Fairview Park in Costa Mesa open again, active use encouraged
In a time before quarantine, Saturdays marked the end of a week and a chance for many to relax.
The new normal of staying at home due to the novel coronavirus pandemic has had some people wishing for a reprieve. On Saturday, some spared no expense in finding fresh air and the outdoors.
Christine Miller, 41, of Temecula made an hour-and-a-half drive from Oceanside to Costa Mesa’s Fairview Park, which she had heard was open.
“I was just needing some time to myself and was just looking for a place to be out in nature,” said Miller, who came to the park with a journal, a book and a Bible.
Fairview Park reopened on May 9 with access to select trails and the bike paths. Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley said that she wants to encourage visitors to the park to remain active. That request aligns with the protocols put in place at local beaches.
“That trail system allows people to physically distance while in the park and on the trails, and it also allows people to get from Placentia [Avenue] to the Santa Ana River Trail, so it allows the bike trails to be accessed,” Foley said. “It’s good for walking and biking.”
Some trails remain closed for various reasons, some related to COVID-19 precautions and some regarding natural habitat concerns for the species that live there.
“There’s a nesting period, and so some of the overgrowth was overlapping with some of the nesting area,” Foley said. “We just have to be careful in how to remove the overgrowth to create physical distancing space. That’s why some of the trails are not open. We’re still working on that.”
Kevin Rogers, 35, of Orange came to the park with his family. Rogers is a self-employed photographer and his wife, Angela, is an art teacher at Mariners Christian School in Costa Mesa.
Outdoor activities like their trip to Fairview Park are a way for them to pass on their passion to their 3-year-old daughter, Olive, through visual learning.
“We were just down in the marshlands down there, just cruising around, looking at all the birds, and it was fun,” Rogers said. “This is her classroom right now. We just try to get out every day, go on a new adventure every day.”
Rogers said that they did not put their daughter in front of a screen for the first two years of her life. They are seeking outdoor activities as much as possible during her developmental years.
“Olive and I drive all over Orange County just looking for different spots to explore because this is like the prime time of her life for development,” Rogers said, adding that they have traveled to Rancho Santa Margarita and Tustin, in addition to their hometown since precautions were put in place over coronavirus concerns. “I don’t want her to be stuck at home in front of a screen. I want her to be out seeing the world.”
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