LAGUNA BEACH : Group Selects Name for New Parkland

A lively debate over what to call 2,800 acres of parkland at the edge of Laguna Beach was settled this week when a group formed to manage the parcel chose the name Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

Dozens of names had been considered for the prized parcel, which is expected to expand to 15,000 acres as chunks of open space from Newport Beach to Laguna Niguel and inland to Irvine are added to it. Eventually, county officials say, it will be Orange County’s largest wilderness park.

Since many who fought to preserve the land as open space claim a stake in the property, selecting the right name was a challenge for members of the Coastal Greenbelt Authority, a four-member panel created to manage the park.

But after about an hour of debate on Wednesday, the group voted 3-1 in favor of the new name, which was proposed by Gasper Patrico, a public relations consultant for the Laguna Canyon Foundation. The foundation was set up to collect money to help buy land in Laguna Canyon, which will become a part of the park.

“They really tried to play with it,” said foundation Director Mary Fegraus. “You have to think about history, emotion, (descriptive) words.”

Although many Laguna residents had felt strongly that the word Greenbelt should be a part of the name because the slice of wilderness known as the Laguna Greenbelt is at the heart of the park, Fegraus said it was voted down because outside the local area, greenbelt is “more of an urban planning term.”

The name must still be approved by the Laguna Beach City Council and the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

Fegraus said those wishing to contribute to the purchase of land in Laguna Canyon can send tax-deductible donations to P.O. Box 4895, Laguna Beach, Calif. 92652, or call (714) 497-8324.