Upper Newport Bay

THEN ... Five years ago, Orange County planners envisioned the completion of a countywide, 350-mile system of hiking and horseback riding trails by 1999. The trails -- part of the county's interconnected 550-mile master plan of bikeway, hiking and riding trails -- would enable outdoor enthusiasts to reach Los Angeles, Riverside or San Bernardino counties without ever strapping on a seat belt or filling their cars up with gas. Called "a major hub for getting on the hiking and riding trail system," Upper Newport Bay played a big role in the configuration.

Noaki Schwartz IRVINE -- The public meeting on the environmental health of Upper Newport Bay and San Diego Creek held on Tuesday was said to be interesting -- by those who were actually able to find the Irvine Ranch Water District and slip a question into the agenda. "It's a very difficult place to find. I would say my issues are that the meeting wasn't long enough to cover the issue," said Bob Caustin, president of Defend the Bay, adding that the two-hour time frame was unrealistic for the roughly 60 members of the public who wanted to speak.

. CORRECTION: It should have read Back Bay Drive in Newport Beach will be closed to vehicle and bicycle traffic from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. from Shellmaker Road to Eastbluff Drive. Back Bay Drive in Newport Beach will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday for the annual Upper Newport Bay cleanup, authorities said. The 24th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day sponsored by the California Coastal Commission will bring volunteers to the edges of Upper Newport Bay Saturday morning and afternoon to pick up whatever scraps they can to keep the bay clean.

Great eye-opener this morning in the Pilot. The center-page double truck. Wow. HARRIS GUTMACHER Costa Mesa Kent Treptow's photo essay on the Back Bay and it's absolutely beautiful. And I think the Back Bay is so fascinating anyhow. I just wish that he could do something like this maybe as a regular feature, maybe on a monthly basis or something. His commentary and his photographs are just beautiful. EVELYN SMILES Newport Beach Wow. Thank you for the beautiful Upper Newport Bay photos and commentary by photographer Kent Treptow.

The agencies mounting the $32.5-million dredging and ecosystem restoration project in Upper Newport Bay have nailed down another $500,000. The California Coastal Conservancy approved a grant in that amount at an Aug. 2 meeting in Encinitas. The conservancy handed the money to Orange County as part of a nearly $11.5-million local match to federal funds. The Army Corps of Engineers, which is overseeing the project, is trying to secure the remaining $21 million from federal sources.

Newport Beach resident Arleen Heywood says she doesn’t know where she’ll live after Easter Sunday. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is slated to evict 75-year-old Heywood, her dog and disabled adult son today from her home in Bayview Landing Senior Apartments in Newport Beach. “I’ve run out of money,” Heywood said she told an Orange County judge at an eviction hearing last month. With views of Upper Newport Bay, a movie theater and fitness center, Bayview Landing opened in December 2005 as a premier affordable-housing complex for seniors in Orange County.

Deepa Bharath Major environmental damage to the Upper Newport Bay was averted Friday after 4,000 gallons of jet fuel that spilled during a traffic collision failed to reach the flood control channels, officials said. The fuel leaked after a suspected drunk driver in a sport utility vehicle broadsided a tanker truck near the Costa Mesa Freeway at Baker Street and Paularino Avenue at about 2 a.m. Friday, police said. The sport utility vehicle was exiting the freeway and the big rig was eastbound on Paularino, Costa Mesa Police officials said.

With an additional $4 million of state and federal funding in the pipeline, government officials have managed to cobble together enough funding to keep dredging in Upper Newport Bay going until at least January. “We’re scratching and scrimping, looking around at even small sources of funding, Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said. City officials estimate about $16 million is needed to complete the project. “This extra money will help chip away at that, but there is still quite a bit of work to do,” said Chris Miller, Newport Beach Harbor Resources manager.

Money for dredging Upper Newport Bay could dry up as early as the end of August unless additional sources of state or federal funding come through, a county engineer said this week. Officials estimate it could cost an additional $1.5 million if the project has to stop due to lack of funding only to restart later. “We’re doing everything we can to prevent the contractor from demobilizing, and I think it looks pretty hopeful,” said Susan Brodeur, senior coastal engineer for the County of Orange.

We, the Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends, are proud of our involvement in the protection and preservation of Upper Newport Bay ? the largest remaining natural estuary in Southern California. Many ask: ?What is an estuary?? The simplest answer is: ?A place where fresh water and salt water meet.? The tidal mouth of any river is an estuary. Upper Newport Bay is a scenic oasis in the midst of urban Orange County, and many come to enjoy its colorful vistas. But few realize the ecological importance of it and other natural estuaries.