By Town Crier Staff Report

More Los Altos Hills land could fall under the protection of a proposed open space initiative that residents are currently crafting to assure the long-term preservation of town-owned properties. Members of the grassroots group Los Altos Hills Open Space last week added a 13.9 acre area off of Moody Road to the list of lands that would require the city to seek resident approval before selling. The final draft of the Los Altos Hills Open Space Initiative is in thehands of the Town Planner and Town Attorney for review.

The addition of Murietta Ridge means the Los Altos Hills Open Space Initiative will protect just over 157 acres of town-owned property. Other lands protected under the initiative include Byrne Preserve, Juan Prado Mesa Preserve, the O’Keefe Property, Rhus Ridge, Little League Fields, Westwind Community Barn and its facilities, and Edith Park.

The Murietta Ridge property was formerly part of the Adobe Creek Lodge land that the city obtained in the late 1970s. Open space members say the steep terrain combined with heavy vegetation make the area inhospitable to humans, but it is a valuable wildlife habitat area. The parcel provides a wildlife corridor which joins Hidden Villa, Rhus Ridge, and Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space. Group members hope to have the redesignate the area from “private recreation” to “open space preserve.”

Conservationist Huey D. Johnson, founder of the Trust for Public Lands, now America’s fifth largest environmental organization, has joined the campaign to save open space in Los Altos Hills.

Johnson has helped to protect millions of acres of land worldwide. He received the $200,000 United Nations Sasakawa Environmental Prize - considered the world’s most prestigious environmental award - last November for his work.

The Los Altos Hills City Council’s inquiry about the potential sale of two public lands, Westwind Barn and Byrne Preserve, sparked concern about preserving open space earlier this year.