Carbon Canyon Regional Park

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Carbon Canyon Regional Park
Carbon Canyon Park
Carbon canyon regional park lake.jpg
The lake that is found in the center of the park.
USA California Southern location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the park on a map of Southern California.
Location Brea, California, United States
Coordinates 33°55′12″N117°50′13″W / 33.920°N 117.837°W / 33.920; -117.837 Coordinates: 33°55′12″N117°50′13″W / 33.920°N 117.837°W / 33.920; -117.837
Area124  acres
Openingc. 1975 (1975)
Owned by Orange County, California
OpenFall–Winter: 7AM–6PM
Spring–Summer: 7AM–9PM
TerrainHilly
Water1 lake
Website ocparks.com
Main sign of the park during the summer Carbon Canyon Regional Park front sign during summer.jpg
Main sign of the park during the summer
Horse trail that leads into the park Carbon Canyon Regional Park horse trail.jpg
Horse trail that leads into the park

Carbon Canyon Regional Park (or simply Carbon Canyon Park) is a regional park in Brea, California, that was created after the Carbon Canyon Creek was dammed. It links up with Chino Hills State Park on the east side. The park also is home to a small forest of Redwood trees, which have been struggling to survive since the start of the 2010 California drought.

Contents

History

The land that the park currently sits on used to be the town of Olinda just before the 1880s. It wasn't until a dam on Carbon Canyon Creek was built to prevent flooding that the area became a park. [1]

Facilities

Carbon Canyon Regional Park has the following facilities:

Redwood forest

A small, three-acre forest of Coastal Sequoia redwood trees reside within the park's boundaries and is host to various species of birds, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and fauna. [2] The forest was threatened in 2008 by the Triangle Fire and by the California drought from 2010 to 2016. [3]

The staff at Carbon Canyon Park have met with specialists from UC Irvine and Disneyland in order to put a new system in place that will sustain the forest through the current drought. [4] Despite these efforts, one tree was cut down in 2015 due to it being sick and near death. [5]

Usage

The park is used by people who want to have picnics or to celebrate holidays. The hiking trail to the Redwood forest also attracts hikers. [6] It is also a frequent training and competitive area for various cross country teams. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Fire fighting

OCFA helicopter extracting water from the lake in the park Fire helicopter extracting water from Carbon Canyon Park lake.jpg
OCFA helicopter extracting water from the lake in the park

The lake in the park is often used to fill fire fighting helicopters when responding to fires in the area. [11]

The most notable use like this was during the Triangle Fire in 2008. The fire was threatening the eastern side of the city of Brea; including the Hollydale, Olinda Village, and Olinda Ranch communities, alongside Carbon Canyon Regional Park. [12]

Remodeling

The lake in the center of the park was rebuilt in 2014 due to reduced water quality and capacity, which resulted in OC Parks not being able to stock the lake with fish. [13]

Demolition of the existing lake began on July 14, 2014. The lake had to be drained completely in order for heavy equipment to be used to remove approximately 9,500 cubic yards of silt. The silt had accumulated under the lake over the course of 17 years from runoff and wildfires. Removal of the silt was started in August 2014. [13]

Removal was completed in October 2014 and the process of refilling the lake started. Fish were stocked approximately a month after the refilling was completed. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sequoiadendron giganteum</i> Species of tree found in North America

Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and Metasequoia glyptostroboides. Giant sequoia specimens are the most massive trees on Earth. The common use of the name sequoia usually refers to Sequoiadendron giganteum, which occurs naturally only in groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brea, California</span> City in the state of California, United States

Brea is a city in northern Orange County, California. The population as of the 2010 census was 39,282. It is 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Los Angeles. Brea is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Canyon National Park</span> National park in California, United States

Kings Canyon National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed to Kings Canyon National Park on March 4, 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. Kings Canyon is north of and contiguous with Sequoia National Park, and both parks are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Basin Redwoods State Park</span> State park in Santa Cruz County, California, United States

Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of California, located in Santa Cruz County, about 36 km (22 mi) northwest of Santa Cruz. The park contains almost all of the Waddell Creek watershed, which was formed by the seismic uplift of its rim, and the erosion of its center by the many streams in its bowl-shaped depression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redwood National and State Parks</span> Group of national and state parks in northwestern California, United States

The Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) are a complex of one national park and three state parks, cooperatively managed, located in the United States along the coast of northern California. Comprising Redwood National Park and California's State Parks: Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and Prairie Creek, the combined RNSP contain 139,000 acres (560 km2), and feature old-growth temperate rainforests. Located within Del Norte and Humboldt Counties, the four parks, together, protect 45 percent of all remaining coast redwood old-growth forests, totaling at least 38,982 acres (157.75 km2). These trees are the tallest, among the oldest, and one of the most massive tree species on Earth. In addition to the redwood forests, the parks preserve other indigenous flora, fauna, grassland prairie, cultural resources, portions of rivers and other streams, and 37 miles (60 km) of pristine coastline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park</span> State park in Santa Cruz County, California, United States

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving mainly forest and riparian areas in the watershed of the San Lorenzo River, including a grove of old-growth coast redwood. It is located in Santa Cruz County, primarily in the area between the cities of Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley, near the community of Felton and the University of California at Santa Cruz. The park includes a non-contiguous extension in the Fall Creek area north of Felton. The 4,623-acre (1,871 ha) park was established in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 142</span> Highway in California

State Route 142, also known as Carbon Canyon Road for most of its length, is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that connects Brea in Orange County with Chino Hills in San Bernardino County. The eastern portion of the route is known as Chino Hills Parkway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redwood Mountain Grove</span>

Redwood Mountain Grove is the largest grove of giant sequoia trees on earth. It is located in Kings Canyon National Park and Giant Sequoia National Monument on the western slope of California's Sierra Nevada. The grove contains the world's tallest giant sequoia. The Hart Tree and Roosevelt Tree grow in the grove and are two of the 25 largest trees by volume in the world. The largest tree is the General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest grove to the southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brea-Olinda Unified School District</span> School district in California

Brea Olinda Unified School District is the school district serving the City of Brea in Orange County, California, United States. It also serves portions of the nearby cities of Fullerton, Yorba Linda and La Habra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area</span>

Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area (CCRRA) is a regional park located in Castro Valley, Alameda County, California. It is part of the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irvine Lake</span> Body of water

Irvine Lake is a reservoir in Orange County, California, United States. It is on Santiago Creek, located in Silverado, California, east of the city of Irvine and close to Irvine Regional Park. The reservoir is currently operated by the Serrano Water District and OC Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santiago Creek</span> River in California, United States

Santiago Creek is a major watercourse in Orange County in the U.S. state of California. About 34 miles (55 km) long, it drains most of the northern Santa Ana Mountains and is a tributary to the Santa Ana River. It is one of the longest watercourses entirely within the county. The creek shares its name with Santiago Peak, at 5,687 ft (1,733 m) the highest point in Orange County, on whose slopes its headwaters rise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olinda, Brea, California</span> Neighborhood of Brea in Orange County, California, United States

Olinda is a neighborhood in Brea, California, located on Carbon Canyon Road east of the rest of the city. The original village was founded in the 1890s and grew when petroleum was discovered at the adjacent Brea-Olinda Oil Field. In February 1917, Olinda Village and the nearby town of Randolph were incorporated as the city of Brea. The site is now registered as California Historical Landmark #918 registered on January 1. 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laguna Canyon</span> Canyon in Tongva Territory, United States of America

Laguna Canyon is a canyon that cuts through the San Joaquin Hills in southern Orange County, California, in the United States, directly south of the city of Irvine. The canyon runs from northeast to southwest, and is drained on the north side by tributaries of San Diego Creek and on the south by Laguna Canyon Creek. It is deeper and more rugged on the southwestern end near Laguna Beach.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brea-Olinda Oil Field</span> Oil field in Orange and Los Angeles Counties, California, United States

The Brea-Olinda Oil Field is a large oil field in northern Orange County and Los Angeles County, California, along the southern edge of the Puente Hills, about four miles (6 km) northeast of Fullerton, and adjacent to the city of Brea. Discovered in 1880, the field is the sixteenth largest in California by cumulative production, and was the first of California's largest 50 oil fields to be found. It has produced over 412 million barrels of oil in the 130 years since it was first drilled, and retains approximately 19 million barrels in reserve recoverable with current technology. As of the beginning of 2009, 475 wells remained active on the field, operated by several independent oil companies, including Linn Energy, BreitBurn Energy Partners L.P., Cooper & Brain, and Thompson Energy.

The Olinda Landfill is a landfill situated in Orange County, California, west of the northern portion of Chino Hills State Park in Carbon Canyon in Olinda neighborhood of Brea City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olinda Elementary</span> Public elementary school in Brea, Orange County, California, United States

Olinda Elementary is an elementary-level school located in Brea, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palo Colorado Canyon, California</span> Unincorporated community in California, United States

Palo Colorado Canyon is an unincorporated community in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. The canyon entrance is located 11.3 miles (18.2 km) south of the Carmel River at the former settlement of Notley's Landing, 6.5 miles (10 km) north of Point Sur, and at an elevation of 112 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park</span> Park in Orange County, California

Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park is a public regional park in southern Orange County, California. Whiting Ranch features riparian, oak woodland, grassland, chaparral, and coastal sage scrub environments throughout various canyons and hillscapes. The 2,500 acre park mostly encompasses unincorporated land just outside of Lake Forest. The park is home to over 17 miles of trail spread out over 23 different paths, making the location a popular destination for mountain bikers, hikers, and horseback riders.

References

  1. "Carbon Canyon Regional Park History". OCParks. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  2. "Orange County, California – Carbon Canyon Regional Park" . Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  3. Clay, Joanna (25 June 2015). "O.C. redwoods in peril: County working to keep treasured grove in Carbon Canyon park alive in drought". The Orange County Register. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  4. "California redwood trees stressed to breaking point by drought, dying in Southern California". San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  5. "Drought killing redwoods in Southern California". ChicoER. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  6. "Morning hike through the redwoods". The Orange County Register. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  7. "Defender Mancilla Has Stopping Power". CSUF News Center. 8 September 2015. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  8. Gonzales, Christian (1 September 2015). "Men's cross country prepares for first meet this weekend". Talon Marks. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  9. "USC Opens Cross Country Season By Placing Second at Mark Covert Classic". USC Trojans. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  10. Moncada, Andrew (29 September 2011). "Cross country teams take on top teams at Notre Dame Invitational". The Daily Bruin. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  11. Weber, Scott (7 July 2007). "Brush Fire Spreads in Carbon Canyon". NBC Southern California. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  12. "Freeway Complex Fire After Action Report" (PDF). Orange County Fire Authority Media. 15 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 "Carbon Canyon Regional Park Lake Restoration". ocparks.com. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2016.