Dream of outdoor park nearly realized

Nestled among sunny hills covered in sage brush, green shrubbery and cacti, the 210-acre Outdoor Education Center is hosting its first campers, just a few months from its grand opening this summer.

But it was far from a foregone conclusion that the facility would open on schedule and on budget until $10 million in contributions poured in during December alone. Alarm bells started to sound when the economy began to flounder, according to Mike Harrison, who imagined the project and has been its heart and soul ever since.

Contributions dried up and some builders who agreed to donate services backed out.

“We looked at the fundraising effort and figured it would probably come to a screeching halt if we didn’t pull out all of the stops and get more funding,” Harrison said.

He was afraid that if a surge in money didn’t come soon, the project might have to sit dormant for years until the economy rebounded and people started giving again.

So he and his wife, Lucy, along with friends Reuben and Mary Lou Casey stepped up their efforts and raised $10 million in a single month, when it had taken about three years to get the first $17 million.

Both men are former Boy Scouts and real estate developers in the area.

Now the $30-million project on what used to be empty Irvine Co. land that the company donated to the Boy Scouts is something to behold.

Boy Scouts, as well as school, church and other youth groups, will soon be able to shoot bows and arrows in the archery range, swing down the zip line strung over a ravine and hike miles of trails through the tens-of-thousands of acres of open space abutting the Irvine Regional Park.

“There isn’t anything like this at all in Orange County,” said the center’s director, Christine Kirk.

What makes the camp most distinctive, though, is its location. There are wilderness camps with some similar amenities in the local mountains, but driving groups of kids up winding mountain roads to destinations hours away can make trips cost prohibitive, Kirk said.

The Outdoor Education Center, on the other hand, is right in the heart of Orange County. Follow Jamboree Road to its end, and you’re there.

The park’s designers, she said, kept the area’s cultural history in mind during planning, focusing on three aspects of Orange County history: citrus farming, mining and aerospace.

A replica mine with thick, earthen walls and a mechanical elevator shaft for lifting minerals is all but finished. A field of young citrus trees is planted nearby, so that kids can actively learn about the area’s agricultural history.

And at some point model airplanes might be flown the astronomy camp where telescopic observations will be a principal activity, Harrison said.

The center’s organizers say they are within $5 million of their funding goal.

All of the main structures have been erected. Details are being polished on the dining hall, amphitheater, administration building and several units of lodge housing.

Meanwhile, “there’s lots of backcountry to hike,” Harrison said, looking out at the 24,000 acres of open space behind the camp.

For more photos, click here.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.