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Written by Roger
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Sunday, 16 November 2008 |
 Community Forum Added
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Upcoming Volunteer Meetings |
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Written by Roger
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Tuesday, 02 September 2008 |
Volunteers - please mark your calendars and plan on attending the following meetings:
- Limestone Whiting Equestrian Volunteer Meeting
Sunday, September 7, starting at 8a
O’Neill Regional Park Conference Room
30892 Trabuco Canyon Road
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678 The meeting will go over: - New Trails at Limestone Whiting
- Equestrian Rules and Regulations
- Equestrian Patrol Shift Sign-in Procedures
- Open Forum: Volunteer questions, concerns and experiences
A light breakfast will be served. Please bring any questions, concerns and experiences you may have had as an Equestrian Volunteer at Limestone Whiting.
- Limestone Whiting General Volunteer Meeting with Ranger Vicky
Sunday, Sept 14, starting at 8am
O’Neill Regional Park Conference Room
30892 Trabuco Canyon Road
Trabuco Canyon, CA 92678 The meeting will go over: - Volunteer and Ranger introductions (meet and greet go to know each other)
- What volunteers would like to do for Limestone-Whiting
- Limestone-Whiting's needs
A light breakfast will be served. Please bring any questions, concerns and experiences you may have had as Volunteer at Limestone Whiting. If you have not done so already, please RSVP your first name, last name and email address to: Angeline Santiago
OC Parks Volunteer Services714-973-6871
(or use the Contact Us page to RSVP to Angeline via the email form)
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Alledged Mountain Lion Attack A Fake? |
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Written by Roger
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Thursday, 07 August 2008 |
The report of a man being attacked by a mountain lion yesterday (08/06/08) is now suspected as being fabricated. The man reported that he was "swatted" by a mother mountain lion and sustained a scratch to the arm when he approached 3 cubs. He said he approached the cubs to pet them because he thought they were cute.
Officials spent hours searching for the mountain lions, potentially to "put them down" (kill) or relocate them to another wilderness area in San Diego. Officials are now saying that the scratch on his arm does not look like it was from a mountain lion attack, and that there are inconsistencies in his story... Officials say he could be prosecuted if he is found to have filed a false report.
The park was closed during the investigation but was reopened late in the afternoon. Foothill Ranch elementary school, which shares a boundary with the wilderness park, was locked down as a result of this event, affecting many children that attend a summer program there (including one of my own).
More details can be found here at KTLA news, or at OC Register or at LA TImes.
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Gallery Updated - Grand Reopening |
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Written by Roger
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Monday, 14 July 2008 |
 Woo Hoo!
Fire damage was still very obvious in most places, but there were pockets of untouched (or mostly untouched) areas as well. I tried to take pictures (which will be posted to the gallery when I get a break from work), but the urge to ride was simply overwhelming.
Other points of interest - CBS and Fox News showed up to cover the grand reopening, one of which was stationed at Four Corners. Did anyone catch the coverage on TV?
Stay tuned for the photos...
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Official Open Date Announced |
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Written by Roger
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Thursday, 03 July 2008 |
The county has announced an official opening date for Limestone/Whiting Ranch: July 12th, 2008. They are also looking for volunteers to help with the various activities surrounding the opening. If you would like to volunteer please contact Adopt-a-Park at (714) 973-6871 for instructions.
To read the full article on the county website, click here. Hopefully we will see you on the trails and/or volunteering!
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Written by Roger
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Sunday, 15 June 2008 |
Ranger Vicky informs me that Whiting Ranch is tentatively scheduled to open mid-July. She also says they are looking for volunteers to be stationed at each of the park entrances for the purpose of providing updated park information, including trail reroutes and the importance of staying on the trails. If you would like to help out, and are already a park volunteer, please contact Vicky using the "contact us" tab at the top of the page.
So lets hear it, I know you are all thinking it... WOO HOO! At least it will be nice and hot for that mid-July climb up Mustard. Have you been staying in shape since the closure of Whiting??? Not me, so if you see my body collapsed on the trail just kick me over to the side so I won't get in everyone's way...
Check back for updates.
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Written by Sr. Park Ranger Vicky
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Saturday, 22 March 2008 |
 The park needs time to heal so the wildlife can re-habituate. Staff needs time to make the park safe for the wildlife and the public. The rainy season brought major erosion damage to many of the trails. Staff is working hard to re-open the park as soon as possible.
FIRE DAMAGE:
- 4,000 acres of park land
- Hundreds of mature Oak and Sycamore trees
- 12 kiosks
- 2 Bridges destroyed, 3 partially damaged
- Over 200 trail signs
- 1.5 Miles of barb-wire fencing
- 100 linear feet of split rail fencing
WORK TO BE DONE:
- OCFA (Orange County Fire Authority) grading over 10 miles of fire roads
- Trail signs will be replaced
- 75 water bars and trail steps need replacing
- 100 ft of split rail fence to be installed
- 10 miles of single track trails cleared of debris and re-graded
- Removal of non-native vegetation
As you can see, we have our work cut out for us. Meanwhile, please continue to respect the park closure and giving us the time to heal the land.
THANK YOU!
Vicky
Senior Park Ranger
(Check out more pictures from Vicky in the photo gallery!) |
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Written by Roger
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Wednesday, 27 February 2008 |
We have not heard very much information regarding the status of Whiting Ranch lately. Sr. Park Ranger Vicky says they are busy dealing with erosion control and clearing debris. No scheduled volunteer activities are planned at this time either. We also attended the Volunteer Adopt-A-Park Program Orientation Meeting meeting at O'Neill park recently and while there were a number of new and returning Whiting Ranch volunteers on hand, little was said regarding the park status, nor when it might open up again.
We have observed a fair amount of activity in the park though. Whether it's ranger and county vehicles in the parking lots, or even in the residential streets that share Whiting as their back yard (ours included), or workers spotted on the hill tops, they are in fact out there working to get the park open.
Please let us know if you have any park updates or know of any volunteer activities - we'll pass along the info to the community.
Thanks!
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