Editing Agoura Hills, California (section)

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|8.2|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|8.2|sqmi}} of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of it (0.37%) is water.

Agoura Hills has a mountain called [[Ballard Mountain]] named after pioneer settler and freed slave John Ballard.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Meares|first=Hadley|date=June 23, 2021|title=Homesteading Los Angeles: The Wild West Land Give-Away That Shaped Southern California|url=https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/homesteading-los-angeles-the-wild-west-land-give-away-that-shaped-southern-california|access-date=June 24, 2021|work=LAist|language=en}}</ref> The name of the mountain was officially changed from Negrohead to Ballard in a ceremony on February 20, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/20/3927658-califs-negrohead-mountain-renamed-for-pioneer |title=Calif.'s Negrohead Mountain renamed for pioneer |agency=Associated Press |date=February 20, 2010 |publisher=Newsvine |access-date=February 21, 2010|archive-date=March 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324123004/http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/20/3927658-califs-negrohead-mountain-renamed-for-pioneer}}</ref> Ladyface Mountain is another prominent mountain on the west side of the Conejo Valley and stands at an elevation of {{convert|2,031|ft|m}}.<ref>{{Cite GNIS|244491| Ladyface}}</ref>
{{wide image|Westlake Village and Agoura Hills California USA.jpg|700px|Panorama of Agoura Hills and Westlake Village with Ballard Mountain prominent as the leftmost peak in the image}}

Agoura Hills is called the "Gateway to the [[Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.agoura-hills.ca.us/|title=City of Agoura Hills, California|publisher=City of Agoura Hills, California|access-date=August 12, 2016|archive-date=July 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711005944/http://www.ci.agoura-hills.ca.us/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Environment===
{{Further|Santa Monica Mountains}}
[[Image:MorrisonRanch.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Western Agoura Hills from the hills north of [[Morrison Ranch]]]]

Natural areas of Agoura Hills are part of the [[California chaparral and woodlands]] ecoregion and are covered by hundreds of local plant species, some of which are very rare, and others of which have become popular ornamentals. The range is host to an immense variety of wildlife, from [[cougar|mountain lions]] to the endangered Southern California [[Distinct Population Segment]] of [[Rainbow trout|steelhead]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/status_reviews/salmon_steelhead/steelhead/2001_status_review_southern_california_coast_steelhead.pdf |title=South-Central/Southern California Coast Steelhead Recovery Planning Domain 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation of Southern California Coast Steelhead Distinct Population Segment |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |year=2011|access-date=December 3, 2013}}</ref> The [[cougar|mountain lion]] population within the Santa Monica Mountains (which includes the Simi Hills & Santa Susana Pass) is severely depleted with only seven known living adult individuals. The primary cause of the decline is due to a combination of traffic-related mortality (three from the area were killed within a matter of months,) anti-coagulants ingested from human-poisoned prey (two individuals within the Simi Hills), and attacks by other, more dominant mountain lions (an elder male, known as P1, killed both his son and his mate, this is thought to be due to a lack of space available.) The [[Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing]] is a proposed vegetated overpass spanning the Ventura Freeway and Agoura Road at Liberty Canyon on the east end of the city. Snakes are common but only occasionally seen. Local species include the [[Southern Pacific Rattlesnake]], Mountain Kingsnake, [[California Kingsnake]], [[Gopher snake]], and [[Garter snake]]. The mountains are also home to the [[Western fence lizard]].

===Invasive species===
In 2010, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that the [[New Zealand mud snail]] had infested watersheds in the Santa Monica Mountains, posing serious threats to native species and complicating efforts to improve stream-water quality for the endangered [[Rainbow trout|steelhead trout]]. According to the article, the snails have expanded "from the first confirmed sample in Medea Creek in Agoura Hills to nearly 30 other stream sites in four years." Researchers at the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission believe that the snails' expansion may have been expedited after the mollusks traveled from stream to stream on the gear of contractors and volunteers.<ref name=latmudsnail>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=March 30, 2010|access-date=July 20, 2018|first= Jill |last=Leovy|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-snail30-2010mar30,0,2859185.story |title=Hard-to-kill snails infest Santa Monica Mountain watersheds}}</ref>
[[File:Agoura Hills, CA morning fog.jpg|thumb|Agoura Hills morning fog burn off]]

===Climate===
{{Weather box
| location                = Agoura Hills, California
| width                   = 50%
| single line             = Y 
| Jan high F              = 67
| Feb high F              = 69
| Mar high F              = 70
| Apr high F              = 76
| May high F              = 78
| Jun high F              = 85
| Jul high F              = 91
| Aug high F              = 92
| Sep high F              = 89
| Oct high F              = 82
| Nov high F              = 73
| Dec high F              = 67
| Jan record high F       = 87
| Feb record high F       = 86
| Mar record high F       = 92
| Apr record high F       = 99
| May record high F       = 105
| Jun record high F       = 104
| Jul record high F       = 105
| Aug record high F       = 106
| Sep record high F       = 108
| Oct record high F       = 104
| Nov record high F       = 93
| Dec record high F       = 82
| year record high F      = 108
| year high F             = 78
| Jan low F               = 42
| Feb low F               = 43
| Mar low F               = 44
| Apr low F               = 46
| May low F               = 50
| Jun low F               = 54
| Jul low F               = 57
| Aug low F               = 58
| Sep low F               = 56
| Oct low F               = 51
| Nov low F               = 44
| Dec low F               = 41
| Jan record low F        = 28
| Feb record low F        = 28
| Mar record low F        = 32
| Apr record low F        = 37
| May record low F        = 42
| Jun record low F        = 47
| Jul record low F        = 47
| Aug record low F        = 47
| Sep record low F        = 43
| Oct record low F        = 39
| Nov record low F        = 31
| Dec record low F        = 28
| year record low F       = 28
| year low F              = 49
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation inch  = 4.29
| Feb precipitation inch  = 4.38
| Mar precipitation inch  = 3.45
| Apr precipitation inch  = 0.95
| May precipitation inch  = 0.30
| Jun precipitation inch  = 0.05
| Jul precipitation inch  = 0.03
| Aug precipitation inch  = 0.14
| Sep precipitation inch  = 0.26
| Oct precipitation inch  = 0.54
| Nov precipitation inch  = 1.59
| Dec precipitation inch  = 2.43
| year precipitation inch = 18.40
| source 1                = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.plantmaps.com/91301|title=Zipcode 91301|website=www.plantmaps.com|access-date=March 27, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=976140&cityname=Los-Angeles--West-Hills-California-United-States-of-America|title=Los Angeles - West Hills, California Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase)}}</ref>
| date                    = March 2021
}}