The Toll Roads Host 12th Annual Spring Habitat Tours, New Conservation Site Featured
We here at Welcome to OC are so excited to share this press release with you!
Restoration ecologist will lead free tours of areas set aside with construction of The Toll Roads
IRVINE, Calif. – February 23, 2012 – The public is invited to experience the beauty of Orange County’s protected open space during the Transportation Corridor Agencies’ (TCA) 12th annual series of guided native habitat tours. The tours focus on the various native habitats that were restored, protected and preserved through regional conservation efforts and with construction of the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads. The never-before-seen Strawberry Farms Restoration Site – TCA’s newest conservation area – kicks off the annual series. All tours are led by a restoration ecologist who oversees the sites.
Strawberry Farms – March 3
Restoration and bird watching hike, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. This 15-acre site is located within the City of Irvine Open Space Preserve, adjacent to the Strawberry Farms Golf Course. A mild to moderate two-mile hike will show participants the techniques used to restore coastal sage scrub and cactus and how the site is important to expand habitat for two target species of regional significance: the federally threatened California gnatcatcher and cactus wren birds.
The Strawberry Farms Restoration Site is TCA’s newest conservation area. The agency acquired the right to restore the property in 2010 and began work on Jan. 9, 2012. The site overlooks Strawberry Farms Golf Course and the Sand Canyon Reservoir, and is adjacent to existing cactus scrub and gnatcatcher habitat. Implementation of the restoration plan will increase habitat for both cactus wrens and gnatcatchers at this site. The site is also an important wildlife link within the Coastal Natural Community Conservation Plan. The restoration project is anticipated to be complete by 2018.
Upper Chiquita Canyon – March 17
Natural growth process and bird watching hike, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. This 1,182-acre conservation area located near the 241 Toll Road was set aside with construction of the road. A moderate to strenuous six-mile hike gives participants a peek at an area rich with coastal sage scrub, oak woodland, grassland and natural drainage habitats. Specific techniques that were used to restore this popular site and soil and slope-forming processes due to heavy rains will be the focus of this tour.
Saddle Creek South/Live Oak Plaza
Open space and wildlife connectivity hike, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. OCTA’s 84-acre conservation area, Saddle Creek South, is located on the south side of Live Oak Canyon near Rancho Santa Margarita and was acquired by the Orange County Transportation Authority through Measure M2, the half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements. TCA’s 23-acre Live Oak Plaza property was acquired in 2005 to be preserved as part of the connection to the Cleveland National Forest. Combined, these two conservation parcels comprise more than 100 acres of open space. A moderate to strenuous two-mile hike will lead participants through chapparal, grassland, riparian, woodland and scrub oak vegetation. The tour will focus on the methods used to maintain wildlife connectivity and conserve vegetation and core populations of species such as the cactus wren, bobcat and mountain lion.
SR 73 Slopes/Upper Laurel Canyon
Wildlife undercrossing hike, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This strenuous six-mile hike begins in the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and leads participants up through an oak woodland canyon, toward the 73 Toll Road. It continues through a wildlife undercrossing where participants can look for tracks and identify wildlife using the crossing. The hike reaches a scenic point overlooking Shady Canyon, Laguna Canyon and beyond. Restoration techniques used to create sustainable habitat for the California gnatcatcher, a threatened songbird, will be described. Come prepared to walk along steep and sometimes narrow trails. Note: The Laguna Coast Wildness Park charges a $3 fee for parking.
Space is limited so reservations are required. Call (949) 754-3405 or email lmorgan@thetollroads.com to sign up.
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) are two joint powers authorities formed by the California legislature in 1986 to plan, finance, construct and operate Orange County’s 67-mile public toll road system. Fifty-one miles of the system are complete, including the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads. Elected officials from surrounding cities and county supervisorial districts are appointed to serve on each agency’s board of directors. Public oversight ensures that the interests of local communities and drivers are served and that TCA continues to meet the region’s growing need for congestion-free transportation alternatives.
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