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President signs bill expanding SoCal recreation area

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) President Bush signed a bill into law that expands the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to 3,700 acres of public and private land at no cost to taxpayers.

This ``is proof that natural settings and urban environments are not mutually exclusive,'' said Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Oxnard, who co-authored the bill with Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills. The recreational area traverses both congressmen's districts.

The bill signed Wednesday increases park land for residents and protects natural habitat for 450 species, including the golden eagle, bobcats, badgers and mountain lions. The area is visited by 33 million people annually.

It is the National Park Service's largest urban holding.

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