Following the historic November 1989 March to Save Laguna Canyon and the passage of the twenty-million-dollar bond measure by Laguna Beach voters in November 1990, Laguna Canyon Foundation was formed to facilitate the acquisition of open space.

We had one mission: to negotiate with the Irvine Company to purchase the open space they had agreed to sell.  We partnered with OC Parks and the City of Laguna Beach to make sure these lands would remain in public hands, leading to the creation of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park in 1990 and Laguna Coast Wilderness Park in 1993. This land acquisition work continues today.

In 2007, we began transitioning our mission from one of land acquisition to one of conservation and education, beginning our Title I school program, our volunteer program that connects over 130 dedicated individuals with OC Parks, and our stewardship program that improves the land in which we work. Our trail program launched in 2014, and we began partnering with the City of Laguna Beach on fuel modification work in 2015.