Nellie Gail Ranch Facilities Impacted by Regional Stay-at-Home Order

Consistent with the state Regional Stay-at-Home Order we have regretfully closed Nellie Gail Ranch playgrounds effective today. Nellie Gail Ranch parks and trails remain open for use subject to physical distancing requirements and no gatherings with members other than their own household.

The Equestrian Center and Recreation Center remain open as an outdoor recreational facility for the purpose of facilitating personal health through physically distanced outdoor exercise.

The press release may be viewed at the following link: https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/eoc-press-release-54

Oso Trail Between Nellie Gail Road and Moulton

Equestrians and hikers who know this section of the trail just beyond the Nellie Gail Road tunnel are familiar with conditions resulting from natural drainage that has been at best boggy and at worst impassable. In collaboration with the City, we have completed work this week to install culvert sections to transition water under and away from trails. This work will result in making a major link of the Nellie Gail Ranch trail system between the Equestrian Center and Moulton Parkway accessible for improved use throughout the year.

Equestrian Center Host to Evacuated Horses

Our Equestrian Center was privileged to host four horses evacuated from the Silverado Fire this week. Oakie and Booger returned home today after a three-day stay. Gracie and Crusader (Pictured) remain in our Sun Pens safe and cared for.

The evacuations were coordinated by San Juan Capistrano Large Animal Response Team (LART), an organization that provides training and resources to safely evacuate large animals during emergency situations. In addition, Doris Bryant one of our Equestrian Center boarders and a Hayden / Clarke Sporthorses trainer, volunteered with her daughter to transport other horses away from the fires during the first and most critical night of the fires. Volunteers with horse trailers made the difficult journey past checkpoints to enter the evacuation zone. They were then directed to homes that required assistance loading frightened animals in trailers and evacuating them to safety. Through the combined efforts of organizations like LART, transport volunteers, and private and commercial boarding facilities, many horses were safely evacuated from the fires and sheltered and cared for until ready to return home.

Nellie Gail Road Equestrian Crossings

Continue reading below to see how you can be of help.
Input Requested

The Nellie Gail Ranch Trails & Safety Committee, with the support of the Equestrian Committee and certain concerned Nellie Gail Ranch Residents, have initiated discussions with the City of Laguna Hills regarding safety concerns with pedestrian and equestrian crossings on Nellie Gail Road (connecting Moulton to Oso), with a particular focus on the pedestrian/equestrian crossing at the entrance to the Nellie Gail Ranch Equestrian Center and Nellie Gail Road at Empty Saddle. The goal is to determine what further safety mechanisms, if any, can be implemented to slow the flow of traffic on this particular stretch of Nellie Gail Road and prevent “near misses” or accidents that could be hazardous to pedestrians, riders, and/or horses.

The City of Laguna Hills will be reviewing this matter over the next several months and has requested our help to collect certain data. To that end, if anyone encounters, or has encountered, a safety concern when crossing Nellie Gail Road by the Equestrian Center or when crossing Nellie Gail Road by Empty Saddle, or in any other locations in Nellie Gail Ranch, please report such incidents via the below link or by emailing admin@nelliegailranch.org. To submit a report please click on the following link and identify your name, the date of the incident, a brief description of the incident, and your relationship to Nellie Gail Ranch (resident, guest, equestrian instructor, equestrian boarder, etc.). Thank you in advance for your “near miss” reports as we collaborate with the City to make our streets safer for everyone!

Nellie Gail Ranch Equestrian Crossings Form

Equestrian Center Tree Pruning

Taking advantage of a week when many of our equestrians and horses were away at the Blenheim Summer Classic we scheduled tree pruning at the Equestrian Center. Thirty trees were pruned and work has been completed. This seasonal project benefitting the Nellie Gail Ranch Equestrian Center was funded by Equestrian Center boarding fees.

Equestrian Update

Our trainer Hayden Clarke Sport Horses and many of our Equestrian Center boarders are excited to start competing again after a long layoff over Spring and early summer. This will be their first show with the new COVID-19 protocols and best practices in place. Starting next week, the two week Blenheim Summer Classic takes place at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano. This is a prestigious United States Equestrian Federation event for the top competing classes.

Trail Closure – Portion of Oso Mustang Oso Trail

The trail between Mustang and Buckskin (Oso Mustang Trail) will be closed to thru access from June 29th to July 3rd for trail grading. The accompanying map shows the closed section of the trail in RED.

Announcing the Tuesday, May 12th First Phase Re-Opening of the Nellie Gail Ranch Tennis and Swim Center

We are excited to announce the first phase of our re-opening of the Nellie Gail Ranch Tennis and Swim Centers with revised hours and temporary use rules.  Please review this entire message and all of the attachments prior to visiting for the first time.  The Temporary Recreation Center Use Rules are intended to make the Nellie Gail Ranch Recreation Center accessible to the membership while promoting good hygiene and proper physical distancing. 
 
Hours of Operation:

  • Swim Center – Open to homeowners only from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. for lap swimming only.  
  • Tennis Center – 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • Pickleball – 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

The following link is to our Temporary Recreation Center Use Rules providing guidance on how the tennis, pickleball, and swim facilities may be used starting Tuesday, May 12th.

TEMPORARY RECREATION CENTER USE RULES

Due to construction in our parking lot and building exterior, access to the parking lot will be via one entry lane as noted by the red arrow and one exit lane also noted by a red arrow.  Access to enter the Swim and Tennis Centers are noted by the yellow arrow.

All homeowners and club members must check-in at the reception desk prior to the use of the facilities. The following waiver is required to be completed prior to the use of the recreation center. Please complete prior to arriving to streamline your check-in.

LIABILITY WAIVER AND RELEASE

Reservations are required for use of the Tennis and Pickleball courts. You may reserve a court via the following link:

Kourts App

Swim lanes are first come first serve. Access to the swimming pool is restricted to lap swimming for homeowners only. With this first phase of re-opening no non-homeowner club members or swim team members may use the pool pending a revision to the state guidelines prohibiting public pool use. We are hopeful of welcoming the rest of you back soon!
 
Please be aware of the following:

  • No person may access the recreation center that is sick, that has a fever or a confirmed case of Covid-19. Any person visiting a facility should wash their hands regularly and/or use sanitizer.
  • Access to the Tennis and Pickleball courts is restricted to residents and Club members only. No guest use is permitted at this time.
  • All residents and Club members accessing the recreation center are required to bring either disposable sanitary wipes or similar cleaning materials for personal sanitary purposes. 

Restroom / Shower Facilities:

  • Restrooms access will be limited to one person at a time (or a parent and child as may be necessary).
  • Showers inside restrooms will be closed.
  • Additional janitorial hours have been approved to implement heightened sanitation of contact surfaces. Janitorial will be in place for all hours of operation.

Sunbathing Use

  • Not permitted at this time.

Spa Use

  • Not permitted at this time. 

Membership Fees:
We will begin invoicing our Tennis and Pickleball Club Members for membership fees again with a pro-rated May invoice. If you paid your March fees prior to our March 17th closing, you will receive a credit for that portion of the month we were closed. For our Club Members who may not be ready to integrate back into activity, you may request we suspend your dues through June 30th, or earlier depending upon your comfort level to return to activity.
 
For those who are anxious to start activities that remain restricted, we will continue to model the local authorities’ guidelines and phase in further openings.

Meanwhile, WELCOME BACK!! We have been looking forward to this first phase of re-opening for a long time and look forward to seeing you soon!

Equestrian Neighbors Helping Neighbors

The Moulton Ranch community has several planters at Bridlewood and Oso they have been trying to beautify. They recently installed Agave in a planter to fill in a bare area. However, some of our equestrians who use the nearby horse crossing expressed concern regarding the sharp thorns in proximity to the trail and crossing. Moulton Ranch quickly accommodated removing the plants. Now it is our turn to be good neighbors as they prepare to replant with something that will both complement the aesthetics of the monument and their community entry and not be a concern to our equestrians. Please take care when riding or hiking to stay on the trail and avoid short-cutting across planter areas to access the sidewalk or street. While we are highlighting this for our Moulton Ranch neighbors, it is equally important in our own community at our many trailheads.

Special Meeting to Review Plan to Reopen Recreation Facilities

We have been monitoring the state and county press conferences regarding ongoing business closures and reopening discussions. We have also reviewed reports of local recreation facilities who are making moves to reopen their clubs. We are currently preparing our own plan for a phased reopening and are scheduling a Zoom video/conference call on Monday, May 11, 2020, at 6:00 pm to review a draft plan and schedule for reopening the recreation facilities. We want our homeowners, Tennis Members, Pickleball Members, and Swim Center Members to review our proposed plan for reopening and provide an opportunity for you to provide input. We know many people are ready to start participating in their sports of choice again, while others remain concerned about potential public exposure. We want to create a plan that addresses both perspectives and provides you with an opportunity to give input.

Please put the date of May 11, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. on your calendar. We will send a link to the meeting next week. Meanwhile, please safely enjoy our trails and open space and what looks to be a beautiful weekend.