Briefly In The News

Two new leaders appointed for Laguna Canyon Foundation

Laguna Canyon Foundation recently named Laguna Beach natives Derek Ostensen and Max Borella as president and executive director, respectively, according to a news release.

Ostensen, a long-standing board member and conservation specialist, has led the foundation’s land acquisition efforts for the past eight years, adding more than 250 acres of critical habitat and public trails to the wilderness park.

“This organization was instrumental in shaping my life as an environmentalist and conservationist,” Ostensen said in a prepared statement. “It seems like yesterday that my parents took me to the march to Save the Canyon — still wearing cleats from my AYSO soccer game. I am so fortunate to be in a position to give back to the organization that gave me so much.”

One of Derek’s first initiatives was to work with the board of directors to hire of a new executive director, a move that brought Borella back home. After spending several years designing innovative field-based environmental education programs at Stanford University, Borella felt a tug to return home.

“While working at Stanford was a fantastic opportunity, the allure of returning home — to lead an organization that is almost mythical in my eyes was impossible to pass up,” he said.

Borella’s initial goals are to reengage people with the parks and reeducate the community about the foundation’s role.

“The future looks bright for the Foundation and it is in good hands,” Fegraus said.

For more information, visit https://www.lagunacanyon.org, stop by their office, 384 Legion St., or call (949) 497-8324.