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Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is a wilderness area in the
San Joaquin Hills The San Joaquin Hills are a low mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System, located in coastal Orange County, California. They extend in a northwest–southeast direction, starting in the northwest in Newport Beach, California, Newport Beac ...
surrounding
Laguna Beach, California Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic c ...
. This park features coastal canyons, ridgeline views and the only natural lakes in
Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...
. Trails are maintained for hiking and mountain biking with a wide range of difficulty, from beginner to expert. Most trails gain in height, reaching a maximum of in elevation. Several trails lead to downtown Laguna Beach. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park has some of the last remaining undeveloped coastal canyons in Southern California. The park is dominated by
coastal sage scrub Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is ...
, cactus and native grasses. Over 40 endangered and sensitive species call Laguna Coast home including
California gnatcatcher The California gnatcatcher (''Polioptila californica'') is a small, insectivorous bird which frequents dense coastal sage scrub growth. This species was recently split from the similar black-tailed gnatcatcher of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan des ...
,
cactus wren The cactus wren (''Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus'') is a species of wren that is endemic to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. It is the state bird of Arizona, and the largest wren in the United St ...
and the endemic '' Dudleya stolonifera''. Both Laguna Coast, Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park are also home to
mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whit ...
,
long-tailed weasel The long-tailed weasel (''Neogale frenata''), also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of weasel found in North America, North, Central America, Central, and South America. It is distinct from the Stoat, short-t ...
, healthy
bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...
populations, and raptors like
red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members of ...
and the ground-nesting
northern harrier The northern harrier (''Circus hudsonius''), also known as the marsh hawk or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost United States, USA. The northern ...
.


South Coast Wilderness

Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is part of the contiguous approximately South Coast Wilderness area in southern
Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...
. It stretches from Newport Beach to Laguna Niguel, and from Irvine to the Pacific Ocean. The genesis of this designated wilderness area occurred in 1960 when bookstore owner James Dilley began advocating for a Laguna Beach greenbelt. Dilley's dream ultimately required the commitment of thousands of people, more than $65 million and decades to complete. In 1990, inspired by a quartet of Laguna-based non-profits and by Laguna Beach, Irvine and Laguna Woods, the County of Orange, the State of
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
and the
Irvine Company The Irvine Company LLC is an American private company focused on real estate development. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a large portion of its operations centered in and around Irvine, California, a planned city of more ...
, voters approved a $20 million bond to purchase Laguna Canyon, to prevent development there and to keep it as an open space
green belt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts ...
forever. The South Coast Wilderness area offers visitors access to Orange County’s only natural lakes, a wildlife community, nature centers, interpretive programs, and recreational activities, from hiking and birding to mountain biking. The South Coast Wilderness open space includes: * Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. *
Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park is a major regional park in the San Joaquin Hills of Orange County, California, Orange County, California in the United States. Comprising of rugged coastal canyons, open grassland, and riparian zone, ripar ...
, a park of coastal canyon wilderness in
Laguna Niguel, California Laguna Niguel () is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The name Laguna Niguel is derived from the words "Laguna" (Spanish for "lagoon") and "Niguili" (the name of a Native American village once located near Aliso Creek). It al ...
. *
Crystal Cove State Park Crystal Cove State Park is a state park of California, United States, encompassing of Pacific coastline, inland chaparral canyons, and the Crystal Cove Historic District of beach houses. The park is located partially in Newport Beach and parti ...
, a National Natural Landmark of backcountry, wilderness, coastal bluffs, beaches and tide pools. National Register Historic District. * City of
Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier * Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia * Irvine Island * Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada * Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut Scotland *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotlan ...
Open Space Preserve, a preserve, featuring coastal sage scrub, oak, woodland, grassland and riparian communities. * City of
Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...
Open Space, a area open for docent-led hiking and biking. * City of
Laguna Woods Laguna Woods (''Laguna'' being ) is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 17,644 at the 2020 census, up from 16,192 at the 2010 census, with a median age of 74.5 (as of 2021). Laguna Woods became Orange Coun ...
, of open space.


Laguna Greenbelt

Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. is a grassroots organization, founded in 1968 to preserve and protect the environment in and around Laguna Beach and Orange County. This non-profit works for the benefit of the general public informing, advocating and educating concerned citizens. With James Dilley as its founder, Laguna Greenbelt secures open space for the residents of Orange County and beyond. The Greenbelt believes, "that open space and wilderness areas along with wildlife habitat preservation are critical to the long-term health and well being of residents of southern California…We fought to preserve Laguna Canyon, Aliso and Woods Canyons and, the large swath of coastal hills known as the San Joaquin Hills. Much of our history has revolved around informing citizens, decision makers and stakeholders about the many benefits of open space preservation and protection…This work continues today with our initiative on the Irvine Regional Wildlife Corridor, an important wildlife habitat connection between the Laguna Greenbelt/South Coast Wilderness area and the Cleveland National Forest." Laguna Greenbelt also helped facilitate the formation of the Laguna Canyon Foundation.


Laguna Canyon Foundation

In 1989, a photographic mural, ''The Tell'', was created as part of the Laguna Canyon Project. In 1990, a bond measure was passed by Laguna Beach voters; which resulted in the Laguna Canyon Foundation being formed to manage preservation of Laguna Canyon. The Canyon Foundation purchased additional sections of open space that had been slated for development, and in 1993, established the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. In 2014, Laguna native Hallie Jones was named executive director of the Laguna Canyon Foundation.Beau Nicolette
“At home in the wilderness,”
''Coastline Pilot,'' 03 February 2014.
Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers help Orange County Parks manage the coastal canyons. The James and Rosemary Nix Nature Center on Laguna Canyon Road in the Wilderness Park contributes to this effort by featuring exhibits, educational programs, guided hikes and other activities. In 2015, it was featured, along with other organizations, in ''Laguna Beach Eco Heroes'', a 30-minute documentary by
The My Hero Project The My Hero Project is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization established in 1995 by philanthropist Karen Pritzker, Jeanne Meyers and Rita Stern Milch that promotes the sharing of positive role models from around the world for the online digital story ...
. The efforts of the
Crystal Cove Alliance The Crystal Cove Historic District is a part of the Crystal Cove State Park located in Newport Beach, California. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places encompassing along the Southern California coast. It was listed on the ...
, ECO-Warrior Foundation, ECO Warrior, Laguna Bluebelt, Nancy Caruso, One World One Ocean, Pacific Marine Mammal Center, Wyland, and Zero Trash Laguna were also highlighted in the documentary.


References

{{Reflist


External links


Orange County Parks/Laguna Coast



Laguna Greenbelt



OC Parks: Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park

Crystal Cove State Park

City of Irvine Open Space Preserve
Parks in Orange County, California Regional parks in California San Joaquin Hills