MISSION VIEJO : City to Celebrate First Arbor Day
Once the scene of angry protest by environmentalists, a 77-acre field filled with coastal sage, chaparral and live oak trees will instead be a symbol of rebirth Saturday as Mission Viejo celebrates its first Arbor Day.
A coastal live oak, the city tree, will be planted in a ceremony that starts at 11 a.m. near the corner of Vista del Lago and Los Alisos Boulevard.
The site was the center of controversy in 1990 when the landowner, the Mission Viejo Co., cleared about 10 acres of the property as a fire precaution. Local environmentalists were outraged, filling the council chambers to testify about the rich vegetation on the land.
Eventually, the Mission Viejo Co. deeded the property to the city as part of a citywide development agreement enacted last year.
Recently, the city appointed a task force to replant the graded portion.
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