Laguna Creek gets some attention

Barbara Diamond

Laguna Canyon has its conservancy and Laguna Greenbelt Inc. looking

out for it, but Laguna Creek is a stepchild.

“Our creek is neglected,” said landscape architect Bob Borthwick,

a longtime Laguna Beach resident.

Borthwick presented proposals to restore the natural vegetation

along the creek at a town forum hosted by the Laguna Canyon

Conservancy in the City Council chambers on Monday.

“Laguna Canyon upstream of the Village Entrance is the gateway to

Laguna, and the creek is its focus,” Borthwick said.

The canyon was once a lush riparian area irrigated by the creek.

Floods still occur. Vegetation could filter pollution from the creek

and absorb some of the flow, which is now speeded by a concrete

channel to the Village Entrance and from there to the ocean.

Borthwick, landscape architect for the StudioOneEleven’s winning

entry in the Village Entrance Design Contest, said the two projects

would complement one another.

Creekside tree planting could be done piecemeal, Borthwick said,

beginning with screening the Verizon parking lot, next to the Bark

Park, from Laguna Canyon Road. Canyon property owners could

participate by planting some trees.

“There are safety issues,” said Laguna Beach artist Olivia

Batchelder, who lives in the Sun Valley neighborhood of the canyon.

“I have seen the creek flood and carry away trees.”

One of the panelists, Batchelder wore a cap of sycamore leaves.

Other panelists were Melissa O’Neal, a member of the city’s

Wastewater Advisory Board; Scott Thomas from the Laguna Greenbelt and

“Canyon Walk” godfather Harry Huggins, who moderated.

“Harry did a PowerPoint presentation with wonderful photographs of

the canyon,” Batchelder said. “He said El Toro Road is really the

entrance to the city.”

Batchelder estimated that 30 people attended the forum.

“There was not a single naysayer,” Batchelder said. “It was very

positive.”

The forum was preceded by presentations in the past couple of

months to Laguna Greenbelt, the Beautification Council and the

conservancy.

All three organizations supported Borthwick’s proposal, and the

council kicked in $500 to get it started.

“I envision other community groups endorsing the idea,” Borthwick

said.

For more information, call Gene Felder at 533-6954.