Pick your side for Castaways

Don Webb

Castaways Park overlooks one of the most historic spots in the city

of Newport Beach. Captain Dunnels brought the steamship Vaquero into

the bay in 1870 and landed in the area just inland from the Coast

Highway bridge. From about 1875 to 1889 the McFadden brothers

operated a shipping service using the landing, which was named

Newport. During that time a warehouse, storage yard and the beginning

of a wagon road to Santa Anna occupied the point over looking the

Newport Landing.

From 1912 to 1928 the Orange County Country Club (now called the

Santa Ana Country Club) operated a golf course and clubhouse on the

site. When the Santa Ana Country Club moved to its present location,

the old clubhouse was refurbished as a restaurant and bar. Over time

it was operated as The Countess, Mona’s and the Castaways Club, which

was destroyed by fire in 1956.

This bluff top area has been referred to as the “Castaways” ever

since. Great views of the harbor and bay, the Newport Center skyline,

the San Joaquin Hills and Saddleback Peak can be enjoyed by those

walking or riding their bikes along the bluff top.

Castaways Park is designated as a view park for passive activities

in the city’s general plan recreation and open space element. This

element says: “Most view parks are between one-half to three acres in

size and serve the entire City. View parks are generally improved

with landscaping, walkways and benches.” A large portion of the 25

acres dedicated for Castaways Park is bluff or slope area that has

well-established plant material that grows naturally and has remained

undisturbed over the years. The more level portions of the site are

crossed and circled by trails and pathways with perennial plants and

grasses covering most of the area. From the history above you can see

130 years of varying uses that have led to this site being preserved

so that all can enjoy the beautiful views and history that Castaways

Park brings us.

We now seem to be at a crossroad in making a determination of how

to best let our residents enjoy the park. There seems to be at least

three camps:

* Those that would like a portion of the view park to be user

friendly with benches at view sites, and areas suitable for picnics,

flying a kite or rolling in the grass with the kids. They are happy

with the rest of the site being kept pretty much the same as it is

today;

* Those that want to remove all “exotic” (nonnative) plants and

bring in plant species that someone has determined might have

naturally thrived here over 130 years ago to make this a natural

plant interpretive area; and

* Those who are happy to leave the park just like it is today.

Camp 1, supported by the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission,

has requested grass for approximately 10% of the park (2 1/2 acres)

with the remaining 90% of the site being left as it is for the

present. The grassy area would be inside the central paved trail and

in the tear drop area on the point. Benches and a picnic area would

be provided near the point.

Camp 2 has obtained a grant to restore the area as a natural and

self-sustaining ecological site. This involves spending $230,000 to

remove “exotic plants” (those plants not considered to be native to

the area) from the site and then planting “native” species that will

need at least three years of irrigation and special care to

establish. To receive the $150,000 in grants from two agencies, the

city will have to agree to hire a qualified restoration ecologist for

three years to monitor the regrowth of vegetation and must commit to

replanting, if necessary, and maintaining the site in its restored

state until 2022. This commitment includes getting permission from

the granting agency for changing anything in the park as well as

their approval for uses on any adjoining parcels.

Camp 3 is the status quo group that likes the park just the way it

is with its trails and almost natural plants that seem to come back

every year without any special help from anyone.

To me, Camp 1 seems to most closely follow the general plan’s

definition of a view park. We need to encourage visitors to enjoy the

wonderful views and to spend a few minutes recognizing that this is

where Newport Beach began. A little grass in the midst of the area

will be like an oasis in the desert. This plan keeps control of the

park uses with the City.

Camp 2 would like you to believe that Castaways Park is the last

opportunity for a natural park when in actuality we have more than

twice as many acres of natural areas (451 acres) in the city as we

have in active and passive parks (199 acres). That does not include

natural areas like the ocean beaches (237 acres), the Upper Newport

Bay Ecological Preserve (692 acres), Banning Ranch (215 acres), Buck

Gulley (264 acres), Crystal Cove State Park and the Newport Coast

natural areas. Newport Beach has well more than 1,000 acres of

natural areas in the city. The restoration of the Lower Big Canyon

area or the natural area in the Upper Arroyo Park may be more

appropriate areas for the grant funds to be utilized.

Camp 3 has the easiest plan to implement, leave it like it is, we

like what is there now.

For those who have not had the opportunity to visit Castaways

Park, the parking area for the park is off of 16th Street just east

of Dover Drive. Spend 10 minutes walking out to enjoy the view and

look over where Newport began. Which camp will you join?

The Newport Beach City Council will discuss the future of

Castaways Park at their 4 p.m. study session on Tuesday in the City

Council Chambers

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Don Webb is a member of the Newport Beach City

Council.