There are a number of organizations that are involved with the open spaces in the Conejo Valley. Those of us who work with them a lot throw these acronyms around all day, but they can be bewildering to many people. It doesn’t help that they are so similar. Listed here is what the acronyms stand for, and what the organizations do.

COSCA, the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency. In 1977 the City of Thousand Oaks (City) and the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD; see below) created COSCA through a joint powers authority to coordinate land use planning and policy decisions, and to facilitate open space acquisition, management, and conservation according to the goals identified in the City’s General Plan. As of 2022, COSCA owns and/or manages about 12,700 acres of the 15,250 acres of open space within the City’s planning area. COSCA’s Mission is to acquire, conserve, and manage open space within and surrounding the Conejo Valley for future generations, sustainably balancing public use with ecosystem protection.

COSCA is governed by a 5-person Board of Directors consisting of two elected City Council members, two elected CRPD Directors, and one appointed member of the public. The City and CRPD contribute equally to COSCA’s budget as well as provide staff to conduct the agency’s work.

Learn more at their website.

COSTAC, the Conejo Open Space Trails Action Committee. Formed in 1988, the eleven-member committee is composed of hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians who are appointed by the COSCA Board for a three-year term. They provide their time as unpaid volunteers.

COSTAC acts in a supporting role to the COSCA Board, under the direction of COSCA staff. COSTAC provides support for the volunteer programs approved by the COSCA Board of Directors, such as Spring and Fall Trail Work Days, Special Trail Work Days, Trail Ambassadors, Trail Watch, Trails Education Days, Adopt-A-Trail, Trailhead Outreach, and Resource Stewardship. The Committee also assists with open space trail construction and maintenance. For more information on these programs, please visit our Volunteering Overview web page.

Learn more on the COSCA website COSTAC page.

COSF, the Conejo Open Space Foundation. That’s us! We are a nonprofit organization that raises money to help pay for ways to enhance our open spaces, and helps to recruit volunteers for various programs. This includes but is not limited to

• Volunteer activities for which COSTAC is responsible
• Initiatives to help preserve wildlife and native plants
• Open space speaker series and annual Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest

We also help COSTAC with their programs.

To see what we’ve been up to, please visit our Accomplishments web page.

Finally, we work to help people understand their roles as custodians and protectors of the open space and the environment. We do this through postings on this website and on social media. Links to our social media pages can be found at the bottom of every page here. We meet on the first Monday of the month directly before the COSTAC meeting. Our meetings are open to the public and we invite you to attend! You can find the details on our Connect with Us web page.

CRPD, the Conejo Recreation and Park District. They build, manage and maintain community and neighborhood parks in Thousand Oaks. They are jointly responsible for COSCA along with the City of Thousand Oaks. Learn more on the CRPD website.