But now, with oil hovering near $100 a barrel, the same man who led the charge to save the 1,290-acre Whittier Wilderness Preserve is interested in drilling there.

Proponents believe Whittier could get as much as $600 million over 25 years in oil revenues by using new technology that they say will only disturb 7 acres of the vast Whittier Hills.

Founded by Quakers

The proposal has bitterly divided this Los Angeles suburb that was founded in the 19th century by Quakers, followers of a religion with a deep commitment to protecting the environment.

Henderson, who still thinks of himself as a conservationist, said he's surprised to find himself seriously considering the proposal.

More for you Business Drilling project divides a city

"It's not that I've decided to destroy the preserve," he said. "What I do believe in very strongly is that you've got to be open and alert to help the habitat and the city. This has the potential to contribute millions of dollars to the preservation effort and in making sure the preserve is viable in the long run."

Drilling opponents don't see their former hero, or his current argument, in such nuanced light. They worry that once drilling is allowed in one spot, future city council members could approve it elsewhere on the preserve.

"You can't one minute say, 'I want to save these hills,' and then move to drill on them,'" said resident Paula Castenon with Whittier Hills Oil Watch. "He's definitely going back on his word. The whole point in obtaining the mineral rights to that land was to preserve it and prevent oil drilling in the future."

The Los Angeles basin has more oil per square foot than almost anywhere in the world. There is drilling hidden behind an office building facade on a major city street and cloaked in a painted tower at Beverly Hills High School.

Setting a precedent?

If the project gets county approval in the coming months, some worry it could set a precedent well beyond Whittier's boundaries - putting at risk thousands of acres of open space as other cash-strapped California communities search for money during tough economic times.

"Certainly if the county were to approve this, there would be a lot of pressure on the county if other cities want to do the same thing to allow them to revert park land as well," said Sean Hecht, the executive director of the Environmental Law Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Whittier received an estimated $16.3 million dollars in 1992 to buy the properties and oil rights from Chevron and Unocal, which had been drilling on the site for decades, Henderson said. The once-scarred land has since been allowed to recover.

Susan O'Caroll, an environmental consultant for the Open Space Legal Defense Fund, which filed a lawsuit against the city and county, said it makes no sense to drill on a key piece of sensitive habitat.