LAGUNA BEACH : Tollway Protesters to Picnic Near Site

Opponents of a planned toll road that would run through Laguna Canyon are asking residents to bring picnic lunches today and gather near the construction site to see the effect of recent grading on the canyon.

“There was something of a catastrophe out there and people who haven’t had a chance to stop by and see what happened should come out and see it,” said Michael Phillips, director of the Laguna Canyon Conservancy. “There’s a note of celebration because, at least for the time being, the canyon is ours again.”

After a court ruling in their favor Tuesday, tollway builders began grading on both sides of the hillsides alongside Laguna Canyon Road about a half-mile north of El Toro Road.

But after about 12 hours of work on Tuesday and Wednesday, bulldozers were temporarily halted by a second court order. Grading could resume next week.

Protesters, who were on hand throughout both days of grading, were stunned at how quickly the bulldozers went to work and said they won’t be caught off guard again. They are counting on people who attend today’s picnic to be outraged by what they see and to join in the protest.

Mike Stockstill, a spokesman for the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which is charged with building the road, would not comment Friday on the protests or on the effect such activities could have on the road’s construction.

He said the agency had met the necessary requirements before beginning work.

“The corridor meets all tests of the law as determined by the resource agencies that have approved it and the state and federal courts that have affirmed it,” he said.

The picnic, which is scheduled for 11 a.m., is planned to coincide with a previously scheduled hike and nature walk through the Jim Dilley Greenbelt Preserve in Laguna Canyon, which is located adjacent to the toll road site. The preserve parking lot is located along the east side of Laguna Canyon Road, three-quarters of a mile north of El Toro Road.

The city-owned land, which was not burned in the October firestorm, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visitors can choose from two self-guided hikes, including a 2 1/2-mile walk leading to a natural lake.

The preserve eventually will become part of the massive Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. The San Joaquin Hills toll road--which would stretch 17 miles from Newport Beach to San Juan Capistrano--will run through the parkland.

The Jim Dilley Greenbelt Preserve is normally open once a month to visitors. After today, it will be closed through the fire season. It will reopen in October.

Many who come to the canyon Saturday are expected to focus more on the graded tollway sight than on the greenery at its edge.

“While they’re here, (preserve visitors can) take a look at the destruction so they’ll understand,” City Councilwoman Lida Lenney said. “I think you have to see it to know.”