pursuant to the City's Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP), the City Council is being asked to authorize the Mayor to execute an updated Management Agreement between the City and the PVPLC which clarifies the current on-going management responsibilities of each party.

2010 & Earlier
  1. 9/8/2010
  2. 4/7/2009
  3. 6/3/2008
  4. 2/23/2008
  5. 12/20/2005
  6. 8/31/2004

Palos Verdes Nature Preserve Trails Plan Update

In September 2010, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC), with the assistance of the National Park Service, conducted two public workshops to develop a trails plan for the 191-acre Upper Filiorum property that was added to the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve on December 31, 2009. At these public workshops, participants provided the City and the PVPLC with suggestions on trail routes and uses to be considered for the Upper Filiorum Trails Plan. Based on the public workshop comments, the City and the PVPLC are in the process of preparing a Trails Plan for the Filiorum property for consideration and approval by the City Council at a future meeting. Additionally, the City and the PVPLC are also in the process of preparing formal responses to the public comments. Both the Trails Plan for Upper Filiorum and the Responses to Comments will be made available to the public by mid-March 2011. In addition, it is Staff's intent to provide the City Council with a status update on the overall Preserve, including trail usage, at a future City Council meeting. Furthermore, the City and the PVPLC will conduct a public workshop in April 2011 to obtain public input on the Preserve. The public workshop, referred to as the "State of the Preserve," will provide the public with an opportunity to give feedback on the condition of the Preserve, in particular trail usage. The feedback received at this workshop will be provided to the City Council for its consideration when reviewing the overall condition of the Preserve.

The dates, times, and locations of the upcoming "State of the Preserve" public workshop and future City Council meetings will be announced to the public via mailed notices, list-serve messages, and advertisements in the Peninsula News. Join the listserve (see link below) to receive electronic notices on the Preserve or other City matters.

Upper Filiorum - Public Workshops On Potential Trail Routes and Uses

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, with support from the State Coastal Conservancy and contributions from over 700 supporters in the community, added the 191-acre Upper Filiorum property to the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve on December 31, 2009. The acquisition resulted in over 900 contiguous acres of protected open space and a wildlife corridor linking the Three Sisters and the Portuguese Bend Reserves.

The City Council adopted Preserve Trails Plan will need to be amended to include the Upper Filiorum trail routes and uses, and your input on the trail planning is requested. On Wednesday, September 8, 2010 a workshop will be held at Fred Hesse Community Room located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of this workshop is to receive public input on potential trail routes and uses at the newly acquired Upper Filiorum Reserve.

Based on the public's input at the September 8th workshop, a proposed Trails Plan for Upper Filiorum will be presented at a workshop on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at Fred Hesse Community Room located at 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of this workshop is to receive public comments on the proposed Trails Plan for Upper Filiorum.

The Draft Trails Plan for Upper Filiorum will be presented to the City Council for review and approval at a future meeting.

To post comments, please visit the Trails Workshop blog page.

Please note that a separate public workshop will be conducted to receive comments on trail routes and uses for the remaining Reserves. A notice will be released with specific information relating to the workshop in the near future.

Inquiries should be directed to Lily Verdone with the PVPLC via email or at 310-541-7613 or to Ara Mihranian with the City of Rancho Palos Verdes via email or at 310-544-5228.

Preserve Trails Plan

The Council adopted Preserve Trails Plan for the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve is now available on the City's Recreation and Parks homepage.