Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (Nix Nature Center)

James and Rosemary Nix Nature Center/ Little Sycamore Canyon Staging Area location  
(From the Orange County Parks Website: ocparks.com)    
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park lies within some of the last remaining coastal canyons in Southern California. The park ecosystem is primarily Coastal Sage Scrub, with Maritime Chaparral, Oak Woodlands, Riparian habitats, and the ONLY natural lakes in Orange County. The park is also enrolled in the Natural Community Conservation Planning program designed to protect various endangered species (California Gnatcatcher, Cactus Wren, Orange-Throated Whiptail) by preserving large tracts of the rapidly diminishing coastal sage ecosystem.    
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park's 6,500 acres (property is owned by The City of Laguna Beach, The County of Orange, and the California Department of Fish & Game) are part of the South Coast Wilderness area, comprised of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, Crystal Cove State Park, The City of Irvine Open Space and Irvine Ranch Land Reserve, and Laguna Coast (about 18,000 acres).