​Irvine Ranch Conservancy is regularly engaged in a wide variety of habitat restoration projects that help restore and maintain the beauty of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Through collaboration with land management partners such as OC Parks, City of Irvine and the City of Newport Beach, IRC staff members can work to help preserve the Landmarks for generations to come. Irvine Ranch Conservancy Project Manager Collin Raff is one of the key players helping to restore parts of Orange County, focusing mainly on West Loma Ridge and Silverado Canyon.
 
Before joining the Conservancy, Collin graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Integrative Biology with an emphasis in ecology, evolution and organismal biology. While studying at Berkeley, he had the opportunity to work as a lab assistant at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Collin has been an integral part of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy team for a little over four years. Prior to joining Irvine Ranch Conservancy, Collin worked for the Catalina Island Conservancy, where he provided public outreach to visitors of the island and assisted with many of their conservation projects. 

Since 2005, Irvine Ranch Conservancy has made it their mission to preserve and restore natural habitats found throughout the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. With their newest restoration project, Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff and volunteers will plant 500 acorn seedlings at the Augustine Staging Area Nursery in Limestone Canyon that will be used to maintain vital oak woodland habitats.
 
The acorns collected by the Conservancy are sourced locally from oak trees throughout the area, giving them a greater chance of success due to acclimation to local climate and soil. After the acorns are collected, they will then be planted at the Augustine Nursery, where staff and volunteers will assist in tending and growing the acorns to seedlings until they are ready for planting. Restoration projects such as this allow Irvine Ranch Conservancy to expand its work of restoring habitats that support local wildlife and plant species.

​As February 2nd approaches, people across the U.S. await the season’s forecast from Punxsutawney Phil to see if we will experience six more weeks of winter or an early spring. Starting in the 1880s, Groundhog Day has become an annual winter tradition complete with a full ceremony in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
 
While those living in colder climates might pay more attention to the tradition, residents of Orange County don’t have to worry too much about Phil’s prediction. The brisk cool temperatures and sunny skies make for easy winters in Orange County and an ideal time to help restore and protect native habitats. The wet winter months across the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks can bring much needed rainfall that leads to lush greenery throughout the open spaces.

​​Innovation in science, research and monitoring is central to Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s commitment to long-term land stewardship and restoration. The Conservancy collaborates with partners on the land to implement large-scale habitat restoration, remove invasive plant and animal species, monitor sensitive natural resources, and conduct scientific research to improve management over time.
 
As a Senior Project Manager for Irvine Ranch Conservancy, Robert Freese is an integral part of the short- and long-term planning of restoration efforts on the Landmarks. With a background in restoration planning, design, monitoring, and adaptive management, Robert oversees the restoration of upland and riparian habitats throughout the open space.

If you happened to be passing by Bommer Meadow in the month of May, you might have noticed something unexpected – a herd of goats! The goats were assisting with the beginning stages of a multi-year restoration project being conducted by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy in partnership with the City of Irvine in Bommer Meadow, which was historically part of a working cattle camp. Livestock grazing and the introduction of non-native plants and weeds degraded the natural habitat over time, reducing available food, water and shelter for native plants and wildlife. Invasive plants do not provide the resources necessary to support healthy native wildlife populations, and they also increase wildfire risk, so it is crucial to restore degraded areas with native vegetation to provide wildlife with a functioning habitat and to reduce wildfire.