Don Wallace was an ethical man with a wonderful sense of humor, a twinkle in his eye, and a passion for trails and horses. His passion for nature started when he was a young firefighter. As president of the firefighter’s union in 1970, he negotiated the fire departments’ first contract. Under his watch, membership went from less than 100 to over 3,000. After 26 years fighting fires, Don became a politician working with supervisors, local state government agencies, and homeowners’ associations. Appointed as a National Park Service Commissioner in 1976, he realized that implementation of his vision could be possible. Don believed that most of the recreation taking place in LA County was by people hiking. So, for 35 years, Don advocated for a safe passage trail in Calabasas that would go under the 101 freeway along the Las Virgenes Creek to give people a connection between the trails and lands north and south of the freeway. Multiple agencies managed sections of land this trail would traverse.  Seemingly a bureaucratic nightmare and thought by many to be impossible to coordinate, Don’s perseverance, political savvy, and his friendly demeanor ensured that he would successfully accomplish this task. For the record those agencies were: Department of Public Works, Caltrans, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Calabasas.

On April 13, 2018 his long-sought dream came true. At the dedication of the newly built Don Wallace Multi-Use Trail in Calabasas, there were many politicians to help celebrate this momentous occasion. This trail has lights along the segment that passes under the freeway. It provides the connectivity of the southern trails in Malibu Creek State Park with trails in the northern lands of MRCA and trails along Las Virgenes Creek. Don’s vision materialized into his legacy with a 1,500-ft long connector trail built for the public to use and enjoy. Thank you, Don.