Rancho Sierra Vista, Nature reserve in Santa Monica Mountains, California, US.
Rancho Sierra Vista is a nature reserve in the Santa Monica Mountains comprising grasslands and oak woodlands in varied topography. The land includes streams, meadows, and wooded slopes that create different habitats for wildlife throughout the property.
Rancho Las Virgenes was granted in 1802 to Miguel Ortega and passed through Mexican and American owners; in 1871 Ysabel Yorba sold the Guadalasca portion. Petroleum geologist Carl Beal bought the northern section in 1936 and named it Rancho Sierra Vista, building most ranch buildings and a water system of dams, wells and 14 miles of steel pipe. Richard E. Danielson, who purchased 7,793 acres in 1947, donated 5,585 acres to the state in 1972–73 for Point Mugu State Park and sold 850 acres to the National Park Service in 1980.
The Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center, opened by the National Park Service at Rancho Sierra Vista, presents the Native American presence documented by over 150 archaeological sites in the area. In 2014, glass beads found at a small site exposed by the Springs Fire suggested contact with Spanish colonists in the late 1700s.
The reserve has trails for hiking and areas good for bird watching, with educational programs available year-round. Spring and fall offer the most comfortable conditions for outdoor activities.
Juan Bautista de Anza led expeditions through this area in 1774 and again in 1776, and the national historic trail named for him crosses the ranch today. The route was a colonizing expedition, not a trade road.
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