CELEBRATE LAGUNA COAST WILDERNESS PARK 2005
SET FOR MAY 7 AT WILLOW CANYON STAGING AREA
Annual Event to Feature Guided and Independent Hikes and More
 
  Hundreds of nature lovers will have the opportunity to see Laguna Canyon in full bloom at Celebrate Laguna Coast Wilderness Park 2005, Saturday, May 7 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hikers may explore on their own or take advantage of special guided hikes offered May 7 only (reservations required). Free shuttles will leave the Willow Canyon Staging Area, 20101 Laguna Canyon Road, at 8 and 9 a.m. to departure points for two guided, panoramic-view hikes ending back at Willow Canyon. The 8 a.m. shuttle will take hikers to Irvine Ranch Land Reserve to begin a 6-mile, 3- to 4-hour trek over Serrano Ridge. The 9 a.m. shuttle will take hikers to Ridge Park to begin a less strenuous, 4-mile, 2.5-hour hike.  Another group will meet at 8 a.m. at the Willow Canyon trailer for a 3.5-mile, 3-hour loop through Laurel Canyon.
  At a 10:30 a.m. ceremony in Willow Canyon, Orange County 5th District Supervisor Thomas Wilson, Laguna Canyon Foundation President Michael Pinto and Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust Executive Director Michael O’Connell will address the event’s theme, Looking Ahead: The Nix Nature Center and the Interpretive Loop Trail. Visitors will have the opportunity to view and discuss plans for the center and the handicapped accessible trail, which are scheduled to open in early 2006. 
  Says Laguna Canyon Foundation Executive Director Mary Fegraus, “This year’s Celebrate event is a chance for the public to enjoy the colorful results of a rainy year. We invite visitors to hike independently or with a guide and attend the 10:30 a.m. ceremony to hear more about our exciting plans for the James and Rosemary Nix Nature Center and interpretive loop trail.”
  Celebrate Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is sponsored by Laguna Canyon Foundation, Laguna Greenbelt, Inc., The Nature Conservancy and the County of Orange--Harbors, Beaches and Parks. For guided hikes reservations, call 949-923-2235. For information, call 949-855-7275 (PARK) or visit www.lagunacanyon.org.  Rain will cancel this event.