— Douglas McCulloh
Senior Curator, Interim Executive Director
UCR ARTS: California Museum of Photography
“This book is a rarity—a treasure about a treasure. It’s also about a fight: ordinary small town citizens banding together to save an historic American landscape. Laguna Beach and the Greenbelt tells the tale, its marvelous illustrations reveal why the greenbelt is truly a treasure, and its example will inspire citizens everywhere.”
Captured in the chronologies of individual ranch settlement is the European immigrants “need” to own land and build an agrarian life. The authors thoughtfully explain the evolution of this “need” into the modern land conservation movement, guided by those in agriculture and the philanthropic community.
A “must” read for those seeking to understand the American West. And a wonderful adventure for anyone who cherishes our land and wildlife resources.
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C. Deborah Laughton
Publisher Methodology and Statistics, Guilford Publications
As you crest the hill driving south on PCH from Crystal Cove, the light transforms to a shimmer heralding the entrance to Laguna Beach–that art colony bracketed by the hills and green belt of Laguna Canyon and the cliff-lined ocean blue belt. Laguna Beach and the Greenbelt reveals the history of this landscape and its visionary protectors. Stunning paintings with counterpoints of artistic photographs invite readers to savor the views and inspire us to hold this wonder intact as a treasure.