Families are invited to hike the Trabuco Rose Preserve on April 6
ORANGE – The Orange County Transportation Authority is hosting a free wilderness hike on Saturday, April 6 for families and children of all ages to explore the Trabuco Rose Preserve.
The short and easy 1-mile, round-trip hike will be led by a guide offering information on the protected land, as well as leading activities and nature-related crafts for the younger hikers. No strollers are permitted on the trail.
For those who want to trek the full-loop trail, the moderate hike is about 2 miles round-trip.
The Trabuco Rose Preserve is an approximately 400-acre preserve that includes valuable native plant and animal species. Northwest of the city of Rancho Santa Margarita in Trabuco Canyon, it is one of seven natural preserves purchased by OCTA.
The Trabuco Rose Preserve, bordered by the Cleveland National Forest to the north and Trabuco Creek to the south, features rolling terrain with elevations ranging from 1,120 to 1,650 feet above mean sea level.
The seven open space properties, totaling 1,300 acres, have been purchased from willing sellers through OCTA’s Freeway Environmental Mitigation Program for the purpose of preserving them. The program allocates funds from Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements also known as OC Go, to acquire land and fund habitat restoration projects in exchange for streamlined approvals of freeway improvement projects throughout Orange County.
The program is a comprehensive effort to offset the environmental impacts of the freeway construction projects by preserving large swaths of valuable habitat, to protect the plant species and rare animals that live on the land and provide connectivity to other natural lands.
Twelve restoration projects have also been funded throughout the county to restore existing conservation lands to their native state. Approximately $30 million has been spent on acquisitions and $10 million on more than 350 acres of habitat restoration activities.
Registration for the one-hour hike begins at 9:30 a.m. on April 6 and the hike starts at 10 a.m. Space is limited and advance registration is required.
For more information of OCTA’s open space properties or to register for the hike, visit preservingourlegacy.org.
