Last month, OCTA purchased 151 acres of open space land in Laguna Beach that will be permanently designated as a wilderness preserve. This is the seventh property acquisition under the Measure M Freeway Environmental Mitigation Program, a comprehensive plan that preserves and restores natural habitats and allows for expedited delivery of freeway projects.
Identified as a priority conservation area because of the diversity of habitat types found there, the property was purchased for $2.2 million. This is the first time program funds have been used to purchase land along the coast. The other six properties are located in Brea, Silverado Canyon, and Trabuco Canyon. The total acreage of all seven properties is more than 1,300 acres.
The property is adjacent to the 4,500-acre Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, a part of the Orange County Parks system, and Moulton Meadows Park. OCTA seeks out and acquires land that links to other preserved lands, which allows wildlife and native habitat to thrive in a larger communal area.
The purchase and preservation of open space acquired through OCTA’s Freeway Environmental Mitigation Program allows environmental permitting to be accelerated for the 13 M2 freeway improvement projects.
Approximately $300 million will be available over the next 30 years to preserve and restore land throughout the county.
