Laguna Beach : Aliso Nature Preserve Included in State Budget
A $475,000 nature center at the Aliso greenbelt is part of Gov. George Deukmejian’s proposed budget for 1985-86.
The county applied last summer for the grant. If approved, the money would come from the environmental license plate fund, said Grace Secketa, a planner with the Orange County Environmental Management Agency.
The greenbelt is untouched ranch land along Aliso Creek near South Laguna and Laguna Niguel, which the Mission Viejo Co. plans to dedicate to the public in exchange for permission to build a planned community, Aliso Viejo, nearby.
The company already has offered 3,200 of the 5,400 acres intended for preservation, but none of the land has yet been accepted by the county, Secketa said.
Aliso Canyon is one of the last undeveloped coastal canyons in California. It is home to the blue heron, the coyote and other wildlife, Secketa said.
The canyon will be preserved in its natural state, and the nature center will be accessible only on foot, she said.
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