Give a hoot, but don’t stop improving Fairview Park

Fairview Park improvements have long been discussed at meetings at

Costa Mesa City Hall. Everyone -- almost everyone, anyway -- has

agreed that changes will truly benefit users of the park.

However, the City Council this month ran into a snag in the form

of a lone burrowing owl who spends December to March in a squirrel

hole on the east side of the park. While the owl isn’t endangered,

state Department of Fish and Game officials warned the city that a

few of the proposed park uses may harm the owl.

As a result, the council opted to scrap a dog park, botanical

garden and pond from Fairview Park’s master plan.

We applaud the council for working on the long-delayed master plan

for the park but have to admit we are a little surprised that the owl

was never a consideration before. It seems to us that the city should

have known about the owl before the Orange County Model Railroad

Engineers asked for their track extension.

The master plan adopted in 1998 calls for about 92 acres of the

park to be restored with plants that naturally grow in the area, a

parking lot, picnic spots, educational areas and bicycle and

pedestrian trails. The bicycle trails and parking lot have also come

under fire at times.

So, what had been a difficult task for city leaders previously has

become that much more difficult because of the owl.

Despite all of this, we urge the council not to become entirely

disenfranchised and to continue working hard to create and adopt the

most appropriate master plan for Fairview Park.