Enjoy the Beautiful Open Spaces in the Irvine Ranch Conservancy
Many of you may or may not have heard of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy. It is a non-profit, non-advocacy organization, created in 2005 to help care for the 50,000 acres of permanently protected wild lands and parks on the historic Irvine Ranch. The organization’s goal is to enhance the public’s appreciation, understanding and connection to the land, while having the perfect balance of preservation and public participation.
The open space throughout the Natural Landmarks contains rock formations and fossils that reveal a sequence of events chronicling earth’s history dating back nearly 80 million years. This landscape also contains large swaths of coastal sage scrub, a rare habitat found only in coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. The combination of unusual geological and rare biological characteristics is rare even among Natural Landmarks.
The land is protected and maintained by a group of cooperating landowners and managers including the County of Orange, the City of Irvine, the Irvine Company, the City of Newport Beach, and California State Parks. The landscape represents one of the few places in Southern California where habitats have been preserved stretching from the mountains to the sea.
The Irvine Ranch Conservancy hosts many free programs on these lands all lead by volunteers. You can sign up online for a variety of free programs including:
Hiking at all Levels
Full Moon Hikes
Mountain Biking
Yoga
Plant Restoration
Photography Tours
Equestrian Day Trips
The Irvine Ranch is a unique and special place. The Mediterranean climate zone exists in only five small areas of the world, including coastal California and the Irvine Ranch. The special ecosystems that have evolved in these regions are among the most threatened in the world – disappearing at three percent per year, faster than even tropical rainforests. The combination of balmy climate, nearby oceans and abundant natural resources means that Mediterranean climate areas are among the most desirable for human settlement. This has led to conversion of most of these habitat areas to urban or agricultural landscapes. The mission of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy is to make sure that these lands are cared for and enjoyed to the highest possible standards.
Some of the Irvine Ranch’s most notable lands are:
Laguna Coast Wilderness Park,
Bommer Canyon
Freemont Canyon
Crystal Cove State Park
Limestone Canyon Wilderness
Weir Canyon Wilderness
To Sign up and enjoy these amazing lands go to: www.letsgooutside.org