Panel Urges Ban on Cattle Grazing in Laguna Canyon : Ecology: Noting potential for damage to open-space parcel, group overseeing use of land recommends eviction of herd.

Cattle grazing alongside Laguna Canyon Road may be a soothing sight to some motorists, but a panel created to manage the open-space parcel has agreed that the munching beasts have overstayed their welcome.

The Coastal Greenbelt Authority, charged with overseeing about 800 acres of canyon land, unanimously agreed Wednesday night that the cattle should be evicted from the property.

An annual lease that allows grazing on the land, west of Laguna Canyon Road between El Toro Road and the Laguna Beach city limits, expires June 30.

Although Laguna Beach will lose about $9,000 annually if the City Council does not renew the contract, Deputy City Manager Rob Clark said Thursday that the city is likely to follow the panel’s recommendation.

“I think it’s unlikely that cattle grazing is going to be seriously considered since the authority is opposing it,” Clark said.

Environmentalists say the constant cattle munching is in conflict with long-term plans for the land, which include allowing coastal sage scrub and native grass to once again blanket the terrain.

If the cattle are removed, said biologist and panel member Elisabeth Brown, other animals, such as coyotes and deer, will reappear.

Brown, who has lobbied the Laguna Beach City Council to stop the canyon grazing, said Thursday that a vote against the cattle is a vote for smaller creatures, such as insects, rodents, snakes and lizards.

“It’s the whole wildlife food web or the cattle, and that’s the choice you have to make,” she said. “In a wilderness park where the emphasis is on habitat restoration and passive recreation, it doesn’t make sense to make the choice in favor of the cattle.”

The Coastal Greenbelt Authority is preparing an operations plan to determine how the land should be used. Ultimately, the Laguna Beach City Council and the Orange County Board of Supervisors will have the final say about the management plan.

Laguna Beach Mayor Robert F. Gentry, who once enjoyed the bucolic sight of cows roaming in the meadows, said Thursday that he now believes the cattle should go.

“I’ve changed my mind,” Gentry said. “I support the Coastal Greenbelt Authority position because I’ve gotten educated on the potential damage cattle grazing can do to a sensitive habitat area.”

The acreage currently under control of the management panel is expected to someday be part of a much larger wilderness park.

As other parcels are added to the park, they will also be managed by the Coastal Greenbelt Authority.

About 600 cattle now graze on the property, according to a lease agreement among Los Angeles businessman Fred Hendeles, the Irvine Co. and Laguna Beach.

Hendeles could not be reached for comment.