OCTA renames its nature preserve in Laguna Beach

Aliso Canyon Preserve in Laguna Beach has been renamed Pacific Horizon Preserve.

The 151-acre parcel, which the Orange County Transportation Authority acquired in 2015, received its new name after an online vote that took place in recent months.

It was one of seven OCTA-owned preserves totaling some 1,300 acres to be renamed.

The agency acquired the lands through a freeway environmental mitigation program with the intent of preserving and restoring them.

“Renaming these wilderness preserves demonstrates OCTA’s continued commitment to protecting natural resources at the same time we make needed improvements to our freeways,” OCTA Chairwoman and county Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said in a statement. “These properties were previously slated for development, but thanks to OCTA’s innovative approach and collaboration with the environmental community, they will remain pristine for generations to come.”

Pacific Horizon Preserve is next to Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, as well as Moulton Meadows Park.

It features a variety of habitats, including chaparral, grassland and coastal sage scrub.

For more information about the preserve, including hikes in it, visit www.preservingourlegacy.org.

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Twitter: @BradleyZint