Greer's OC

Ten years ago, the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, a pioneering nonprofit started out with just one trail and eight volunteers.

Today, it’s celebrating managing more than 30,000 acres of parks in Orange County! That’s more than 150 miles of trails, and 800 volunteers who help provide almost 2,000 public activities each year! Over the last decade, it has partnered with public agencies such as OC Parks, City of Irvine and City of Newport Beach to connect people to globally-significant local wildlands.

To celebrate their history, the Conservancy is hosting a special Wilderness Access Day on November 21 in Bommer Canyon. This canyon is part of the Irvine Open Space Preserve, and the location recognizes and celebrates the Conservancy’s first partner, the City of Irvine.

During this special event in Bommer Canyon, visitors will be able to explore the entire trail system as well as learn about the local flora and fauna through a pop-up nature center and ranching history with an educational nature walk.

All visitors attending the November 21 event will receive a commemorative 10th anniversary pin and Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks keychain. The event begins at 8 a.m., and ends at 2 p.m., with a special naturalist-led nature walk at 9 a.m.

Pre-registration for both the Wilderness Access Day and nature walk is recommended to guarantee a spot. In addition, the City of Irvine’s new Bommer Nature Garden will be open during the event, along with the pop-up nature center.

Visit www.LetsGoOutside.org/activities to register for this event, or to find other outdoor activities to enjoy.

Photo above: Limestone Canyon.

About The Conservancy

The Irvine Ranch Conservancy was founded in 2005 with initial funding from Irvine Company Chairman Donald Bren to help care for tens of thousands of public open space acres preserved in Orange County. At the time, Irvine Company owned more than 20,000 acres of open space, all of which has since been transferred to the County of Orange.

The land is part of the historic Irvine Ranch, and about half of the Irvine family’s original 93,000 acres is permanently-preserved public open space. With the Conservancy’s stewardship assistance, nearly 40,000 acres of these public lands have been designated both a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. National Park Service and California Natural Landmark for their biological and geological significance.

The Conservancy doesn’t own any land, but assists public owners with all aspects of stewardship. An independent board of directors oversees the organization’s strategy and operations, and more than 40 employees manage day-today functions including habitat restoration, scientific research, trail planning and maintenance, public education and recreation programs, as well as volunteer administration for park facilities across the county.