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Helicopter Places Bridges In Buck Gully Preserve 

4/27/2012

 
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Bridges are part of trail improvements and restoration in Upper Buck Gully.

Today the City of Newport Beach took an exciting step closer to completing renovation and restoration activities in the Buck Gully Preserve. After months of work restoring and modifying trails through Upper Buck Gully, four bridges were lifted by helicopter over the canyon and set in place along a new trail. The carefully orchestrated helicopter operation was organized by Irvine Ranch Conservancy, working closely with City staff and Federal Aviation Administration officials.

The bridges were fabricated in Florida and transported by semi-truck cross-country and weigh more than 3,000 pounds. The bridges are up to 50 feet in length and were lifted out of Canyon Watch Park on San Joaquin Hills Road. Helicopter pilot Glenn Smith of Atlas Airlift Helicopter Company lifted the bridges one by one and set them in place with the help of Atlas and Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff and volunteers. The Conservancy crew also worked with Newport Beach Police Department officers along San Joaquin Hills Road to secure the area around Canyon Watch Park, keeping pedestrians and motorists out of the helicopter’s flight path. The close coordination between all organizations resulted in an efficient and safe operation that lasted just 30 minutes. 


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Rare Wildflower Spotted in West Loma Habitat Restoration Area

4/20/2012

 
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Plant’s growth indicates success of innovative restoration project.

The small-flowered morning glory is a rare native flower, hard to find due to its scarcity and its tiny, quarter-inch blooms. Spotting the Convolvulus simulans in the West Loma Watershed habitat restoration area in the hills above Irvine is significant on its own, but the growth of this native plant is also an important indicator that the ecosystem is starting to rebound and the restoration is working.  

The flower was first found by Quinn Sorenson, Irvine Ranch Conservancy research and restoration technician, on a steep slope undergoing restoration planting. In areas like West Loma, Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff and volunteers remove masses of invasive weeds and then plant native seeds and seedlings. However, the small-flowered morning glory sprouted from the remnant soil seed bank – the natural storage of seeds, often dormant, that exists within the soil. Removal of invasive weeds such as black mustard, annual grasses, and non-native thistles often opens up opportunities for native seeds remaining in the soil to grow. 


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Conservancy Connects People to the Land Through Environmental Education

4/13/2012

 
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Training for teachers and conservation crews spreads stewardship message beyond Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.

Nearly every day of the week, Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff and docents lead interpretive hikes in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks and teach participants about the natural world around them. Now the Conservancy is expanding its reach with environmental education programs that will take its stewardship message outside of the bounds of the Irvine Ranch.


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Spring Brings a Bounty of Blooms

4/6/2012

 
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The hills are painted with the colors of spring, and a variety of upcoming wildflower walks will make sure you won’t miss a single bloom. Spring brings native beauty to the Irvine Ranch, from the state flower, California poppy, to the whimsically-named bush monkey flower.

Whether it’s a wildflower walk or any other activity out on the landmarks, bring your camera and maybe a wildflower field guide in pursuit of the lupine, Parry’s phacelia, common fiddleneck, wishbone bush, blue-eyed grass, and chia in bloom now. The landmarks also have a large showing of yellow deerweed blooms and pink bush mallow flowers, as these are known as “fire followers,” which are more active in the years immediately following wildfires.


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Turtle Ridge Trail Connects Neighborhoods to Nature 

4/6/2012

 
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While taking in the natural beauty of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, you usually don’t stop to think too much about the path you’re on – and that’s the mark of a well-built trail. When a trail integrates seamlessly into the landscape, as if it had always been there, the experience is better for the visitor and better for the surrounding habitat.

The Irvine Ranch Conservancy kept this goal in mind when designing the new Turtle Ridge in the City of Irvine’s Open Space Preserve. The trail opened in November 2011, but it began back in 2005 as a plan to connect the Bommer Vista Point neighborhood park to the West Fork Trail in Bommer Canyon. 


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Raptor Rebound: Birds of Prey Survey Indicates Signs of Recovery

4/6/2012

 
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Irvine Ranch winged residents like the Red-tailed Hawk, White-tailed Kite and American Kestrel are called raptors – however, during the early spring nesting season, they’re also easily monitored indicators of habitat health and recovery after drought and fire.

A new survey of raptor nesting habitats in Limestone Canyon suggests Red-tailed Hawk and White-tailed Kite are bouncing back from both the Santiago Fire of 2007 and recent drought in the region. The survey is conducted by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy with our partners, Bloom Biological Inc., and scientists are watching to see if current populations are in line with counts from last year.

“When the top of the food chain is intact, we can be more confident that the whole system is functioning, especially when we see habitat and prey specialists, such as the White-tailed Kite, rebounding as they have been,” says Co-Director of Science and Stewardship Jutta Burger. “The current survey will wrap up in May, and we are looking forward to comparing this year’s final results to those from 2011.”

If the results stay in line with the 2011 survey, it also will be a sign that rodent populations – the main diet of raptors – are healthy and that protection of nesting areas in Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks is working.

The survey is not a complete census, but rather an inventory of overall population health. In 2011, Bloom Biological reported 25 Red-tailed Hawk nests and 11 White-tailed Kite nests. The survey also documented one Bald Eagle, one Golden Eagle, one Northern Harrier, five Cooper’s Hawks, and six Red-shouldered Hawks in and around the Irvine Ranch Open Space. 

If there is a point of concern from last year’s survey, it is that the Red-shouldered Hawk population is still low. The species has not yet returned to numbers that indicate it is also bouncing back from fire and drought. Habitat loss and rodent control have dropped the county’s overall raptor population from their pre-1990s highs, however, extensive collaboration among those who share the vision of healthy Orange County open space provides plenty of reason for optimism.

“It is exciting to see our majestic hawks returning to what were empty territories after the fire,” says Burger.

Volunteers also help conduct the survey each year during the February-to-June nesting season, and some trails are closed during this time as to not disturb the nesting raptors.

However, visitors can easily spot White-tailed Kites, Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks from open trails in Limestone Canyon. Northern Harriers might also be seen from the trail in the grasslands on Loma Ridge, and colorful American Kestrels may also be seen darting between the oaks or perched and holding lookout for prey. On rare occasion, migrating Swainson’s, Sharp-shinned, and even the occasional Zone-tailed hawk can be glimpsed as well.

The Conservancy offers birding hikes throughout the nesting season, but any hike can be a birding hike if you have your binoculars handy. Check out www.LetsGoOutside.org for activities and programs. 

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Conservancy Teams with California Conservation Corps for Restoration and Training

4/6/2012

 
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Work will focus on Quail Hill area; community is invited to participate.

The Irvine Ranch Conservancy has partnered with the California Conservation Corps to advance an invasive plant species removal project in Irvine’s Quail Hill area. The Corpsmembers will receive training from the Conservancy in plant identification, safe use of tools and sensitive plant species, then undertake a massive removal of artichoke thistle over four days.

On April 12, the last day of the project, the public is invited to participate in the removal of artichoke thistle -- an invasive, non-native plant that threatens local native plants and wildlife. The plant flowers from April through July, so cutting the plants down now is critical to preventing the plants from setting seed. This project in Quail Hill builds on the Corps’ long history of working outdoors to improve California’s natural resources. Since 1976, Corpsmembers have provided more than 65 million hours of natural resources work statewide.


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    Welcome to the Irvine Ranch Conservancy "News from the Field" blog. These articles are written by Conservancy staff about activities and projects in and near the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. 

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Irvine Ranch Conservancy  •  4727 Portola Pkwy. Irvine, CA 92620  •  714-508-4757  •  info@irconservancy.org

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  • Home
    • Landmarks Blog
  • What We Do
    • Programs >
      • Habitat Restoration and Enhancement
      • Wildfire Prevention
      • Community Engagement and Education
      • Invasive Species Control
      • Plant Materials
      • Monitoring and Research
      • Planning and Infrastructure
      • Volunteer Management
    • Where We Work
    • About Us >
      • Meet the Team
      • Our Partners
      • Careers
      • Contact Us
  • Volunteer
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