The few can be mighty, and nothing better attests to that than the work and rewards of community stewardship.

Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks are rich in oak-filled valleys, expansive grasslands and plentiful coastal sage. Protecting those lands from invasive non-native plants to keep wildlife thriving takes attentive, consistent and continuous dedication.

This is where community volunteers have the biggest impact – dedicating muscle and manpower to protecting nearly 40,000 acres of open space. Even the smallest amount of effort goes far in habitat restoration; for instance, a modest team of workers last week pulled 20,000 invasive plants from OC Parks’ Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve in just two days.

Activities held Saturday and Sunday will teach skills you can use forever.

If you’ve visited the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, you know that there is always something new to discover. Learn a new way to look at the land this weekend, through hikes, walks, rides and workouts that will introduce you to skills such as wildlife tracking, cactus planting, mountain biking and even Zumba.

Two very exciting Saturday activities will help visitors learn about the easiest way to “see” wildlife on the trails: animal tracking. By learning which prints are which and “whose scat is that,” you can tell what type of critter was on the trail before you. In Round Canyon, the City of Irvine presents Beginner Animal Tracking, which covers the basics of spotting and identifying animal tracks over a short, 1.5-mile walk. OC Parks is presenting Watching Wildlife in Fremont Canyon, a program that also covers tracking, and will include information about raptors flying overhead near Irvine Lake. This program includes a 4 mile hike with some hills and spectacular views. Both programs are for visitors age 12 and up, and are led by Irvine Ranch Conservancy naturalists.

Garden offers opportunity for up-close learning about native plants. 

Bommer Canyon is one of the most popular sites in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Visitors wander along the trails on foot and bicycle, enjoying the natural habitat. Many people want to know more about the plants and animals that live in this canyon, and the new Bommer Nature Garden will help visitors get up-close to the flora, fauna and history of this natural area.

​In 1867, Bommer Canyon served as the hub of James Irvine’s cattle operations. More than a century later the cattle operations ceased, and then in the early 1980s the City of Irvine purchased the property to create an open space preserve. Today, remnants of the cattle operations infrastructure dot the hills, embedded in the natural space to remind visitors of the site’s history.

Farm will move to a new location during the fall. 

When the Native Seed Farm was first started in 2009, a total of 23 species were planted. Today, there are 43 species grown on the farm, including some rare native plants looking to come back strong in the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. After producing nearly 3,000 pounds of seed at its current location, the successful Irvine Ranch Conservancy project is moving to a new location, with potential to grow even more. 

​The Native Seed Farm has been able to be so productive thanks to thousands of hours of volunteer time donated by the community. The new location will be easier to access, and will be conveniently located on Jeffrey Road, just north of Portola Parkway. The new site will start at 12 acres and have room to expand, with improved infrastructure that will allow for even more community volunteers to participate. 

Whether it’s one day at a time, or volunteering every week, there are so many ways to give back.

Did you know that volunteers lead nearly every single recreation activity on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks? Specially-trained naturalists lead and support hikes, mountain bike rides, educational nature walks, horseback rides, birding excursions and even photography journeys. From the mountains to the sea, volunteers help connect people to the land in numerous ways.

There are many ways to volunteer without any specialized advance training. You can find a list of Volunteer Activities at LetsGoOutside.org/volunteer. Filtering the LetsGoOutside.org/activities page for “Stewardship” or “Trail Work” categories will also result in volunteer opportunities happening nearly every day of the week. The site lists short-term volunteer opportunities for the general public offered by groups such as OC Parks, City of Irvine, City of Newport Beach, Irvine Ranch Conservancy and Crystal Cove State Park. You can also find these types of public volunteer events with Laguna Canyon Foundation, Newport Bay Conservancy, and the California Coastal Commission by visiting their websites.