From waters off Huntington Beach to the hills behind Foothill Ranch, OC has natural areas that are affected by,or in the path of,the county’s urbanization. Here is a list of groups, some more strident than others, that in various ways are trying to preserve, protect or clean up OC’s natural environment.
ADOPT-A-BEACH
Projects: Under its namesake program, when a group “adopts” a beach, they commit to cleaning it at least three times a year.
AMIGOS DE BOLSA CHICA
Focus: Formed in 1976 to encourage the public to buy and restore the degraded Bolsa Chica wetlands along Pacific Coast Highway south of Warner Avenue and to oppose the planned development of Bolsa Chica. The group holds meetings at Huntington Beach City Hall on the second Wednesday of odd-numbered months and publishes a bimonthly newsletter called The Tern Tide.
Members: 1,000
BOLSA CHICA LAND TRUST
Focus: Formed after the Amigos de Bolsa Chica and the then-owner of the Bolsa Chica, Koll Co., agreed on a scaled-back development plan, the group continues to oppose development in the Bolsa Chica wetlands and uplands and lobbies for the acquisition, preservation and management of the area.
BOLSA CHICA WETLANDS
CONSERVANCY
Focus: Non-political organization for education and scientific research. Owns and operates an interpretive center at Bolsa Chica.
Project: Rejuvenation of coastal wetlands, and water-quality analyses. Just started high school research project
Size: 300 members
DANA POINT HEADLANDS
Focus: Preservation of the area of Dana Point Headlands
Project: waiting to see how the negotiations with the city and developers are working out. Being negotiated in secret. They will respond to that when it is revealed.
Size: approx. 2,000 members
LAGUNA CANYON
Focus: A political action group to preserve as open space the land in Laguna Canyon. The group orchestrated a large demonstration in 1989, when 7,000 people marched up Laguna Canyon Road.
LAGUNA CANYON FOUNDATION
A 9-year-old non-profit organization formed to help preserve the land in the Laguna Canyon Preserve and protect and enhance the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.
Projects: To acquire the final two parcels of land in Laguna Canyon that would complete the park created in 1990 when Laguna Beach residents approved a 20-year, $20 million tax issue to purchase canyon land from the Irvine Co.
Members: Some 7,000 people are listed as donors.
LAGUNA GREENBELT
Focus: A non-profit organization formed to preserve the open-space greenbelt around Laguna Beach.
NEWPORT BAY NATURALISTS
AND FRIENDS
Focus: Two local groups recently merged to create the Newport Bay Naturalist and Friends: the Upper Newport Bay Naturalist and Friends of Newport Bay. The groups came together because of their common goal: to conduct tours of the nature preserve and coordinate projects to rehabilitate the area including Tern island.
Friends of Newport Bay was formed 35 years ago to support the Orange County Department of Harbors, Beaches and Parks. Upper Newport Bay Naturalists supported the Department of Fish and Game.
A 10,000-square-foot interpretive center on the Upper Newport Bay nature preserve is slated to open Oct. 21.
Members: 150 active members (naturalists) and 1,500 donor members (friends)
ORANGE COUNTY
COASTKEEPER
Focus: The Orange County CoastKeeper is a 1-year-old non-profit activist organization, whose goal is to protect and restore the county’s coastline, its watersheds, and habitats. Launched in March 1999 the group takes its name from the 19th century English river keepers, who were wardens of private streams that kept the waters clean and free from poachers. Fishermen concerned with pollution of the Hudson River founded the first Keeper program in the U.S. in 1983.
Projects: Maintains an 800 phone number for people to report polluters. Filed notice in January that it intends to sue the Irvine Co. over its planned Crystal Cove development project.
Members: 250
OC HARBORS, BEACHES AND
PARKS DEPARTMENT
Focus: Operates the county’s parks and harbors; responsible for watershed management and water quality.
Projects: In the process of developing a group of watershed projects.
Size: Parks division, 215 employees; public facilities and resource division, 1,100 employees.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF DIVING INSTRUCTORS (PADI)
Focus: Providing scuba divers with aquatic awareness. Sets standards for scuba instruction and certification of scuba divers.
Projects: Started AWARE Foundation (Aquatic World Awareness Response and Education). Formed non-profit Project Aware to promote conservation and preservation of aquatic environment and resources. Sponsors Dive Into Earth Days, a water-oriented set of Earth Day activities each April 22.
Size: Worldwide organization with more than 90,000 affiliated scuba professionals.
SIERRA CLUB
There are two Sierra Club branches in Orange County: Rio Hondo Group in North County and the Sierra Sage Group in South County. Both are part of the Los Angeles Chapter.
Projects: Protect the Bolsa Chica wetlands, preserve Dana Point Headlands and to block the Foothill-South Toll Road.
SURFRIDER FOUNDATION,
LAGUNA BEACH
Focus: Ocean water pollution
Project: Water testing off Laguna beaches
Chapter size: About 500 members
NEWPORT BEACH
Focus: Urban run-off
Projects: An educational program called Teach and Test, operated in collaboration with high schools, provides students with test kit material and assigns them to beaches. Second project being launched is called 50 and 5, focused on reducing pollution at mouth of Santa Ana River within five years.
Chapter size: About 1,000 members
SURFRIDER FOUNDATION-
SAN CLEMENTE
Projects: Protesting housing development at San Mateo Point and the Trestles area. The group helps clean up the 300-yard stretch of Sands Beach as well as recording data for the Center for Marine Debris.
VILLAGE LAGUNA
Focus: A political action group concerned with preserving the city of Laguna Beach.
Project: Village Laguna and the South Laguna Civic Association were expected last week to appeal the City Council-approved Treasure Island development to the California Coastal Commission.
