CITYSCAPE FOCUS: Wilderness cleaning

The first efforts to restore 58 acres of newly purchased ocean-view wilderness took place Saturday, as volunteers united with Conservation Fund personnel to remove graffiti and gather trash from the site.

Local high school students Drew Ferguson and Cole Saladino joined with Scott Ferguson, director of Southern California Programs for the Conservation Fund, and Derek Ostensen, consultant for the Conservation Fund and Laguna Canyon Foundation in the cleaning effort.

The former Chao property, which was purchased with Proposition 12 Funds through the efforts of the Conservation Fund and Laguna Canyon Foundation just a few months ago, had been vandalized and littered with trash during several years of private ownership in which the land was not maintained, Ostensen said.

The group used wire brushes and sandstone blocks to scrub graffiti from the site’s unique rock formations, which removed a great deal of the paint, Ostensen said. The foursome also removed about 75 pounds of trash, mostly aluminum cans, glass bottles and food wrappers.

“It is important to return the property to its pristine, natural state before it is open to the public,” Ostensen said. “We hope to recruit 15 volunteers the next time, and will use enhanced equipment like sandblasters in the next two efforts to complete the job.”

The next clean-up date has not been determined.

For information, call the Laguna Canyon Foundation (949) 497-8324.