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Recording Requested By and \Vhen Recorded l\fail to:

College of the Canyons
Jim Schrage, Director, Facilities Planning and Services
26455 Rockwell Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, California 91365

Deed Restriction -- Conservation Easement

1. Background

The Santa Clarita Community College District (District) is a state government entity
charged ,·vith the authority to acquire, hold, and dispose of real property and to regulate and
administer land use and development on its real property consistent with the purposes for
which community colleges are established and under and in compliance ,vith all applicable
provisions of state law. The District is governed by an elected Board of Trustees. The
District owns 154 acres in the City of Santa Clarita, known as the College of the Canyons.
The District, its Trustees and the College are hereafter collectively referred to as the
"College."

The College proposed construction of a parking lot on the south side of the College,
which was designed to provide approximately 1,870 parking spaces in an area that was
undeveloped rolling hillside occupied by native California oak trees. Initial studies indicated
that the surrounding area contained approximately 114 oak trees, includin~ 26 heritage oak
trees.

Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, the College circulated for
public comment a draft lvlitigated Negative Declaration ("MND") which identified 68 oak
trees for removal. In response to comments received on the draft MND, the College agreed
to modify the project to leave undisturbed 34 oak trees that had been located on haul routes
and in fill areas adjacent to the development site.

As part of the project mitigation, the College also agreed to dedicate an undeveloped
area on the west side of campus as a permanent oak savannah thereby preserving many
additional oaks and oak habitat.

On July 6, 2000, the College approved the l\IND for construction of the South
Parking Lot which would require, among other things, the removal, relocation or destruction

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