Greener County Parks

Samson the hot-tubbing bear got $190,000. A pair of wood-chucking beavers came in a close second with $115,000.

Perhaps it’s a sign of Orange County’s robust economy and the largess of its residents. No matter, county parks and the zoo are raking in big money from private donors and private corporations.

* In June, the doors to the Upper Newport Bay Interpretive Center in Newport Beach will open, thanks in part to a $1-million donation from Peter and Mary Muth, a Santa Ana couple whose construction supply company flourished with the region’s building boom. An additional $50,000 was contributed to the center by the nonprofit Friends of the Upper Newport Bay.

* Today the Orange County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to recognize James and Rosemary Nix, a retired Laguna Woods couple who donated $500,000 to build a nature center at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

* The nonprofit Orange County Zoological Society is responsible for transforming the zoo at Irvine Regional Park with nearly $500,000 from private and corporate donations. Once a lackluster site, it’s now a popular destination for families, boasting key attractions such as swank new digs for Samson the bear and Chipper and Chopper, two North American beavers whose antics have delighted crowds.

Donations to the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks agency have tripled in the past two years and now account for 5% of the $36-million annual budget used to oversee the county’s 22 parks.

The money couldn’t come at a better time, officials say. Park improvements and expansion projects were all but killed in the wake of the county’s 1994 bankruptcy, when the park agency’s coffers were raided as the county scrambled to get out of its financial straits.

“Donations have always benefited us because our funds are limited,” said Tim Miller, who oversees the county’s parks.

All told, the agency’s budget has been slashed since 1992 by nearly $10 million, nearly one-third of the division’s overall revenue. And at least 11%--about $4 million--of the agency’s budget was diverted for bankruptcy relief.

The public often underestimates how much it costs to operate the county’s parks, Miller said. Even when open space is donated to the county, making basic improvements--such as paving entrance roads and parking lots, building ranger stations and bathrooms--easily costs millions.

And despite the generous donations, many critical projects remain on hold, such as installing sewer systems at Irvine and O’Neill regional parks, Miller said. The donations help keep the agency from making hard choices, such as whether to pursue new projects, repair facilities or delaying new park openings.

It’s a problem the county will continue to grapple with over the next several years.

Growing Pains

Orange County continues to grow, with new homes, roads, schools and office buildings on what once was ranchland and verdant hillsides. Forecasters say the county’s population is expected to grow from the 2.8 million who currently call Orange County home to about 3.28 million by 2020.

The law requires that a certain amount of parkland be set aside as development moves forward and the area’s population grows.

While the county looks forward to the addition of that open space, it also places greater demands on the financially strapped department, Miller said.

“We anticipate that if approved developments go through, that in the next 15 to 20 years, the county will be adding at least another 15,000 acres,” Miller said.

The county park system now has 38,000 acres of parkland and open space, making it the county’s fourth-largest landowner. First is the federal government with the Cleveland National Forest, followed by developers Irvine Co. and Rancho Mission Viejo.

Private donations have always been the backbone of the county’s park system, beginning with a gift of 160 acres by James Irvine II in 1897 for what is now Irvine Regional Park.

The O’Neill family, owners of Rancho Mission Viejo, dedicated an initial 278 acres in Trabuco Canyon in 1948 for what has became O’Neill Regional Park. Most of the other land acquisitions, including large swaths owned by the Irvine Co., have been swaps made in exchange for development approvals.

In June the Irvine Co. turned over 2,000 acres as part of a development agreement that bolstered the rugged coastal wilderness park and helped create a contiguous 17,000-acre crescent of public parkland from the former Aliso Pier to Newport Coast Drive.

Land acquisition is not enough, though, which is why private donations are so crucial, said Mary Fegraus, executive director of the nonprofit Laguna Canyon Foundation. Without money for improvements--from staffing to bathrooms--the land lies dormant.

Her group is dedicated to raising money for improvements to Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, which is open only on a limited basis and has no paved parking lot, drinking fountains or permanent restrooms.

“You can’t just get the land and open a park,” Fegraus said. “I remember when the county opened Aliso Woods with a little trailer with no electrical power. There was hardly any staff, no park plan. They just opened it. We don’t want that to happen to Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.”

Fegraus’ group is small and has only a two-person staff. But it has raised $2.3 million over a 10-year period for park improvements. It relies on social and business contacts, meetings, talks and “a lot of shoe leather,” to encourage public gifts such as the Nixes’.

“They literally walked in our office and said they wanted to make a donation,” Fegraus recalled. “They have a great love of parks and wanted to do something that would be meaningful to this area.”

Preserving Nature

James Nix, 81, a retired supervisor for Pacific Bell’s customer relations, said he was fortunate with prudent investments and both he and his wife, who worked for the Los Angeles County Epilepsy Society, have a love of the outdoors and have spent many years visiting national parks.

“We gave our gift because we’d like to see some of the natural beauty preserved for future generations to enjoy,” he said.

It’s not immediately clear when the Nixes’ nature center will be built. Environmentalists blame the county’s limited resources, coupled with state delays surrounding a proposed new route for Laguna Canyon Road--which could affect where the center is built.

The couple are more than a bit anxious.

“Because of our ages, we’re hoping we’ll be around to see it completed,” James Nix said.

The Muths are generous donors to a variety of organizations, including the Catholic Diocese of Orange and the Stanton Boys & Girls Club.

“They wanted to give something to the county, and at the time, they asked [the late] Supervisor Tom Riley where he thought their donation would be most beneficial so the people of the county could enjoy it,” said Rick Muth, the couple’s son.

The Upper Newport Bay center was just an idea at the time. But the couple took Riley’s recommendation and dedicated $1 million to build the $3.8-million facility.

One of the county’s closest relationships with a private agency has involved the zoo in Irvine Regional Park. Over the past 12 years, the Orange County Zoological Society has raised about $500,000 to help the site.

“In the old days, it was just a small, underused zoo that didn’t have a lot of appeal,” said Robert Everakes, an ophthalmologist and the society’s president. “Folks who haven’t been to the zoo in 10 years tell us they can’t believe the changes to the exhibits.”

The society has cashed in on the public’s love of animals, especially celebrity animals such as Samson the bear, who became a household name after he was videotaped enjoying himself in a residential hot tub.

The society spent nearly $200,000 on a home for the bear and $115,000 on a den for a pair of beavers. Both exhibits have been crowd favorites.

“When Samson was captured in Monrovia six years ago, he was going to be euthanized,” Everakes said. “Some bear lovers called [then-] Gov. Wilson pleading for Samson’s life, and our zoo director went ahead and promised him a home.”

Finding money for open space is a never-ending battle, those involved say. Whether it’s building a nature center at Laguna Coast park or a new walk through the bison exhibit at the zoo, the need always outweighs the money available. And then there is the competition from other worthy charities.

“People love to give to the arts and to their old colleges and universities,” Fegraus said. “Environmental giving is very small by comparison.”

Still, these partnerships have become critical for additional revenue.

“We as county employees can’t go out and put our hat out and solicit these types of funds,” Miller said. “That’s why the Laguna Foundation, the zoological society and others are so valuable to us.”

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Perks for Parks

County parks have benefited from several large donations recently, from corporations and individuals. The parks and the donations tied to them include:

1) Peter and Mary Muth: $1 million gift to Upper Newport Bay Interpretive Center in Newport Beach.

2) Friends of Upper Newport Bay: $50,000 to same facility, which is scheduled to open in June.

3) James and Rosemary Nix: $500,000 gift for a nature center at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

4) Orange County Zoological Society: $190,000 to Samson bear exhibit and $115,000 to the North American beaver exhibit at the Orange County Zoo in Irvine Regional Park, Orange. Other donations made by the society include bald and golden eagle exhibit, $15,000; mountain lion exhibit, $15,000; and porcupine and armadillo exhibits, $60,000.