Chatsworth Nature Preserve

The Chatsworth Nature Preserve is a 1325acre open-space preserve located in the Northwest corner of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. The preserve contains oak woodlands, savanna, riparian areas, grassland, vernal pools, and an Ecology Pond, all of which support more than 200 bird species plus numerous mammals, amphibians and reptiles.LocationThe CNP is located within Los Angeles city limits. Situated at the western edge of Los Angeles County, the preserve’s western edge abuts Los Angeles County’s western border with Ventura County. The preserve is in the foothills of the Simi Hills. The following San Fernando Valley neighborhoods surround the preserve: Chatsworth, Chatsworth Lake Manor, and West Hills.The preserve is located at the former site of Chatsworth Reservoir, a former DWP water-storage facility. Nearby points of interest include Stoney Point, Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Burro Flats Painted Cave, and Minnie Hill Palmer House.Nature Preserve designationIn the 1990s, former Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, other community leaders and environmental organizations, worked together to create the "Chatsworth Nature Preserve". The Los Angeles City Council passed City Ordinance # 169723 (the Chatsworth Open Space Ordinance) in 1994, limiting use of the area encompassing the former Chatsworth Reservoir property to a Nature Preserve and related scientific studies and education.