Aliso Creek stretches for 19 miles through our cities and canyons, originating in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains and culminating in a tidal lagoon at Aliso Beach. In the 1800s, Spanish explorers named the creek Aliso, meaning alder, in reverence of the existing riparian vegetation. The creek was the historical boundary between the Acjachemem and Tongva tribes and contains sensitive archaeological resources.
The Aliso Creek watershed is primarily urban and suburban. Very little wilderness or undisturbed land remains in the watershed outside of the immediate vicinity of Aliso Creek and the 4,000+ acre Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, making the this area particularly crucial for a range of wildlife. A variety of native habitats, including willow scrub, riparian woodland, and mulefat scrub, exists within the watershed. This diverse habitat is the home of several endangered or threatened species, including Least Bell’s Vireo, Southwestern Pond Turtle, Coast Horned Lizard, and others. The creek is a critical corridor for wildlife moving into the South Coast Wilderness, allowing animals safe passage even through developed areas while providing access to food, water and shelter.
Today, the creek needs our help. Aliso Creek and the plant community it sustains is possibly the most degraded major riparian corridor in Orange County, having suffered from a long history of pollution, development, invasive Arundo (giant cane) infestation, access limitations, and neglect. For over 40 years, local land managers, nonprofit organizations, state and federal wildlife agencies, and the public have all advocated for restoration of the creek and its banks. Laguna Canyon Foundation and its partners have led a multi-year effort to initiate the restoration of Aliso Creek from its headwaters to its ocean outflow. The 55-acre Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Measure M Aliso Creek project has removed 30 acres of Arundo from the watershed and begun to restore native vegetation to a critical section of the creek.
In order to preserve the creek and the wildlife it supports, Laguna Canyon Foundation and its partners and volunteers work to remove invasive vegetation and replant natives. A diverse native plant community provides habitat for a variety of local wildlife, including endangered species like the Least Bell’s Vireo, and helps the ecosystem resist destruction by drought, fire, flood, or future takeovers by invasive species such as Arundo.
The Aliso Creek Regional Bikeway, Riding and Hiking Trail runs for 15 miles from the Santa Ana Mountains to Laguna Beach, offering many opportunities to enjoy the wildlife and scenic beauty of Aliso Creek. Interested in getting off the trail and adopting the creek and areas surrounding it? Join us at one of our monthly Keep It Wild events in Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park to help out with planting natives, weed removal or trash pick-up!