Our Five for 5 blog series focuses on what to visit, see and do in Laguna Beach. This fourth story will be about some of the outdoor activities to enjoy in Laguna.
Showing posts with label Laguna Canyon Foundation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laguna Canyon Foundation. Show all posts
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Thursday, October 6, 2011
13th Annual Plein Air Painting Invitational
There are many opportunities for you to watch these talented artists in action:
Quick Draw Paint Out
Sunday, October 9
11am to 1pm
Heisler Park
Stroll through this beautiful park and watch these master painters in action as they create plein air masterpieces before your very eyes. At 1:00 pm, walk over to Laguna Art Museum for a Meet & Greet Reception with the artists who will be there until 2:00 p.m. Enjoy complimentary beverages courtesy of the Laguna Art Museum.
Laguna Canyon Foundation Paint Out
Tuesday, October 11
9am to 10:30am
Laguna Canyon
Choose between two private tours that will provide additional opportunities to watch the participating artists in a paint out, and to raise awareness about Laguna Canyon Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving, protecting, enhancing, and promoting the South Coast Wilderness Area.
Paint Out at Crystal Cove
Thursday, October 13
8am to 12noon
Crystal Cove State Park
At the north end of Laguna Beach lies the magnificent Crystal Cove State Park, which boasts 3.2 miles of beach and 2,400 acres of pristine coastal habitat. The participating plein air artists will be at the Park’s famous Historic District to paint the beautiful landscape and cottages, and bring awareness to the Park’s protected environment.
Collectors’ Soirée
Saturday, October 15
6pm to 10pm
Laguna Art Museum
The entire week culminates with the Collectors’ Soirée at Laguna Art Museum. Join over 400 guests for this exciting gala where you will have the opportunity to view and purchase, in advance of the general public, the artworks created throughout the week by 50 of the nation’s top plein air artists.
You Can Win!!!
In partnership with the Laguna Art Museum, we are offering you an exclusive chance to WIN two tickets to the Collector’s Soiree (a $300 value). Post the below status update to your Facebook wall, tag Laguna Art Museum and Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau,and you will be entered into the drawing to win.
“Laguna Art Museum is hosting the prestigious 13th Annual Plein Air Invitational, October 9-16th. The event showcases 50 of the nation's top plein air landscape painters who compete for prestigious prizes and participate in festivities including public paint outs, environmental awareness activities, and educational events. Learn more and enter for a chance to WIN tickets to their annual Collectors' Soiree on the Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau blog: http://ow.ly/6PDlU."
Winner will be picked at random on October 14th and notified via Facebook direct message.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Family Hike
Last Sunday when the morning fog was still resting on the hills, my family and I headed out on a hike to Barbara's Lake in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park . We started at the trail head at the James Dilley Preserve entrance where we were greeted by a friendly Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteer. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing the wilderness park by maintaining trails, offering guided hikes, educational programs, and much more.
At the welcome center we found information about the park and the plant and animal life that live there. The kids decided the most interesting part was the handout on animal droppings. Although they got a real kick out of the title, "Dropping Clues!" they ended up learning a lot. By the end of the hike, they were able to identify coyote, racoon and rabbit droppings that were found along the trail. They discovered that it meant those were the animals that lived in that particular area of the park. Along the trail we also came across quite a few stink bugs, nearly 20 in total. The kids were like little naturalists in training as they observed the bugs’ behavior.
What else did they observe on our hike?
Snakes and what we think were gopher holes.
Black Sage - I showed the kids how to rub the sage between their fingers to bring out the scent. (I learned this on a previous guided hike that I took in Laguna Canyon with a naturalist. You can read about it HERE. )
My daughter loved seeing and smelling the fragrances of several varieties of wild flowers.
Once we reached the lake the sun had come through and we started to feel the heat. Thank goodness for the cool shade from the oaks and other trees surrounding the waters edge. We took refuge in the shade and rested after our hike and before heading back. Of course the kids didn't want to rest and continued exploring. They found a lizard sunbathing on a tree branch, dragonflies, and even a small turtle.
This mostly flat and approximately two-mile hike was a refreshing way to start our Sunday and a great way to spend quality time with my family. As Orange County’s only naturally occurring fresh water lake, Barbara’s Lake is another MUST SEE Laguna Beach location.
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park
Open Daily 7am to Sunset
$3 parking
Barbara’s Lake is accessible from the James Dilley entrance and the Nix Nature Center
As Laguna Coast Wilderness Park 's new headquarters, Nix Nature Center Nature Center 's windows frame four main views into the surrounding parklands, challenging visitors of all ages to consider the wilderness from various perspectives. An easy loop trail just outside the Center encourages visitors to appreciate the park's natural beauty. Restrooms with changing tables, drinking fountains, picnic tables, free maps and nature-oriented merchandise are available on-site.
For a map of trails click HERE.
By Anne-Marie S.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Cultural Resource Hike
When you live in the OC (Orange County, CA) like I do, and are constantly driving on freeways looking at miles of concrete, you sometimes forget that there are amazing areas of preserved wilderness right in your backyard . South Coast Wilderness Park consists of 20,000 acres or 31 square miles of preserved land. And right here in Laguna Beach, we have The Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (6,800 acres), which is part of the South Coast Wilderness Park system.
On a bright and brisk Sunday morning some friends and I visited the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park for a hike about Native Culture Resources. Our guides on the hike were a husband and wife team, Adele and David Heuer, both extremely knowledgeable on plant life, geological markings, and the culture of the Native American tribes of the area, the Apachimine. The Apachimine were a migratory tribe that occupied land from Long Beach down to Northern San Diego and as far East as Lake Elsinore.
David and Adele explained to us how this area of Southern California is considered a Mediterranean climate, with the spring currently happening (November).
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| Flowering Coyote Bush |
The Apachimine were adapters to their environment and were efficient in how they used the resources around them. They were also known as a coastal sagebrush community. With three varieties of sage growing in the area, it tended to be a large part of what they forged and used.
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| California Sage |
All the sage varieties give off a strong scent, the California Sage, White Sage, and Black Sage. The Apachimine used them in purifying ceremonies and also for medicinal and practical purposes. They were ground into teas for all kinds of ailments and the seeds added to soup and the leaves used for flavoring. They would line their baskets with sage to repel pests. Later the cowboys used sage in their bedding for the same reasons, a repellent, and were rumored to have rubbed the leaves on their bodies as a deodorant when going into “town.”
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| Live Oak Acorn |
Nearly 45% of the Apachimine diet consisted of acorns. The acorns were collected from the oak trees, with families taking ownership of specific trees in order to collect its bounty. Although the acorn is very tannic, the Apachimine would leach water through them to get all the tannins out. They accomplished this by using baskets or digging sand bowls on the coast. The meal left over was then stored for the winter and later cooked and made into puddings, cereals and soups. When storing the acorns and the other seeds, silos were built out of brush and grasses.
Cactus needles were used in tattooing, an important part of the Apachimine culture. Red tips have a fruit that is sweet with a gelatins mass substance. There is also a red fungus that grows on the cacti that was used as a dye (later the fungus was used as a dye in lipsticks.)
Throughout the entire hike both Adele and David had pointed out interesting tidbits and facts about the plant life, the animals in the area and geological markings. One interesting point was about how much of the soil is sand-based, since the entire Los Angeles basin was once underwater. The Santa Ana Mountains were a result of volcanic eruptions and are actually considered young mountains when speaking in geological terms.
Above is a picture of a Topanga formation showing the various layers of the flood plane.
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| Toyon |
Another fun fact our guides shared, was about the Toyon plant. When settlers came to the area from the Midwest they saw this beautiful plant with red berries and thought it looked much like their holly berry plants back home. They began to harvest the berries to use as ornamental decorations during the holidays. The plant was abundant in a particular hill area that they nicknamed “The Hollywood Hills.”
After a 400-foot elevation climb we reached the top of the hill…and we had a 360 degree view! We could see out to the Santa Ana Mountains and Santiago Peak, over into Aliso Viejo and Laguna Beach. Then out to Long Beach, Los Angeles, and the Hollywood sign. The day was so incredibly clear and bright that we could make out the Hollywood sign with our naked eye. One hiker had binoculars so we could all read the sign. Turning a bit more we could see the snow capped San Gabriel Mountains with a few clouds gathered around its peaks.
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| View out over central Orange County, Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains. |
The hike was wonderful and we all learned so much about this unique and amazing area we live in. In particular, how resourceful the Apachimine tribe was in utilizing the plant life in the area. Thank you to Adele and David who are volunteers with the Laguna Canyon Foundation. The Foundation is committed to preserving, protecting and enhancing the park. They offer hikes regularly and you can find the schedule here.
As we exited the park, I caught a glimpse of this fitting quote….
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| “Those who traveled before you have connected with this land in varied ways. What relationship will you forge with this land?” |
Parking is $3 and a donation of $2 is requested for each hike. – this differs depending on activity
By Anne-Marie S.
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