Recently, IRC’s Planning and Infrastructure team and OC Parks maintenance staff collaborated to help restore the Shoestring Trail, which will be open ahead of this Saturday's Limestone Canyon Wilderness Access Day. The trail created in 2010, makes a loop between Shoestring Road, West Loma Ridge, Hicks Haul Road, and the Augustine Staging Area, and is considered difficult due to the steep nature of the terrain. During the Bond Fire, the Shoestring Trail bridge was burned and needed replacing to make the trail safe once again. The IRC team took the opportunity to not only replace the bridge crossing, but to make other enhancements as well.
OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve is a lush canyon full of oak woodlands, streamside habitats, and a rich diversity of native plants and animals, making it an exciting place for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians to explore. Since the 2020 Silverado and Bond Fires, Irvine Ranch Conservancy has been working to restore Limestone Canyon’s trails and infrastructure, while also making some improvements along the way.
Recently, IRC’s Planning and Infrastructure team and OC Parks maintenance staff collaborated to help restore the Shoestring Trail, which will be open ahead of this Saturday's Limestone Canyon Wilderness Access Day. The trail created in 2010, makes a loop between Shoestring Road, West Loma Ridge, Hicks Haul Road, and the Augustine Staging Area, and is considered difficult due to the steep nature of the terrain. During the Bond Fire, the Shoestring Trail bridge was burned and needed replacing to make the trail safe once again. The IRC team took the opportunity to not only replace the bridge crossing, but to make other enhancements as well. Held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort, celebrating the connection between people and green space in their community. Established in 1994, National Public Lands Day was created to inspire environmental stewardship and encourage the use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits.
This weekend, Irvine Ranch Conservancy encourages nature lovers to spend time outdoors and give back to Orange County’s native wildlands. Whether you sign up for an upcoming stewardship event, enjoy the health benefits of exploring the seven-day access trails, or plant native species in your own garden, there are a variety of ways to show you care. The artichoke thistle is an invasive perennial herb with bright purple flowerheads and spiny leaves growing at the base. This invasive species is typically found in grassland, chaparral, coastal scrub, and riparian areas, and blooms between April and July. The plant can reach up to five feet in diameter, usually producing one to several flower stalks.
Artichoke thistle seeds can be spread through a variety of different ways, including strong winds, birds feeding and knocking seeds to the ground, water running down slopes, and attaching to mammals as they make their way through native wildlands. The artichoke thistle’s density and deep taproot outcompetes native plant species for light, water, and nutrients, threatening the health of natural habitats. The Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks are considered to be one of the world’s biodiversity “hotspots” meaning the natural wildlands in this area have large concentrations of different species. In fact, the landscape is home to hundreds of species of plants and animals that coexist, some rare and only found in southern California. Irvine Ranch Conservancy and its partners work on a variety of restoration projects throughout the Landmarks to help native wildlands thrive, but they couldn’t do it without the help of local pollinators.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, plants serve as the foundations of our ecosystems, and over 80% of flowering plants require pollination services. When you hear the word pollinator, bees might be the first thing that come to mind, but there are a variety of different pollinators that help trees, wildflowers and locally grown crops reproduce and flourish. In addition to bees, other insects like butterflies, flies, moths, beetles, and wasps can serve as pollinators. Even birds, bats, small mammals, and lizards can act as pollinators. With high temperatures set to hit Orange County, there are still opportunities to safely explore the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks during Labor Day weekend. Coastal 7-day access trails and free activities on the Landmarks provide a variety of opportunities for outdoor adventures even when it's hot outside.
Head towards the beach or take short morning and evening hikes on 7-day access trails in Newport Beach, Irvine and Laguna. Hikers looking to explore the Orange County coastal region can also explore trails in the City of Newport Beach’s Buck Gully Reserve. The ideal escape from the summer sun, Buck Gully Reserve is a natural coastal canyon with lush vegetation and trails that provide beautiful views of the ocean, as well as a natural stream that follows part of the Buck Gully trail. |
AboutWelcome 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. Archives
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