Operation: Oak Canyon

The area that is now Oak Canyon Nature Center was once part of a bustling mining community here in Orange County in the late 1800's. The surrounding canyons were mined for limestone, copper, coal and silver. People came to this area from near and far setting up camps similar to the exhibit you can see along the Main Road, south of the Nature Center. Many of the mining expeditions were "busts" and some only lasted a few years before mines were abandoned.

Today Oak Canyon Nature Center is a wildlife sanctuary, meaning the ecosystems contained within are not disturbed. This is one of the few remaining areas of pristine Oak Woodland and Coastal Sage Scrub in Orange County.

Operation: Oak Canyon (click to download)