Moro Link added to Greenbelt

Mike Swanson

Greenbelt activists and lovers of open space in Laguna Beach and

across the county can look forward to enjoying a parcel of land

linking the Cleveland National Forest to the Pacific coast after an

Irvine Co. donation to this month.

A 42-acre parcel called Moro Ridge Link will first serve as a

thoroughfare between Crystal Cove State Park and Laguna Coast

Wilderness Park. Orange County environmentalists see the donation as

a big step toward providing an open corridor for wildlife, allowing

animals to be less confined to either the Cleveland National Forest

or coastal parks.

“It’s a small but mighty ridge,” said Mary Fegraus, executive

director of the Laguna Canyon Foundation. “If that ridge were to fill

up with houses, it would create quite a roadblock to what we’re

trying to accomplish out here.”

Fegraus expects the donated land to affect visitors at Laguna

Coast Wilderness Park most when it becomes open to the public daily.

The plan is to coordinate the park’s daily accessibility with the

opening of the Nix Nature Center, which is scheduled to be complete

by 2005 after its groundbreaking next year.

“Relative to the amount of open space we’ve already secured, this

really isn’t much, but its function will be tremendous -- more for

the entire area than any individual park,” Fegraus said.

Residents dedicated to preserving the county’s open space have

been fighting since the 1980s to secure Moro Ridge Link, Fegraus

said.

“It’s right there at the top of ridge and will provide a lot of

opportunities to create trails into a variety of beautiful areas,”

Fegraus said.

Moro Ridge Link serves as a trail hub for hikers, mountain bikers

and equestrians, said John Christensen, spokesman for the Irvine Co.

The land had been owned by the Irvine Co. for more than 100 years.

“We’re looking forward to hearing about people’s trips on foot,

bike or horse from the national forest to the ocean,” Christensen

said. “Outdoor enthusiasts throughout Orange County are going to have

something special here. It’s a wonderful area to traverse and

explore.”

Larry Sweet, a park ranger at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, said

the link will provide hikers a third alternative starting point to

get to the park, adding that the Dilley and Willow Canyon parking

areas on Laguna Canyon Road are where rangers prefer visitors start.

Hikers can also access the park from Dartmoor Street in North Laguna

and by the tennis courts on Laguna Canyon Road.

“We have volunteers at [Willow Canyon and Dilley] to help steer

people and provide information, so that’s where we prefer people

start,” Sweet said. “We’re looking into stationing volunteers at the

new site, especially if it seems we’re getting more traffic than we

expected from up there.”

Sweet agreed with Fegraus that the opening of the ridge probably

wouldn’t immediately affect the volume of hikers in Laguna Coast

Wilderness Park.

“For most people, that’s a long walk,” Sweet said. “A few rugged

hikers might occasionally trickle in, though.”

Moro Ridge Link can be accessed at the top of Ridge Park Lane, off

Newport Coast Drive in Newport Beach.