Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) is the park management agency for most of the parks in the Conejo Valley, California. Established in 1962, CRPD later established Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA) in 1977 through a joint effort with the City of Thousand Oaks. [1] COSCA administers over 15,000 acres of open space and 140 miles of trails, while CRPD administers over 50 community parks. In 2019, CRPD's annual operating budget was $20 million, of which about 70% comes from property taxes. [2]
It was previously headquartered in the historic 1910 Crowley House, which is City of Thousand Oaks Historical Landmark No. 7. [3] However, CRPD is now housed near Hillcrest Center for the Arts.
Conejo Recreation and Park District was established in January 1963 by a vote of Conejo Valley residents. Its first park board consisted of Luther C. Schwich, Roy Dehm, Marvin W, Burow, Donald M. Roberts, and Joan McGillis. One of the agency's first accomplishments was the construction of the valley’s first public swimming pool at Thousand Oaks High School in 1964. The agency received its largest land donation in December 1966, when Potrero Homes donated 1,250 acres of canyon- and mesa lands near California Lutheran University, now known as Wildwood Regional Park. The agency branches out throughout the late 1960s, sponsoring overnight camps, ball games, nature walks, and other activities. The agency made efforts since 1970 aimed at acquiring funds for a swimming pool at Newbury Park High School, which was constructed at the school in 1972. The district purchased the 30-acre Borchard Community Park in Newbury Park in February 1969. The Thousand Oaks Community Center was built in 1971, and the district acquired large parts of Lang Ranch in 1972. Among the last prime pieces of parkland was acquired in the mid 1980s, which included the 240-acre Wildwood Mesa. [4] [5]
The Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA), a joint city-park district, was established in 1977 as a joint effort between City of Thousand Oaks and the agency. [6]
50 parks are operated in Conejo Valley: [7]
Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the city of Los Angeles and 40 miles (64 km) from Downtown. It is named after the many oak trees present in the area.
The Conejo Valley is a region spanning both southeastern Ventura County and northwestern Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States. It is located in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Newbury Park is a populated place and town in Ventura County, California, United States. Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks city limits, while unincorporated areas include Casa Conejo and Ventu Park.The town is located in Southern California around 8 miles from the Pacific Ocean and has a mild year-round climate, scenic mountains, and environmental preservation. About 28,000 residents of Thousand Oaks reside in Newbury Park.
Wildwood Regional Park is a suburban regional park in the western Simi Hills and Conejo Valley, in Ventura County, California. It is located in western Thousand Oaks, northern Newbury Park, and southern Moorpark.
Arroyo Conejo is the longest creek in the Conejo Valley, sprawling over the cities of Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, and the communities of Newbury Park, Casa Conejo and Santa Rosa Valley. Arroyo Conejo is the primary drainage for the City of Thousand Oaks. Its watershed covers 57 square miles (150 km2) of which 43 square miles (110 km2) are in the Conejo Valley and 14 square miles (36 km2) in the Santa Rosa Valley.
Rancho Conejo Playfields is a 13 acres (5.3 ha) multi-use community park in Newbury Park, California, adjacent to Conejo Canyons Open Space and the Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve which includes 302 acres (122 ha) of public open-space land and numerous trails in the western Simi Hills.
Walnut Grove Park is a 6.5 acre community park in Newbury Park, California, United States, situated immediately south of the U.S. 101 Ventura Freeway on Newbury Road. Named for its many walnut trees, the park land was acquired in 1981 and ultimately developed into a community park in 1994. It contains a playground, an outdoor handball court, three BBQ grills, basketball courts, numerous picnic tables, trails, and open-space. It is operated by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD), and it is adjacent to the Walnut Grove Equestrian Center and its 14 acres of trails, horse arenas, stalls, picnic tables, and various trails for hikers and equestrians. The park is relatively close to the Arroyo Conejo Open Space and its many trails leading for instance to Wildwood Regional Park, which is accessible from its closest trailhead between 507 Kalinda Pl. and 504 Paseo Grande on West Hillcrest Drive. Walnut Grove Park is located along a smaller offspring from the Arroyo Conejo, and is one of only three off-leash dog parks in the Conejo Valley.
Newbury Gateway Park is a seven-acre neighborhood park, located across the street from Newbury Park Library in western Newbury Park, California. The most notable attraction here includes the endemic plant and tree species, including an oak grove with over a hundred planted native oak trees. It contains picnic areas, a playground, turf area, and seating benches. First acquired in 1984, the open space area added four additional acres of land and was developed into a neighborhood park by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD) in cooperation with Thousand Oaks in 1999. Newbury Gateway Park was closed for nearly a year in the 2012-2013 period as a result of a major drainage problems.
Hill Canyon is a deep canyon in the western Simi Hills and within northern Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks, in Ventura County, southern California.
The Conejo Canyons Open Space consists of 1,628 acres (659 ha) of open-space areas in northernmost Newbury Park, Ventura County, California. It consists of deeply eroded canyons, numerous ridgelines and plateaus in the northwestern portion of the Conejo Valley. The area consists of diverse natural features such as deep canyons with perennial streams, prominent ridgelines, volcanic mountains, and a variety of natural habitats. While some of the flora includes chaparral, riparian habitats, oak woodlands and coastal sage, fauna includes mountain lions, coyotes, mule deer, and bobcats.
Knoll Open Space, also known as Knoll Park, is a 21 acres (8.5 ha) open-space area in western Newbury Park, California, United States, adjacent to Pepper Tree Playfield. The Knoll Open Space is owned and operated by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA), and the flora here includes coastal sage scrub and grass. The 1.9 miles (3.1 km) Knoll Trail goes from its trailhead at North Reino Road and leads to the top of Rabbit Hill. The hill offers panoramic views of the Conejo Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, Conejo Mountain, and Boney Mountain.
Borchard Community Park is a public park located in western Newbury Park, CA. Situated adjacent to both the Newbury Park High School and the Borchard Maintenance Shop, the park is situated at the corner of Reino Road and Borchard Road at the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. The park encompasses 29 acres, which is home to various courts for recreational sports, fitness area, community rooms, a farm themed playground, picnic areas, several fields, and a skate park. The park was established by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD) in 1969. It has two volleyball courts, four tennis courts, two stages, three softball fields, a basketball court, barbecue grills, two bocci courts, a gymnasium, horseshoe pits, a kitchen, a soccer field, two playgrounds, and more.
Cypress Park is a five-acre neighborhood park in southwestern Newbury Park, California. Acquired in 1969, the land was developed into a community park in 1973 with a baseball field, a playground, picnic tables, and bleachers. It is owned and operated by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD). Situated immediately south of Cypress Elementary School, the park is also home to several ponds and smaller creeks. It is used for bird-observations, recreational activities, picnicking, and camping.
Dos Vientos Community Park in southwestern Newbury Park, CA is the largest of Conejo Recreation & Park District’s public parks in the Conejo Valley. It is adjacent to the Dos Vientos Community Center, which offers a preschool, sports, and other activities. The park contains sand volleyball courts, baseball-, basketball- and tennis courts, soccer fields, playground areas, and picnic tables and barbecue grills. It is adjacent to the Dos Vientos Open Space through the Park View Trail, which is a 1,216 acre natural open-space, bordering an additional 16,000 acres of open space stretching over the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to the Pacific Ocean. The Park View Trail ends at Via Ricardo, directly across the road from the Powerline Trail and Dos Vientos Open Space.
Pepper Tree Playfield is a 21.7-acre community park located in western Newbury Park, California. It is located at the corner of Reino and Old Conejo Roads, and was acquired by the Conejo Recreation & Park District (CRPD) in 1977, but not developed nor opened until 1983. It contains a 0.83-mile fitness trail loop, and is nearby numerous trailheads. The park is within walking distance from the Conejo Vista Trailhead in Old Conejo Open Space, located immediately north of Pepper Tree Playfield, and the park is directly across the street from the Knoll Trailhead in Knoll Open Space, which is to the park’s immediate east, crossing North Reino Road. It is also an access point for trails leading to the Conejo Mountain. Pepper Tree Playfield is named for its many pepper trees, which surrounds the park area.
Arroyo Conejo Open Space is a 302-acre (122 ha) open space reserve in the western Simi Hills in northern Newbury Park, Ventura County, California. Most of it is part of the 250-acre (100 ha) Arroyo Conejo Nature Preserve.
Dos Vientos Open Space is a 1,216 acres (492 ha) open space area in western Newbury Park, California. It contains more than 41 miles (66 km) of trails used for cycling, hiking and equestrians. Originally a part of the Rancho Guadalasca Spanish Land Grant of 1836, the area is now an important wildlife movement corridor into the Santa Monica Mountains through the Point Mugu State Park. It provides a habitat for a variety of wildlife, including bobcats, mule deer, coyotes, eagles, hawks, barn owls, mountain lions, and more. It provides regional and internal trail connections, many trails offering panoramic views of the Conejo Valley, Oxnard Plain, Topatopa Mountains, Channel Islands, and the Pacific Ocean. Some of the endangered plant species found here include Conejo buckwheat, Verity's liveforever, and Conejo dudleya. The landscape is undeveloped, and dominated by coastal sage scrub, grassy hillsides, oak woodlands, and chaparral habitats.
Reba Marie Hays Jeffries was one of the founders of Newbury Park Chamber of Commerce and later its first female president. She was a prominent supporter of Newbury Park cityhood and opposed the annexation by neighboring Thousand Oaks. She was also an outspoken supporter of preserving Stagecoach Inn and the Newbury Park Post Office when it was proposed that they be demolished.
Dos Vientos is a neighborhood of Thousand Oak, California in westernmost portion of Newbury Park Bordering Dos Vientos Open Space and the Santa Monica Mountains, it was a 2,350-unit housing development which was approved by the Thousand Oaks City Council in April 1988. It is an upscale and master-planned community. Major development found place after infrastructure was built to support the homes in 1998. It was the largest residential project ever within Newbury Park. It has a maximum elevation of 2,500 feet.
Timber School was the first school in Newbury Park, California when established in 1889. and the current 1924 reconstructed Timber School is the oldest remaining school in the City of Thousand Oaks. It is also the oldest remaining public building in the Conejo Valley.
Coordinates: 34°11′12″N118°53′05″W / 34.18666°N 118.88459°W