Laguna Canyon Foundation
PROGRAMS
Outreach and Education
Outreach: Our volunteer program offers diverse opportunities to give back to the community – everything from hands-on habitat restoration to leading interpretive hikes to to assisting visitors at the Nix Nature Center. Our objectives this year include: • Providing training and orientation opportunities for volunteers. • Developing an interpretive plan for our stewardship program to better connect people to the big picture of restoration. • Continuing to recognize volunteers and ensure volunteer retention. Education: The South Coast Wilderness Education Program brings over 4,000 students per year from urban Title 1 schools into Orange County's Laguna Coast and Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Parks. Our Next Generation Science Standards-based field trips foster a sense of environmental stewardship, connect the children to the land, and inspire the next generation of conservationists. To make the program affordable for all students, we cover the complete cost of the program, including busing costs, lesson materials, field instructors, snacks and supplies. We partner with twelve schools, bringing the children into the parks each year from second to fifth grade. Our General Education Program provides Next Generation Science Standards-based field trips to Laguna Beach schools. Private schools, scout troops, and home school groups are also welcome, though we charge a nominal fee to cover our costs. Topics can vary depending on teacher interest, and are often tailored to the specific class.
Outreach: Our volunteer program as a whole has been successful for many years, but we are always looking towards the future. Our planned outcomes include:
• Continually trained, invested, dedicated volunteers, able to pass on a consistent message of environmental awareness, appreciation, and responsibility to our visitors, with a full understanding of Laguna Canyon Foundation's mission and everyday work.
• An educated, engaged public, benefiting from the knowledge and enthusiasm of our volunteer hike leaders, Wilderness Access Volunteers, and others.
Education: Laguna Canyon Foundation and our partner elementary schools have worked together for the past ten years to bring our local children (less than 16 miles away) to the wilderness year after year. We select these schools because they are our neighbors whose students have as much of a right to experience and enjoy the wilderness parks as their Laguna Beach counterparts, because they are often underserved with regards to wilderness adventures and access to the open space, and because the teachers and principals are committed to providing enriching, enjoyable outdoor experiences for their students. Our goal is to host the children year after year, reinforcing messages of conservation and environmental stewardship and helping them develop a lasting relationship with the wilderness. Ideally, a student who remains at one of our partner schools would visit the parks each year through second, third, fourth and fifth grade. As we've been able to witness firsthand over the program's ten years, this truly connects the children to the land, encouraging a sense of appreciation and responsibility for the open space and helping to create future conservationists. At this time there are no other organizations that provide educational opportunities for underserved youth in Orange County’s South Coast Wilderness areas. There are some other organizations that focus on Orange County intertidal regions and wetlands; however, they are still not able to provide the free access to underserved youth that the Foundation does.
Trail Maintenance
Trail usage in Laguna Coast and Aliso & Wood Canyons Wilderness Parks has increased exponentially in the past few years, threatening the viability of important habitat. Laguna Canyon Foundation and Orange County Parks staff work together to minimize human impacts, protect habitat, and foster community investment in the trails and harmony between different trail user groups (i.e. hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrian users). LCF staff and volunteers work with OC Parks staff to maintain and improve the trails. The trail systems in these parks are a tremendous resource to the communities surrounding them, allowing people to get out and enjoy nature in a variety of ways. We take a holistic view of our authorized trail system and prioritize the most urgent trail projects. We look at surrounding habitat and impacts to wildlife, make the trails more sustainable by keeping people on the trail and getting water off the trail, and design trails so they're fun and safe for everyone.
All singletrack trails will be classified, inventoried and prioritized using a standardized system. Detailed work plans and maintenance budgets will allow clear communication and structured planning. GIS will be the primary data tool used. Dedicated funding will allow all trails to be brought up to predetermined standards. The South Coast Wilderness Trail system will be managed from a holistic perspective to optimize user experiences and minimize overall impacts to habitat. Regular volunteer events and increased education will lead to increased community investment and a sense of pride in local parks and trails. Various user groups will work side by side on trail enhancement, strengthening a sense of shared ownership and investment in the trails. A core team of dedicated volunteers will act as leaders to less-experienced volunteers. New trail construction and maintenance techniques customized to the unique characteristics of the South Coast Wilderness will be developed and utilized.
Education
The South Coast Wilderness Education Program brings over 4,000 students per year from urban Title 1 schools into Orange County's Laguna Coast and Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Parks. Our Next Generation Science Standards-based field trips foster a sense of environmental stewardship, connect the children to the land, and inspire the next generation of conservationists. To make the program affordable for all students, we cover the complete cost of the program, including busing costs, lesson materials, field instructors, snacks and supplies. We partner with twelve schools, bringing the children into the parks each year from second to fifth grade. Our General Education Program provides Next Generation Science Standards-based field trips to Laguna Beach schools. Private schools, scout troops, and home school groups are also welcome, though we charge a nominal fee to cover our costs. Topics can vary depending on teacher interest, and are often tailored to the specific class.
Laguna Canyon Foundation and our partner elementary schools have worked together for the past ten years to bring our local children (less than 16 miles away) to the wilderness year after year. We select these schools because they are our neighbors whose students have as much of a right to experience and enjoy the wilderness parks as their Laguna Beach counterparts, because they are often underserved with regards to wilderness adventures and access to the open space, and because the teachers and principals are committed to providing enriching, enjoyable outdoor experiences for their students. Our goal is to host the children year after year, reinforcing messages of conservation and environmental stewardship and helping them develop a lasting relationship with the wilderness. Ideally, a student who remains at one of our partner schools would visit the parks each year through second, third, fourth and fifth grade. As we've been able to witness firsthand over the program's ten years, this truly connects the children to the land, encouraging a sense of appreciation and responsibility for the open space and helping to create future conservationists. At this time there are no other organizations that provide educational opportunities for underserved youth in Orange County’s South Coast Wilderness areas. There are some other organizations that focus on Orange County intertidal regions and wetlands; however, they are still not able to provide the free access to underserved youth that the Foundation does.
Conservation
Laguna Canyon Foundation is dedicated to restoring and preserving healthy, functional native ecosystems and wildlife habitats that encourage biodiversity. We restore habitats by removing invasive species and planting and tending native vegetation in and around the South Coast Wilderness. We also oversee local resource management projects to ensure that impacts to sensitive habitat are minimized. Restoration also improves viewsheds and recreation opportunities, building a connection between residents and the local environment.
Degraded habitats will be restored to functionality through planned removal and management of invasive species. Invasive species management will be prioritized based on Natural Community Coalition protocols to maximize effectiveness and prevent newly introduced species from gaining a local foothold. Restoration volunteers will be educated and engaged in habitat restoration and protection, leading to increased stewardship tendencies and a greater stake in preservation. We will continue to increase connectivity between wild areas through the acquisition and restoration of functional wildlife corridors. LCF will become a recognized leader in restoration and a respected source of information on best management practices, leading to more widespread use of effective management. Our native plant nursery will encourage buy-in to organization goals and community involvement in restoration. We will continue to grow the nursery program and increase capacity, allowing increased volunteer involvement.
CONTACT
Laguna Canyon Foundation
P.O. Box 4895
Laguna Beach, CA 92652
Scott Thomas
Phone: 949-497-8324