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It is through people that the flowers in Laguna Canyon continue to bloom.
Whether it’s through the educational hikes that still happen to this day or past activism by public space advocates, residents can step foot to witness the beauty of the canyons.
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series where Voice of OC works with local community photographers to offer residents a first-hand look at the local sites and scenes of Orange County.
Community groups like The Laguna Canyon Foundation, whose mission is protecting open space, lead hikes that explore the history of the canyons and the flowers that bloom.
OC naturalists taught visitors how to identify wildflowers and understand their ecological importance in the ecosystem.
The 22,000-acre South Coast Wilderness was at one point the site of local community activism.
In 1989, the Laguna Canyon Foundation was created to facilitate open space preceding the March to Save Laguna Canyon, where locals protested against the 2150-acre housing and shopping development. The march began in the heart of Laguna Beach, all the way to a 636 foot art installation, known as The Tell, created by Mark Chamberlain and Jerry Burchfield.
It is through the march that the land was not used for commercial purposes.
The land meant something to locals beyond keeping it alive for commercial purposes.
“The land was ready to be bulldozed,” says David Heuer, a volunteer who has been restoring the open space for fifteen years.
Taxpayers paid 20 million dollars in taxes which would go directly to preserving the open space.
“James Dilley, a man from England was inspired by the open space in his homeland to find a way to preserve the natural beauty in Southern California,” says Shelbi Richardson, an OC Park Naturalist who pays homage to past activist through his work at the center.
In early spring, Shelbi Richardson, one of the Park Naturalists, led a group of locals to showcase some of the key ecological figures in the ecosystem–wildflowers, Bush Flowers to Owl’s Clover are a few of the local wildflowers that offer benefits through pollination to other species, like bees and butterflies.
Wildflower blooms were in full display this year in late March to April. Occasionally, there are super blooms which is a rare event when a massive amount of flowers bloom due to high precipitation after a period of drought. “Southern California is a biodiversity hotspot- this particular ecosystem is only found in 2% of the world,” says Richardson.
Unfortunately, there are invasive species that rule out wildflowers by taking up space for them to thrive, says Shelbi Richardson.
The Red-Stemmed Stork’s Bill, a common invasive species found in Southern California, has a root shaped drill to dig in the soil. It is an adaptation in order to stick into the ground, that makes it difficult to get rid of.
Not only do invasive species ruin habitats, but also humans.
The California gnatcatcher, a native bird, likes to immerse itself in coastal sage scrub growth. It is an endangered species due to habitat loss, partly caused by human interference.
The Laguna Canyon Foundation and community leaders aim to promote nature to the public.
Together, the foundation and its volunteers foster a mission of preserving the natural beauty Southern California has to offer.
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