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| Summary | State Park's Conversion/Restoration Plan |
| Updates | OC Register Article on El Morro |
The Laguna Beach Chapter of Surfrider Foundation is part of a large coalition of environmental groups and individuals who support a plan by California State Parks to convert the private El Morro Trailer Park area of Crystal Cove State Park into a State Park Campground and day use area. The State Park plan would remove the 300 trailers from the beach and canyon, provide environmental restoration of the degraded creek and canyon, and provide for public access to this property. This section of Crystal Cove State Park has been a defacto private beach since 1979 and it's time that the people of California took it back!
Update - December 2005
El Morro Settlement - Both the LA Times and the OC Register reported on November 5 that a settlement has finally been reached between CA State Parks and the residents of El Morro Trailer Park to end their occupation of this section of the State Park and allow the State Park restoration plan to proceed starting next Spring. The residents must leave by March 1, 2006 and must pay the state $650,000 for project delays and back rent. After the trailers are gone, the State will build a 60 unit campground and a day use parking area on the inland side of the Coast Hwy. The beach will be left completely natural. We can't wait. More info on this our El Morro Page.
Update - August 2005
The progress on eviction of the tenants who have been illegally squatting on your state park land since their lease ran out last December 31 continues to be agonizingly slow. A judge recently ruled against continued occupation by the management office, and there will be an important hearing or ruling on a lawsuit by the "master tenant" on August 23. One unfortunate result of this delay is that the contractor bids for restoration of the property and conversion into a campground keep going up, partially because the contractors now have to include removal of trailers in their bids. As a result, State Parks has scaled back the scope of the project, eliminating the lifeguard building and restroom on the beach and delaying the creek restoration.
Update - May 2005
Good news! Assemblyman Chuck Devore withdrew his misguided bills that would have let the residents of the El Morro Trailer Park continue to reside on your State Park land for another 30 years. Over 800 people submitted letters opposing these bills, about 640 of which came from Surfrider's action alert. Now we just have to wait out the agonizingly slow process as many of the residents fight the eviction process in court.
State Park's Conversion/Restoration Plan
Click Image To Enlarge
Features of the plan include:
A lifeguard tower on the beach
El Moro Creek restored with invasive plants removed
The canyon bottom will be reserved for day use parking and picnicking
60 camping spots on the upper terrace
Archeological site protection of a significant site (5,000+ yrs/ 6 acre native American village site)
Significant removal of pavement
Native plant restoration throughout the project
Elimination of nuisance flows
Water quality treatment system (state of the art)
Enhanced coastal access including ADA access to beach, not presently available
Coastal/Canyon trail linkage - "Gateway to Laguna Coast Wilderness Park
Educational and Interpretive facilities - Natural and cultural themes
200 Day-use parking spaces which serve both canyon and beach areas
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