Blog Archives

Plant Profile: Chaparral Yucca

4/27/2023

The Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks are coming to life this spring and are covered with flowering plant life, including the unmissable sight of chaparral yucca. A native plant that can be found on the trails, chaparral yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei) is also known as Our Lord’s Candle, Spanish bayonet, or Quixote yucca.

Native to southern California and Baja California, Mexico, chaparral yucca can be found in chaparral, coastal sage scrub and oak woodland plant communities. This plant species is drought tolerant and thrives in dry, clay soils.

Contribute to Conservation with the City Nature Challenge

4/18/2023

Hikers in Bommer Canyon Preserve

Irvine Ranch Conservancy will host two City Nature Challenges on April 29th and 30th at City of Irvine’s Bommer Canyon Preserve and OC Parks’ newly opened Saddleback Wilderness. These interactive events focus on finding and identifying as many rare and threatened plant and wildlife species as possible to gain better understanding of our ecosystem and aid in biodiversity conservation.

Attendees will search for plants and animals, learn how to identify them using the iNaturalist app and catalog their findings in a community iNaturalist project. High quality data uploaded to iNaturalist become part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, an open-source database used by scientists and policy makers around the world.

Staff Spotlight: Isaac Ostmann, Invasive Species Control Program Manager

4/12/2023

Invasive Species Control Program Manager, Isaac Ostmann

In order for native plants and wildlife to thrive throughout the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, invasive plant species must be closely monitored and removed before they quickly spread and degrade the surrounding habitat. This work is imperative to ensure that native plant species have the space and resources needed to thrive so that the wildlife that rely upon them for food or habitat are also able to thrive. For this reason, Irvine Ranch Conservancy is grateful to have paramount team members, like the Program Manager of Invasive Species Control, Isaac Ostmann.

Prior to joining Irvine Ranch Conservancy, Isaac worked with California State Parks to oversee invasive plant removal, habitat restoration and monitor rare and endangered species. Isaac joined IRC in 2008 and spent years working with the Habitat Restoration and Enhancement team to create and protect healthy and functional habitat throughout the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Having worked at IRC for 14 years, Isaac has always been drawn to the satisfaction that comes from working on the land and seeing the direct results of his labor. Some efforts have immediate results, such as removing and bagging patches of Sahara mustard alongside volunteers or mowing degraded habitat to prepare it for restoration, while other projects have taken more than a decade for Isaac to see flourish.

Updates on Raptor Monitoring Throughout the Landmarks

4/6/2023

Raptor nest

Since 2008, Irvine Ranch Conservancy has partnered with internationally acclaimed raptor biologist, Peter H. Bloom to monitor raptor nests throughout the Landmarks and document other activities, such as egg laying, incubation, hatching and fledging. Studies at the time found that there were a variety of raptor species living in Orange County and most of them were likely born and raised on the Landmarks.

Peter, alongside Scott Thomas of Kidd Biological, now work together to survey Orange County’s open space and train volunteers to assist with nest monitoring efforts. According to Peter, raptor populations have seen significant declines in Orange County since he started surveying them in the 1970s. Since IRC’s raptor monitoring program began, the location and quantity of raptor nests within the landmarks have fluctuated over time, but overall have remained relatively stable. Experts continue to work to understand how variables such as wildfires or heavy rains are affecting fluctuations in nest numbers. Some of the raptors observed nesting within the Landmarks throughout IRC’s monitoring efforts include the Cooper’s Hawk, Golden Eagle, Barn Owl, White-tailed Kite, Great Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, and the Red-shouldered Hawk, with the Red-tailed Hawk proving to be the most abundant nesting raptor.

Plant Profile: Chaparral Yucca

Contribute to Conservation with the City Nature Challenge

Staff Spotlight: Isaac Ostmann, Invasive Species Control Program Manager

Updates on Raptor Monitoring Throughout the Landmarks

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