ORANGE COUNTY

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a Charter Partner of the Irvine-Laguna Wildlife Corridor, a project of the Laguna Greenbelt that links the south coastal wilderness of Orange County to the Santa Ana Mountains. The goal of the Corridor is to reconnect these wilderness areas for the long-term health of our local wildlife. We are proud to provide this update about the results of our Union’s efforts to create vibrant ecosystems in the communities our members live.

Local 11 has a long history as a coalition member in the creation of the Corridor. Early on, Local 11 joined a coalition of environmental organizations in the Coast to Cleveland Coalition, the predecessor of the the Irvine-Laguna Wildlife Corridor. You can read more about our efforts to protect this land in the letter below from 2018.

This key biodiversity corridor came under threat from development. Voters protected it as Open Space Reserve when they passed Measure W in 2002. Local 11 joined a lawsuit with Laguna Greenbelt to protect two key parcels of land near the corridor (outlined in blue and in red in the following map), including one (outlined in blue) called the West Alton Parcel, through which the proposed corridor will now run.

Thanks to these efforts, the Corridor project is advancing today. Laguna Greenbelt, Inc. has partnered with the company that is designing the groundbreaking wildlife crossing over the 101 Freeway north of Los Angeles and describes some of the benefits of this partnership for our Orange County members: “Humans directly benefit from healthy and robust natural areas within our communities and a fully functioning Wildlife Corridor is not only a key element in sustaining balanced ecosystems, but it also is a functional tool for making roadways safer by eliminating vehicle-wildlife collisions.”

This project will benefit a wide array of species native to the region, from foxes to bobcats to gnatcatchers to roadrunners, ensuring a thriving ecosystem for generations to come. Click here to learn more about the Wildlife Corridor and its progress toward completion, or click the map below to see the latest on Instagram.

Click here to learn more about the Wildlife Corridor and its progress toward completion, or click the map below to see the latest on Instagram.