Well, looks like we got our first real rain in a long time here today in Southern Orange County!
Yesterday, Sept 28th, I went to Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park and took some more photographs of the plants along the trail... I also got some nice insect and snake shots!
After taking about 80 high-resolution shots from that little walk, my photo albums on Picasa have increased in size (and there are a lot of plants that I still need to identify... bear with me, it's a lot of work!) You can see the increase in volume here: Nature In Orange County's Photos.
On September 27th, the Laguna Canyon Foundation had their Volunteer Orientation from 9-1:30 at the Nix Nature Center. What a wonderful group of volunteers, rangers and staff! Everyone had a great time learning about the various volunteer possibilities - from trail maintenance and native plant restoration, to participating in the various hikes, tours, and events, there was something for everyone to get excited about! For more information on the next orientation, visit: http://www.lagunacanyon.org/
Make sure to check out www.natureinorangecounty.com to access Nature In Orange County's BLOG and WEBSITE! And thanks for checking in with us here, too!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
www.natureinorangecounty.com
I am happy to announce the creation of Nature In Orange County's WEBSITE (and continued success of Nature In Orange County's BLOG), both accessible at www.natureinorangecounty.com.
Please check it out - general information on Laguna Canyon will be available there from now on - but this blog will remain to keep you updated on special events in the canyon.
Cheers!
Please check it out - general information on Laguna Canyon will be available there from now on - but this blog will remain to keep you updated on special events in the canyon.
Cheers!
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Nursery At Willow
Another great blog to check out (especially if you're a local and want to get involved, or are looking for more information about the canyon's happenings and native plants) : http://hijoley.blogspot.com/
Thanks Robert!
Thanks Robert!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
When Driving through the canyon, SHARE THE ROAD with bicyclists!
Hello all,
Just a quick little note to remind you of the importance of driving safely, especially through the canyon.
On Saturday morning, I was coming down Laguna Canyon Road (towards Laguna Beach) at 60 MPH (the part by the Nix Center that becomes the 133, where the speed limit is 65). A bunch of bicyclists were riding in the bike lanes, enjoying the beauty of the canyon as much as I was. As I was approaching the 73 toll road ramps/bridges, I saw a bicyclist on the ground, lying on his back, with his legs in the right hand lane, his upper body in the bike lane. I immediately hit the brakes, put my emergency flashers on and pulled over, went over to help, called 911, etc. It turned out that two bicyclists were down, the second being a woman lying on the dirt by the side of the road, with her bicycle still between her legs, and bleeding from the knee. The first bicyclist, a man in his late forties, was bleeding from the head (luckily he was wearing a helmet!)...
Other bicyclists coming up and down the road came over to help, yet it was amazing to see how many cars passed us by before another auto driver decided to pull over and ask if we needed assistance.
While it remains unclear what really caused the accident, scenes like these remind me of how quickly lives can be taken away, and of how important it is for us to SHARE THE ROAD while driving through the canyon, to DRIVE SAFELY, and to RESPECT THE SPEED LIMITS! All too often, there are people going 80-85-90 MPH on this road!!!! Even though there are now two lanes per direction, that doesn't mean Laguna Canyon Road has become a race course!!!
Also, if you are a bicyclist, might I recommend not blaring your ipod music in your ears while on the road. I did notice that the man down on the ground still had his iPod earphones in his ears - was he attempting to pass the other hurt bicyclist? Was she trying to pass him and he didn't hear her? Did a car hit them both and he wasn't aware of the cars because he was into his music? Of course, my hypotheses can be way off, and I am not going to try to guess the real cause of the accident... but it is something to think about, at least.
And even if your iPod music isn't distracting you from the road or taking away from the appreciation of nature, isn't it often much more enjoyable to listen to the sounds of the canyon, to take a full break from your daily grind, leaving all the known factors at home and taking a plunge into an environment that always has something more to offer, everyday that you go out and connect with it?
Just a thought. Be careful out there.
Just a quick little note to remind you of the importance of driving safely, especially through the canyon.
On Saturday morning, I was coming down Laguna Canyon Road (towards Laguna Beach) at 60 MPH (the part by the Nix Center that becomes the 133, where the speed limit is 65). A bunch of bicyclists were riding in the bike lanes, enjoying the beauty of the canyon as much as I was. As I was approaching the 73 toll road ramps/bridges, I saw a bicyclist on the ground, lying on his back, with his legs in the right hand lane, his upper body in the bike lane. I immediately hit the brakes, put my emergency flashers on and pulled over, went over to help, called 911, etc. It turned out that two bicyclists were down, the second being a woman lying on the dirt by the side of the road, with her bicycle still between her legs, and bleeding from the knee. The first bicyclist, a man in his late forties, was bleeding from the head (luckily he was wearing a helmet!)...
Other bicyclists coming up and down the road came over to help, yet it was amazing to see how many cars passed us by before another auto driver decided to pull over and ask if we needed assistance.
While it remains unclear what really caused the accident, scenes like these remind me of how quickly lives can be taken away, and of how important it is for us to SHARE THE ROAD while driving through the canyon, to DRIVE SAFELY, and to RESPECT THE SPEED LIMITS! All too often, there are people going 80-85-90 MPH on this road!!!! Even though there are now two lanes per direction, that doesn't mean Laguna Canyon Road has become a race course!!!
Also, if you are a bicyclist, might I recommend not blaring your ipod music in your ears while on the road. I did notice that the man down on the ground still had his iPod earphones in his ears - was he attempting to pass the other hurt bicyclist? Was she trying to pass him and he didn't hear her? Did a car hit them both and he wasn't aware of the cars because he was into his music? Of course, my hypotheses can be way off, and I am not going to try to guess the real cause of the accident... but it is something to think about, at least.
And even if your iPod music isn't distracting you from the road or taking away from the appreciation of nature, isn't it often much more enjoyable to listen to the sounds of the canyon, to take a full break from your daily grind, leaving all the known factors at home and taking a plunge into an environment that always has something more to offer, everyday that you go out and connect with it?
Just a thought. Be careful out there.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Nix Nature Center and Little Sycamore Trail
This article has been taken from my other, more general blog on nature in Orange County, found here: www.natureinorangecounty.blogspot.com
The Nix Nature Center and Little Sycamore Trail
Hello all ~ Today was my first time visiting the Nix Nature Center, located at 18751 Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133, approximately two miles north of El Toro Rd and 5 miles south of the I-5. This weekend was the official re-opening of the center since its construction/renovation.
Upon entering I was pleased to see the work that had been done, with the various educational displays on the rocks, fauna and flora of the canyon. I then met a fantastic ranger who was kind enough to inform me of the volunteer opportunities within the park and the Laguna Canyon Foundation. It was almost 1 PM, and very hot outside, but I wanted to take a little hike to discover this part of the canyon that I had never seen before. When I asked about the trails starting from the lot, the ranger recommended the Little Sycamore trail, a "quick" one-mile trail up to Serrano Ridge (Elevation 500'). Little Sycamore is fun, uphill for a lot of the short trek, with little two-board bridges from time to time, narrow pathways once you get half-way into the hike (brush/bushes/trees surround you on either side, you've got a 15" wide path to stick to). As you climb and look back towards your starting point, you begin to see much of the larger canyon hills behind you, the 133 and the 73 Toll Road begin to shrink into oblivion and you realize how grand and important our nature preserves truly are. At the end of Little Sycamore, you end up on a crest and look out over towards Irvine, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, and the likes... a little disappointing if you expect to see more rolling hills once you reach the top, but a good reminder of the necessity to keep what natural land we still have protected!!!
Click on the following link to watch the little video I took while on the trail (sadly a plane started to fly overhead, but you can still hear the birds' songs) Little Sycamore Trail Video
Pictures of the plants and scat I found are available HERE: Little Sycamore Trail Photos
(For more information on the Nix Nature Center, call 949-923-2235, or visit www.ocparks.com/lagunacoast).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
