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 Parks and Recreation Planning,
 Management, and Design
Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park (AWCWP) Resource Management Plan (RMP)
Situated in Orange County near the communities of Laguna Niguel and Laguna Beach, Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park (AWCWP) encompass approximately 4,000 acres of open space. The park includes the hills, canyons, and floodplain surrounding Aliso and Wood Canyons. The park's landscape ranges from lush, oak woodlands to broad expanses of grassland and coastal sage scrub.
Owned and managed by the County of Orange, Harbors Beaches and Parks, prior conservation efforts have helped to ensure that the open space remains undeveloped. However, because it is situated in such an urban context with potentially conflicting uses and management objectives, the protection of the various park resources is a multifaceted challenge. Teamed with LSA Inc., The Dangermond Group has been assisting the County with the preparation of the RMP.
The need for the RMP stems from the recognition of this challenge. Although it is designated as a wilderness park, the park also serves as flood control lands for surrounding development, it must comply with fuel load reduction measures associated with wild land fire risks and the park is also hugely popular to various recreation enthusiasts including passive recreation and mountain biking. The RMP focuses on preserving and protecting the unique resources of the site while integrating recreation uses, as and where appropriate. TDG has lead the public input process through a series of four public workshops with the objective of identifying issues and opportunities as viewed by the affected communities and then gaining buy-in for the plan strategies and solutions. TDG also helped in formulating park identity themes, signage and gateway concepts. Additionally, TDG helped the County in identifying specific funding strategies as associated with the highest priority implementation action items.
The RMP will provide a comprehensive, long-term management plan for AWCWP. The fundamental objective for the RMP is to identify the best way to manage, protect and enhance the natural resource values of the park while providing safe recreational and educational opportunities to the public.
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