Widening the wilderness

The Laguna Canyon Foundation and the Conservation Fund have negotiated deals in the past seven years that added eight parcels totaling 238 acres to Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

California voters provided the funds for the acquisitions when 63.2% of them passed Proposition 12 in 2000, with a specific allocation to buy local land to be preserved as open space. The Laguna Beach City Council was treated to a slide show and oral report on the acquisitions at the Jan. 22 meeting.

“$12.5 million of Prop. 12 money was dedicated to doing something very good for us in and around Laguna Canyon,” said Mary Fegraus, retired executive director of the Laguna Canyon Foundation. “It was originally intended to be used for the purchase of the last parcel of the [proposed] Laguna Laurel project in Laguna Canyon.”

The environmental community was amazed and delighted in 2001 when Donald Bren donated the leftover piece from the city’s uncompleted purchase of Laguna Laurel parcels, still owned by Bren’s the Irvine Co. and approved for development.

“Once Laguna Laurel was secured as open space, we were able to change the language in the proposition to benefit the entire park system,” Fegraus said.

The foundation turned its attention to the acquisition of other parcels to add to the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

The “crown jewel” of the greenbelt — and latest acquisition — is the Chao property, which had been sought since the 1980s. It was identified as a prime candidate for preservation when Fegraus and Laguna Greenbelt Inc. President Elisabeth Brown served on the Laguna Beach Planning Commission.

Open space purchases must be approved by the Coastal Conservancy, which administers the Prop. 12 funds and takes a cut of the purchase price, $407,388 so far.

So far, 238 acres have been acquired for local parkland, and there is still almost $4 million left.

“All of the parcels are being processed for leasing to the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park,” Fegraus said. “They will create a great connectivity for park users and wildlife — and we still have some funding left. We will be looking at more connectivity.”

“These acquisitions through Prop. 12 are a testament to every one who voted for it,” Fegraus said. “Your vote does count.”

Lead acquisitions negotiator Derek Ostensen narrated the slide show of the eight parcels for the council.

“I want to give my thanks to the council and [City Manager] Ken Frank, who has been a tremendous asset,” Ostensen said.

Besides the Prop. 12 acquisitions, the city has spent more than $35 million in the past 30 years to acquire 2,970 additional acres, according to city records provided by Frank.

Frank also reported the state and county contributed another $30 million to the creation and stewardship of the wilderness park and the 20,000-acre South Coast Wilderness system of parks and preserves, visited by more than 500,000 annually.

PARK ACQUISITIONS

Parcels added to open space

 Haun, 10 acres acquired in 2007 for $586,043

 Jaysu, 29 acres acquired in 2007 for $1,301,843

 Trinity, 36 acres acquired in 2004 for $501,042

 Wainwright, 32 acres acquired in 2004 for $300,700

 Decker, 12 acres acquired in 2006 for $172,000

 Stonefield, 50 acres acquired in 2007 for $952,500

 Chao, 58 acres acquired in 2007 for $1,501,200

 Rossmoor, 10.6 acres acquired in 2002 for $2,437,000