Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park
The Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park is a nature reserve in Orange County in the US state of California . The park is located on a hilly landscape east of Laguna Beach .
Elongated valleys and hiking trails await visitors in the nature reserve opened in 1990. The nearby Pacific Ocean can be seen from the mountains . The Aliso Creek of the same name flows through the area .
geography
Geographical location
The Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park extends in the southern San Joaquin Hills over an area of around 15 square kilometers. The cities of Laguna Beach , Laguna Niguel , Dana Point and Aliso Viejo enclose the area on all sides. The park is also bordered by the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park in the north and the Laguna Niguel Regional Park in the northeast. From the hilltops there are views of the Pacific Ocean .
The nature reserve covers Aliso Canyon, Wood Canyon and parts of Laguna Canyon . Roads and trails wind through the park for 30 miles (48 km). Aliso Creek and Wood Canyon Creek, a tributary, flow through the area.
geology
The Aliso Canyon was formed by the course of the Aliso Creek when the surrounding mountain range rose to its present height about 1.2 million years ago. The area lies on a four to eleven meter thick layer of sediment that was formed in the Holocene .
Flora and fauna
A diverse flora and fauna has developed in the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park .
Most of the vegetation in Aliso Canyon consists of native grasses and shrubs. There are small forests in Wood Canyon, which are mainly composed of oak and plane trees . Riparian forests also grow on the banks of Aliso Creek .
Up to 137 bird species live in the park area. These include great egrets , harriers , hawks , gold warblers and yellow-breasted warblers . The dense bushes offer protection to the rare California mosquito catcher . A group of five bald eagles and several peregrine falcons have been spotted in Also Canyon. Aliso Creek originally provided a habitat for rainbow trout . However, the fish population has steadily decreased due to water pollution, dam construction and canalization. At the moment only carp live in the water , which can reach a length of 45 centimeters.
Artifacts and fossils
The Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park holds a variety of ancient objects that testify to previous residents. Many types of prehistoric artifacts have been found, including stone tools. The remains of Rancho Niguel , a farm that existed from 1842 to the 1960s , can also be seen.
In the northeastern part of the nature reserve is the Pecton Reef. The exposed rock formation was formed in the Miocene and is the location of thousands of fossils . Petrified marine animals, reptiles, birds, plankton and algae suggest that the site was previously underwater. The discoveries at Pecton Reef have provided much insight into the early history of Orange County .
Web links
- The park official website (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Aliso & Wood Canyons Park Activities. (No longer available online.) OC Parks , archived from the original on February 6, 2008 ; accessed on June 7, 2009 .
- ^ A b Aliso & Wood Canyons Park. OC Parks , accessed June 7, 2009 .
- ^ Cultural Resources Inventory and Evaluation for the Proposed Aliso Creek Inn and Golf Course Project, City of Laguna Beach, California. (PDF) (No longer available online.) SWCA Environmental Consultants , archived from the original on June 30, 2007 ; accessed on June 6, 2009 .
- ↑ a b c Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. (PDF) (No longer available online.) OC Parks , archived from the original on November 10, 2006 ; accessed on June 7, 2009 .
- ^ Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, California. Southern California Day Trips , accessed June 7, 2009 .
- ^ Flood Protection Corridor Program. (PDF) California Department of Water Resources , accessed June 7, 2009 .
- ^ Paleontological Resources Identification and Evaluation Report. (PDF) Amtrak , accessed June 7, 2009 .
Coordinates: 33 ° 32 ′ 28 " N , 117 ° 44 ′ 13" W.