John Tocci/Assistant Photo Editor
Jaimie Franklin
Assistant News Editor
Pepperdine’s Cottontail Ranch, a 23-acre summer camp and retreat center in the Santa Monica Mountains, will be closed in July due to “deteriorating facilities” and economic problems.
Located in Calabasas just off of Malibu Canyon Road, the ranch’s unique location served as a recreational facility since the 1950s. Recent considerations by the Pepperdine administration have led to the decision to close the camp altogether.
Dennis Torres, director of real estate at Pepperdine, refused to comment on the closure and said the university felt that questions would be better handled by Public Relations.
“The costs to upgrade facilities, maintain and/or improve the grounds, fund the necessary insurance, etc., were all factored in the decision,” Associate Director of Public Relations Wileen Wong wrote in an e-mail. “Pepperdine’s focus on devoting efforts and financial resources on our own students and their needs is a first priority.”
Senior administration at Pepperdine made the decision to close the ranch and it is still unclear as to whether the property will be sold.
“The University is considering all options before determining the best and highest use of the property,” Wong said. “The ultimate value of the property is difficult to know given its unique attributes. It differs depending on its ultimate use.”
Pepperdine acquired Cottontail Ranch in 1997 from the Las Virgenes School District and continued to uphold the “traditions and wonderful work of the original owners,” according to a press release. The ranch was established as a day camp in 1958 and by 1972 it had evolved into a full fledged residential site, with summer programs offered to children age 6 to 16.
The camp belonged to the American Camping Association and the Western Association of Independent Camps, and met the “strictest guidelines in the camping industry,” according to a Public Relations release. It also was ranked as one of the top summer camps in the world, welcoming children from around the globe.
Facilities include rustic cabins that house up to 250 people, a dining hall, an amphitheater, swimming pool, campfire areas, and sports fields for basketball, volleyball, softball and more.
“It’s meant to be a personal, growing, motivational experience,” said Kathy Edwards, Administrative Assistant and Winter Coordinator of the ranch. “We fit in with Pepperdine’s Christian mission—we are educational, religious and family oriented.”
Cottontail Ranch offers campers a variety of activities. Waterskiing, swimming, sailing, archery, rock-climbing and equestrian activities are all options for participants in programs.
The Las Virgenes School District, the Girl Scouts, churches and families, as well as other organizations rent out the site for retreats and programs.
An after school program is offered for fifth grade students from the Las Virgenes School District and close to 250 Girl Scouts stay in cabins on the weekends.
“It’s very educational,” Director Lynn Pedroza said. “We teach kids about the environment, Chumash Indians, water reclamation, and it’s the perfect place for all of it.”
The Associated Press Television and Radio Association has held an annual program on the ranch for seven years in which an earthquake, fire, or other natural disaster was recreated and participants would cover the event as journalists.
“[Cottontail Ranch] was absolutely perfect for us,” Broadcast Supervisor Rachel Ambrose said. “We’ve never had it anywhere else.”
Ambrose was in disbelief when she was told the camp was closing and her deposit would be returned.
“It was a rustic camping experience,” she said. “It could probably use a good coat of paint but there was nothing unhealthy. They didn’t misrepresent themselves.”
For Director Lynn Pedroza, who has been working at the ranch for 23 years beginning her sophomore year in college, it is a sad time.
“It’s a big deal,” she said. “My children were born here and it’s the only home they’ve known. I get that it’s a business thing for Pepperdine, but it’s still very sad.”
Other staff members are also disappointed by the closure.
“It’s a very mellow, feel-good, beautiful place,” Edwards said. “I bring my 80-pound dog to work with me everyday. We’re all sad.”
Between now and July, the university administration will work on smoothly winding down operations and determining the future use of the property.
Cottontail’s former and current clients have been informed of the closure, and programs held at the ranch will have to seek new venues to operate.
01-18-2007
