Coyote Hills is 510 acres of open space in North Orange County, CA. It's owned by Chevron Oil, but the oil pumps were shut down a long time ago. The property has been sitting vacant for many years, fenced off, private, and with little impact by humans in the recent past. It looks like "old California" used to look back in the day. The organization "Friends of Coyote Hills" has been fighting the good fight to keep the property undeveloped, but alas, a final decision has been made to build homes over a large chunk of the property. Coyote Hills is the last significant open space in a ten-city, highly urbanized area of Orange County (and happens to be about a mile from where I live). It contains a rich coastal sagebrush habitat, supporting 60 pairs of California gnatcatchers and other rare species. I decided it was time to go take some photos before it's all bulldozed over and homes are built.
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| Hole in the fence in a remote area. |
Coyote Hills (Chevron Oil property) is on the left of the fence. There are a number of these old service roads on the property. Some have degraded to gravel and dirt, others (like this one) are in pretty good shape.
The property has some amazing 360-degree views. As you walk it, you feel like you are on an elevated island that looks down on a sea of urban sprawl.
These markers are all over the place. I'm guessing they mark the spot of capped oil wells.
We used to call this "wild tobacco" or "tree tobacco" when I was a kid hiking around in the local mountains. I haven't seen it growing locally in a long time.
Toyon tree with red berries. This is native to California, and another tree I don't see very often unless I get away from developed areas.
A favorite part of the Coyote Hills property are the eroded sandstone cliffs. They have a nice reddish color. Here's a closer look.
Lots of California Pepper trees throughout the property.
Thanks for joining me on this walk of the Coyote Hills oil property. I like the rugged, untamed feel and very much wish it could be left as is. However, it's worth a huge amount of money... to Chevron in selling the property, to the developer/homebuilder, and as future tax revenue to the city. Seems like open space just doesn't stand a chance.
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Thanks for stopping by, and I always enjoy your comments!!
Amazing pics.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and lovely scenes.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place, I am so sorry the decision to develop has been made. Its a big part of my job and a constant fight to preserve habitat and landscape in this country, money talks and development is such big business and our developers wont understand that they can still make their money in consideration of the land they own with just a little effort. Thanks so much for posting these great photos.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos!
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that this wild area will be destroyed
Shame that it won't be left untamed. Lovely shots!
ReplyDeleteIf only the developers of the housing would intergrate them in the landscape without destroying it you have won a part and there are examples in the world of eco area 's who do just that . If it is only for the money then a pitty. But the day that a tree become more important than a man made structure is not more so far in the future.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful open space.. sad to hear it will soon be gone.
ReplyDeleteLove how you captured it's wild charm.
Hello, it is a pretty area. I wish they would leave this land as open space, I do not like seeing more development. Pretty scenes and sky, great series of photos. Enjoy your day and a happy weekend ahead!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos. It always makes me sad to see wild lands sacrificed to development. 'They paved paradise and put in a parking lot'..... Try to save some seed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the trip, I enjoyed it! Yes, it should be left as it is. But money talks!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend ahead!
Oh, the loss of nature. Tightens my chest. The American sprawl is such a waste. We see the same thing here in Florida. The wetlands, former ranch land, cypress stands, bulldozed for human pleasure. Makes me sick to drive 'out of the city', which used to be so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWow! Amazing view all round
ReplyDeleteAn excellent set of photos. It's too bad that money talks and now a development is going to be rising in the area. I thought the last photo was rather unique. If you look at the clouds, it looks like there is an eye looking out at you. It's right above those green trees on the left. Thanks for this post and have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteYou saved the best picture for last. I really like that one. Where I grew up-- in the Bay Area, a great deal of land has been made public so that people can hike and enjoy the beauty of the rolling hills, Mt. Diablo, the trees... What a shame that so much of Orange County is... The way it is. Well, Orange county is not exactly a hotbed of preservationists. I enjoyed these pictures, but it is a shame that this small chunk of still natural OC can't be a park. THAT would be ironic... considering its oil well past.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad to hear this. I lived in Orange County in the early '70's. It sure has changed.
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate that this area can't be preserved as open space. I live on the Front Range of Colorado and sadly very much of the same is happening here. Large ranches are being sold off to developers. Fortunately, there are many open space parks in our counties and preservationists are trying to keep the wilderness as is, but development is definitely a money making lure for many to sell off their land.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a beautiful place. But you can't stop "progress." I'm glad to have huge wilderness areas on the edge of my city.
ReplyDeleteI love this walk of the Coyote Hills oil property with you. So much to see and you have picked up some great scenes for us. Somehow, sooner or later, development will catch up.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos of a beautiful place.....too bad about the houses.....
ReplyDeletethat's quite an impressive view from up htere, love the shot of the rain and clouds in the distance :-)
ReplyDeleteReally nice photos! Like you, I'd rather it remain vacant, but better with houses than what it was.
ReplyDeleteAchingly beautiful, how heart-breaking this will have to go. It looks like an arid area, where will they get the water from?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots. Perfectly controlled light and colours
ReplyDeleteGreat walk around the hills. Yep developers will not miss out if they can and companys like Chevron are only too happy to see places like that to make a fast buck. If you have ream my last tow Tuseday blogs you can see what is happening in my village though over here in most cases peole put up a big fight and it takes a long tiem for any thing to Happen.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful -- but so sad. I'm sorry that you (and the earth) are losing this wonderful wild land. Your last sentence says it all.
ReplyDeleteVery nice area for hiking
ReplyDelete