West Coyote Hills
Encyclopedia
The West Coyote Hills are a low mountain range
in northern Orange County
, California
. Parts of it lie within the city limits of La Habra
and Buena Park
, with most of it sprawling across western Fullerton
between Ralph B. Clark Regional Park
and Euclid Street north of Rosecrans Avenue. The foothill region to the east and south is known as Sunny Hills.
; by the 1870s they were being called Coyote Hills.
A tract measuring 510 acres (2.1 km²) across the ridge of the hills, owned by Pacific Coast Homes (a land development division of the Chevron Corporation
), is the largest remaining tract of undeveloped land in north Orange County. Plans to build 760 homes on 179 acre (0.72438794 km²), while restoring and donating 352 acres to the City of Fullerton for use as the Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve.. The plan has been met with much enthusiasm and opposition from the local community. A group called Open Coyote Hills has been leading the support while a group called Friends of Coyote Hills, with a mailing list of about 3,000, has led the push to preserve the entire site as open space.
researchers have found invertebrate fossils representing 184 taxa
from 158 localities in the “San Pedro” Formation in the Coyote Hills, including various species of annelid
s, mollusks, arthropod
s, and echinoids; the fossils suggest a late Pliocene
to early Pleistocene
age for outcrops of the formation. The occurrence of the bivalve Solamen columbianum in the area marks its first occurrence as a fossil. The oldest fossil occurrence of the gastropods Tegula pulligo (Gmelin), questionably Haliotis cracherodii, and the crustacean
Randallia ornata occur in the “San Pedro” Formation in the Coyote Hills.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in northern Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Parts of it lie within the city limits of La Habra
La Habra, California
La Habra is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. Its related city, La Habra Heights is located to the north of La Habra, and is in Los Angeles County.-Origin of name:...
and Buena Park
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
, with most of it sprawling across western Fullerton
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
between Ralph B. Clark Regional Park
Ralph B. Clark Regional Park
Ralph B. Clark Regional Park is an urban park located primarily in Buena Park, California south of Rosecrans Avenue at the southern edge of the West Coyote Hills. A smaller section with six softball fields is located north of Rosecrans Avenue in Fullerton, California...
and Euclid Street north of Rosecrans Avenue. The foothill region to the east and south is known as Sunny Hills.
Name
The hills received their name from the nearby Rancho Los CoyotesRancho Los Coyotes
Rancho Los Coyotes was a 1834 Mexican land grant resulting from the partition of the Rancho Los Nietos grant, in present day southeastern Los Angeles County and northwestern Orange County, California...
; by the 1870s they were being called Coyote Hills.
Development
The West Coyote Hills was once a major oil field, dating back to 1890.. Extraction has long since ceased, and most of the West Coyote Hills has been developed for residential and commercial use, as well as West Coyote Hills Park.A tract measuring 510 acres (2.1 km²) across the ridge of the hills, owned by Pacific Coast Homes (a land development division of the Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
), is the largest remaining tract of undeveloped land in north Orange County. Plans to build 760 homes on 179 acre (0.72438794 km²), while restoring and donating 352 acres to the City of Fullerton for use as the Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve.. The plan has been met with much enthusiasm and opposition from the local community. A group called Open Coyote Hills has been leading the support while a group called Friends of Coyote Hills, with a mailing list of about 3,000, has led the push to preserve the entire site as open space.
Fossils
U.S. Geological SurveyUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
researchers have found invertebrate fossils representing 184 taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
from 158 localities in the “San Pedro” Formation in the Coyote Hills, including various species of annelid
Annelid
The annelids , formally called Annelida , are a large phylum of segmented worms, with over 17,000 modern species including ragworms, earthworms and leeches...
s, mollusks, arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s, and echinoids; the fossils suggest a late Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
to early Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
age for outcrops of the formation. The occurrence of the bivalve Solamen columbianum in the area marks its first occurrence as a fossil. The oldest fossil occurrence of the gastropods Tegula pulligo (Gmelin), questionably Haliotis cracherodii, and the crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
Randallia ornata occur in the “San Pedro” Formation in the Coyote Hills.