Arroyo Trabuco

One of Southern California's richest natural habitats--home to a dwindling wildlife population of deer and rare California birds--is being polluted and destroyed by surrounding subdivisions, according to environmental consultants hired by county planners. And unless a development on the drawing boards of the Santa Margarita Co. is moved hundreds of feet farther back than proposed, the consultants contend, much of the remaining natural resource will be lost.

Overruling concerns raised by environmental consultants, the Orange County Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously backed a proposed planned community near Mission Viejo. The proposal, which would allow as many as 2,500 homes and apartments to be built on about 1,000 acres, came under fire from an array of environmental organizations during a 4 1/2-hour meeting.

The local chapter of the National Audubon Society filed suit in Superior Court on Thursday to overturn the county's approval of a new Santa Margarita Co. community in a prime wilderness area of southeastern Orange County.

Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo has all the trimmings of a luxury course: a PGA Tour pedigree, manicured fairways, smooth greens and an upscale clubhouse. But its sales pitch is decidedly budget-conscious. It's a "high-end experience with reasonable rates," touted Matt Donovan, general manager of Orange County's newest daily-fee course, which opened Thursday. "Golf has gotten so high-priced, it shuts some people out ... and you can't make money unless people are playing the course."

A landscaper who died when his golf cart overturned and crushed him at the Arroyo Trabuco golf course was identified Thursday. Juan Gomez, 37, of Garden Grove was driving on an embankment Wednesday morning when the cart turned over. Gomez fell, and the vehicle rolled over him, said Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Hayward Miller. Gomez was pronounced dead at the scene. The course is scheduled to open in the spring.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors has approved construction of a private golf course in the Arroyo Trabuco, near the community of Ladera Ranch, but will require a public bike trail through the course. The area had previously been zoned for sand and gravel extraction.

A 5.2-mile trail opening in Ladera Ranch on Saturday will allow hikers to trek from the mountains to the sea in South Orange County, providing a "missing link" from O'Neill Regional Park to Doheny State Beach. "The trail covers a wide variety of terrain and offers sweeping views of the Arroyo Trabuco, the foothills, and the views stretch all the way to the Pacific Ocean," said Diane Gaynor, a spokeswoman for Ladera Ranch, which developed the new trail.

A new 5.2-mile trail that opens in Ladera Ranch on Saturday will allow hikers to trek from the mountains to the sea in south Orange County, providing a "missing link" from O'Neill Regional Park all the way to Doheny State Beach. "The trail covers a wide variety of terrain and offers sweeping views of the Arroyo Trabuco, the foothills, and the views stretch all the way to the Pacific Ocean," said Diane Gaynor, a spokeswoman for the Ladera Ranch housing development, which built the trail.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors has approved development of a private golf course in the Arroyo Trabuco, near the community of Ladera Ranch, but will require a paved public bike path through the course. The area had previously been zoned for sand and gravel extraction.