The following is a press release from an organization unaffiliated with Voice of OC. The views expressed here are not those of Voice of OC.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 28, 2017
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Joel Zlotnik (714) 560-5713
Eric Carpenter (714) 560-5697
OCTA Seeks Public Input on Open Space Preserves
Meetings in Orange, Brea and Laguna Niguel will allow public to review and comment on plans for managing lands that protect valuable wildlife and habitat
ORANGE – Public input is being sought at three scheduled open houses to discuss draft plans that will guide the management of valuable wildlife and habitat on the Orange County Transportation Authority’s open space properties in the Aliso Canyon Preserve in Laguna Beach and Hayashi Preserve in Brea.
The open houses being hosted by OCTA staff, which will allow members of the public to learn more about each resource management plan and provide feedback, are planned for:
2:30 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4
OCTA Headquarters, 550 S. Main St. Orange, CA 92868
5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5
Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
28373 Alicia Parkway Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 (Alicia Parkway and Awma Road)
5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25
Brea Civic Center
1 Civic Center Circle, Floor 2, Community Room A Brea, CA 92821
As part of Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, OCTA has purchased seven open space properties from willing sellers to preserve the land and permanently ensure that valuable animal and plant species can thrive for generations to come.
The preserves are being purchased to offset the impacts of construction on 13 Measure M freeway projects being built throughout Orange County.
The draft resource-management plans for the last two of the seven OCTA properties have been released for public review. The plans outline how the open-space properties will be managed and monitored to ensure that wildlife and native habitat are protected.
The plans also address fire-prevention measures and managed recreational use of the properties by the public where and when appropriate, while still ensuring that endangered animal and plant species remain unharmed.
The public can review the plans and comment online by visiting www.OCTA.net/RMP.
The 90-day public review and comment period ends Dec. 1.
Measure M, originally approved in 1990, was renewed in 2006 with support from nearly 70 percent of voters. When planning for the renewed Measure M, OCTA believed it was important to work with the environmental community and wildlife agencies to find the best way to offset the effects of construction of freeway projects on the environment.
Rather than take a piecemeal approach to mitigating individual project impacts, OCTA took a comprehensive approach, allowing for the preservation and protection of large areas of open space with the most sensitive habitat and wildlife. That approach resulted in the Measure M Freeway Environmental Mitigation Program.
Through the process, OCTA has worked closely with local environmental groups and with state and federal wildlife officials to develop a conservation plan. In exchange, the wildlife agencies have agreed to streamline the permitting process, allowing OCTA to more quickly deliver much-needed freeway projects.
A total of 5 percent of Measure M’s freeway budget is available for this program, expected to total more than $280 million over 30 years.
So far, OCTA has acquired seven open space properties, totaling more than 1,300 acres. Previously, resource-management plans were approved for the other five preserves – at Ferber Ranch, O’Neill Oaks, Hafen, Saddle Creek South and MacPherson.
In addition to the land purchases, 12 restoration projects are currently funded throughout Orange County. Funds will aid in removing invasive plant species and restoring about 350 acres of open space to its native habitat.
The areas now being protected connect with other open space giving wildlife greater area to move. They also include endangered and threatened habitat and species, including plants, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals.
# # #
Voice of OC posts press releases to provide readers with information directly from organizations. We do not edit or rewrite press releases, and encourage readers to contact the originator of a given release for more information.
To submit a press release email pressreleases@voiceofoc.org.