The
Eden Project
This
Autumn, the Great Park Conservancy will host members of the Eden
Project to consult with us about how to build a successful 21st
century Botanical Garden at the Orange County Great Park. More
than just a green theme park, Eden is about connecting plants,
people and places. It is a living demonstration of regeneration
and aims to reconnect people with their environments locally and
globally.
Posted
September 26, 2007
Park
Programs
The center of the park will be largely an open
area, with the heart of the park being free of major structures. The
heart of the park is in fact a big open space, harkening to the historic
roots of Orange County. The fields will have a great lawn of 60 acres
or more, an area that will be able to accommodate large events.
Adjacent
to the fields and open areas are the neighborhood edges of the active
park, consisting of the Bosque and the Sports Park.
Along
the runway alignments is an open corridor running the entire length
of the site. It will accommodate a right of way for the future fixed
guide way transit system the will run along this corridor, providing
an important connection between the park and the future Great Park train
station, within the transit oriented development.
The
Canyon is the primary topographic feature of the park, occupying the
center and extending across the site. The Canyon combines the natural
and wildlife areas of the site – consisting of the Agua Chinon
corridor and the Wildlife corridor – with the cultural programs – consisting
of the lower canyon and the Cultural Terrace.
Posted
September 21, 2007
Memorial
Site
The commemorative and contemplative space at the
geographical center of the Orange County Great Park will be reserved
for those who served their country and those who supported them. The
Memorial Site will be formed at the intersection of the former main
runways. A preserved square of the original runway concrete (240’ x
240’, equaling more than an acre in size) will be bounded by earthen
berms reminiscent of the Quonset huts typical of the base. This site
will preserve a moment of time in physical space, commemorating the
lives of the men and women who served at El Toro and the families who
have been a part of El Toro’s Marine history.
Posted
September 7, 2007
El
Toro’s Heritage
Decades
of service to the nation by the Marine Corps will be honored at the Great
Park. Visitors will relive history by walking among actual components
of the El Toro airbase, which stand as tributes to the military history.
A central section and the two end points of the great two-mile-long concrete
runway will remain, and the footprint of the entire runways will remain
distinct, an open space at the Park’s core that will preserve a
sense of the former base’s vast scale.
Specific
to the occupation of this land, a timeline on the historic taxiway that
bisects the site will include the commemoration of major moments in the
history of the base. The runway markers, original hangars, historic planes
and museum exhibits will evoke the human dramas that played out during
the base’s long life.
Within
the Sports Park, there will be the Palm Parade Ground for special events
and displays, keeping the memorial program fresh and compelling. The
memorial site will occupy a tab of preserved concrete at the central
crossing point of the runway, marking a contemplative space to reflect
on the sacrifices that have anchored our freedoms. This contemplative
memorial plays homage to the servicemen and women, refugees, and local
citizens who all shared this space to build the American future.
Posted
August 17, 2007
Preserving
the Open Space Corridor
The
preservation of an open space corridor in the place of one of the colossal
north-south runways of the former airbase will reserve in the Park a
sense of the expansiveness that was once predominant in Orange County.
Focusing on the vistas at each end, the north of this axis will deliver
the Santa Ana Mountains, while the southern end will look toward the
coast, framing the San Joaquin Hills. Within the Park, these views will
terminate a processional spanning of the entire site, connecting adjacent
neighborhoods with a programmed corridor of open space. At one end will
be an enormous open lawn called the Bowling Green, and at the other will
be a series of engaging plazas called the Promenade of the Senses, each
designed to stimulate a different sense — sight, touch, sounds,
smell, or taste.
Posted
August 3, 2007
Crossing
Space and Time
The
Great Park has a long natural and cultural history. The site over time
will be commemorated in a walkable timeline, a landscape art feature
that will mark the key epochs and events that have affected this landscape.
Running east to west along one of the original taxiways of the El Toro
airfield, the timeline will form a central spine connecting major areas
of the Park. Beginning at the bottom of the Canyon, it will cross El
Toro’s major runway, extending into the Sports Park.
From
the geological events that shaped this land and the Native Americans
who were is first human inhabitants, the timeline will take us through
the Spanish colonial period, through statehood and the agricultural heritage,
through the military era, into contemporary culture and the construction
of the Great Park. By honoring the people who have lived and worked here,
the timeline will build upon the past to create a new future for Orange
County.
Posted
July 20, 2007
Planting
Environments at the Great Park
There are four basic planting environments
planned for the Great Park: coastal sage scrub, grasslands and meadows,
woodland environment, and streamside environment.
Coastal
sage scrub is found on dry slopes and flats from sea level to 3000 feet.
The plants tend to be small to medium drought deciduous shrubs. The
grasslands and meadows environment will include scattered trees, mostly
oaks with an understory of grasses and wildflowers. Wildflowers will
create seasonal displays, especially during the springtime bloom. The
woodland environment will be comprised primarily of oak trees with shrub
understory growth, providing food and cover for many species of wildlife.
The streamside environments will be found along stream channels and
pools that supply the environments with a permanent and/or ephemeral
water source.
Each
of these planting environments will be constructed under strict guidelines
that ensure sustainability and enhance the beauty of the Great Park.
Posted
July 6, 2007
The
Bosque
The
Great Park Flowering Tree Bosque will form the western edge of the Great
Park. Housing the Trabuco Road entrance to the Park, this will be one
of the first landscapes that will introduce visitors to the sustainability
goals of the Great Park. The species included in the Flowering Tree Bosque
will be a blend of native and non-invasive California friendly flowering
trees with a mixture of vegetated under story and open areas that will
offer opportunities for wildlife viewing, casual strolling, quiet reflection,
picnics, and education about the benefits of using sustainable trees
in the home landscape.
Posted
June 22, 2007
Ecological
Backbone
Transforming
the expanse of the El Toro airbase into a living landscape is fundamental
to the vision of the Great Park. Natural waterways will be reestablished
and habitats will be restored, bringing back Orange County’s natural
heritage. Agua Chinon, once trapped in a concrete pipe, again will be
a living stream. Hundreds of acres of wildflower meadows, grasslands,
oak woodlands, coastal sage scrub, and varied streamside habitats will
support birds, butterflies, and other animals long missing from the site.
The Park will not only creates new living space for wildlife, but by
connecting existing natural areas, it will enable plant seeds to disperse
and animals to travel. This ecological backbone will increase the biodiversity
value of adjacent preserves and help ensure a healthy, sustainable, natural
environment in the region.
Posted
June 8, 2007
California
Native and California Friendly Plantings
One
of the sustainability goals of the Great Park is to highlight and restore
Southern California’s unique and diverse native vegetation. Major
sections of the Park will contain only native plants, including Agua
Chinon and the Wildlife Corridor. The Canyon will be planted predominantly
with native vegetation. Some areas of the Park, such as the sports fields,
public lawns, and agricultural heritage plantings, and potential cultural
gardens, will contain fewer native species. Overall, the Great Park will
include 75% native and “California-friendly” non-native plants.
California-friendly plants have modest water needs and do not appear
on any of the state’s current invasive plant lists. This type of
landscape design will clearly demonstrates the beauty and value—visually,
ecologically, and economically—of using native species or others
that are appropriate for the region’s climate.
Posted
May 25, 2007
Vegetation
The Great Park will be a landscape of tremendous biodiversity. The restored
native habitats will be complimented by many special plantings. The Bosque
will be an open woodland of flowering trees, lovely in all seasons. Citrus
and avocado orchards and wildflower meadows will be scattered throughout the
Park, celebrating the region’s agricultural and natural heritage. Among
the Canyon’s many attractions will be a fern grotto, rocky outcrops,
and a palm oasis, each representing a unique plant community. A variety of
sustainable plantings, including a butterfly garden, will grow at the Botanical
Garden. People will be an integral part of these landscapes, enjoying activities
from biking to quiet contemplation. The Park will serve as a model of wise
land use for the 21st century, demonstrating how people and nature can live
together in a mutually beneficial way.
Posted
May 11, 2007
Wildlife
Corridor Planning for the wildlife corridor
involves close collaboration among ecologists, civil engineers, and hydrologists.
This sensitive parcel of the Great Park will be dedicated to enhancing
movement of animals across the Park land, joining the mountain reserves
to the coastal reserves. No human access is permitted. Plantings must
allow movement across this space. Water is supplied by Borrego Creek and
by on-site supplies. Fine grading plans for this site have been advanced
as c onstruction of this side of the Park is scheduled to begin in 2007.
After grading and water systems have been reviewed and approved by regulatory
agencies, final details of the planting design will be developed.
Posted
April 28, 2007
Restored
Habitat Ecologically complex restored
native habitats will be found in three major sections of the Park—the
Wildlife Corridor, Agua Chinon, and the Canyon. Native plant communities
will be found in other areas as well, including the Botanic Garden. Constructed
by following ecological principals and restoration protocols, these habitats
will need only modest management as the decades pass. The Wildlife Corridor,
off limits to the general public, will be reserved for animal movement
from the mountains to the sea, building a sustainable diversity across
Orange County. Agua Chinon also will link preserves north to south, but
it will be crisscrossed by paths so that visitors can enjoy this natural
area. Among the palm trees and other plantings in the Canton will be a
variety of critical habitats, such as vernal pools that support amphibians,
specialized plants, and other species that require standing water in the
spring. Incidental habitats will occur in the more culturally oriented
Park program areas, like in the Bosque and the Fields.
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In
Transition
View images
from our book, In Transition, El Toro
