Barbara A. Fine Overlook

Barbara A. Fine Overlook. Mulholland Scenic Parkway. , Barbara A. Fine dedicated much of her life to protecting open space in the Santa Monica Mountains from development. Barbara understood early on the unique appeal of the Santa Monica Mountains, the only mountain range to traverse a major metropolitan area in the nation. In more than 30 years of effort, Barbara's extraordinary perseverance and vision contributed to the preservation of hundreds of acres of open space in the eastern portion of the mountain range, even as the region saw explosive growth. , In the 1980s, Barbara led the fight to stop houses being built in the upper fork of Fryman Canyon, just below you to the right. She was also instrumental in creating a citywide Hillside Ordinance, which limits the number of homes that can be built on hillsides in mountain ranges throughout Los Angeles. Those other ranges include the San Gabriel and Verdugo Mountains before you. She was also a crucial force behind the creation of the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan, which shapes development along a 22-mile-long stretch of the Scenic Parkway. , Later, Barbara applied her vision of balancing growth with nature and quality of life to other parts of the city. She fought to ensure that essential resources and services were delivered to residents in a way consistent with the principles of what came to be known as sustainable development. , Los Angeles is the only metrpolitan area in the world that is bisected by a mountain range. The wildlife of the Western Santa Monica Mountains exist in a fragmented system of natural canyons that are tenuously connected by habitat linkages or wildlife corridors. , The term "Urban Wild” collectively describes this unique interwoven system of natural lands located east of the San Diego (405) Freeway including Griffith Park. , It is critical for the animals of the Urban Wild to be able to move freely between the few remaining natural canyons. Without the opportunity to find mates, replenish gene pools, seek new food sources, recolonize areas, and escape from fires, larger species such as the grey fox, bobcat, and mule deer would soon be lost from the Urban Wild.