Laguna Laurel, Coal Canyon Win Protected Status

The state Fish and Game Commission on Friday unanimously designated Coal Canyon in Anaheim an ecological reserve, but defied environmentalists by also deciding to allow hunting there.

The commission, meeting in Monterey, Calif., also extended the ecological reserve status to the 76-acre Laguna Laurel in Laguna Canyon, as well as to eight other sites throughout the state. No hunting will be allowed in Laguna Laurel, however.

“The next step is putting a management plan together” for Coal Canyon, said Jeff Weir, assistant deputy director for the state Department of Fish and Game. “We need to figure out the best use for the land. As part of that, we’ll determine what level of hunting is appropriate.” Weir estimated that hunting will be allowed two or three months a year.

Extending ecological reserve status to the 10 sites, which total about 12,000 acres, will help protect threatened and endangered plants and animals in environmentally sensitive areas, officials said. The designation for Coal Canyon means the 952-acre site off the Riverside Freeway will be listed in state Fish and Game publications as an approved hunting location.

Local hunters, backed by Fish and Game staff, say hunting will provide recreational opportunities without significantly reducing the wildlife population. Though they are happy about Coal Canyon’s ecological reserve designation, opponents argued that the safety of nature lovers would be compromised and rare vegetation would be threatened.

“We do feel that the commission’s decision to allow hunting is capricious and arbitrary,” said Connie Spenger of Friends of the Tecate Cypress. “Safety is definitely a consideration. There’s so much brush, the hunters can’t really see around it that well. In the long run, we really don’t think it will pan out as a hunting area, but for people interested in nature study, it’s a wonderful area.”

Hunting has been allowed in Coal Canyon for some time. Only shotguns and bows will be allowed for the hunting of game birds such as quail. Fish and Game officials do not anticipate droves of hunters going to the area.

“Realistically, it’s a relatively rugged area that’s difficult to access,” Weir said. “Part of what we’re legally supposed to do is provide hunting and fishing areas, but our mandate is to make sure it’s as good tomorrow as it is today.”

Aside from lizards, coyotes, hawks and rabbits, the area has a number of rare plant species, such as the Tecate cypress tree, which does not grow any farther north than Coal Canyon.

“I hope we can all compromise and work things out for the benefit of everybody,” said Ron Regehr, 51, a Huntington Beach resident and member of the California Sportsmen’s Task Force. “I’m looking forward to going out with a group to look at the (Tecate) cypress and the plants and tell other people to watch out for them.”

In Laguna Beach, where the endangered yellow-green Laguna Beach live-forever (Dudleya stolonifera) grows, backers of Laguna Laurel were pleased about the designation.

“It’s preserving a very special area not only for the plants, but for the rock formations, which are absolutely amazing,” said Mary Fegraus, executive director of the Laguna Canyon Foundation. “They’re like eight-story buildings with caves.”

The newly designated areas bring the number of ecological reserves in the state to 97. Other areas, with acreage in parentheses, approved Friday for ecological reserve status include Estelle Mountain Ecological Reserve (344.35), San Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve (6,900.96) and Sycamore Canyon Ecological Reserve (123.10), all in Riverside County; Plaisted Creek Ecological Reserve (547.51) in San Diego County, and San Felipe Creek Ecological Reserve in Imperial County (1,920).

Eastern Sierra ecological reserves include Indian Joe Springs Ecological Reserve (520) in Inyo County, River Springs Lake Ecological Reserve (637.65) in Mono County and Dales Lake Ecological Reserve (366) in Tehama County.