Whether you’re looking for a few hours of weeding or an outing to a remote restoration site, there are many opportunities to give back during National Volunteer Week.
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Sunday, April 10, kicks off National Volunteer Week, a celebration encouraging people to actively engage in their community and give back. Public support is vital to the continued long-term health of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, and landowners including OC Parks, the City of Irvine and the City of Newport Beach provide ample opportunities for the public to connect to the land through volunteer work.

Tecate cypress seedlings planted at the Fremont Canyon Staging Area need volunteer support to thrive.
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The rare Tecate cypress needs fire to reproduce. The seed cones use fire as an ecological trigger to know when to release the seeds, a process which optimally happens every 30 years or longer. When mature trees burn, the cones pop open, and the seeds are released, germinate and become seedlings to replace the mature trees. However, if another fire happens before the young plants can mature, the grove is destroyed before new seeds can be produced.

Public support is needed to help large-scale restoration project re-introducing native grasses to the Landmarks.

The spring green you see covering the hills hides a dirty secret: A lot of that green comes from non-native grass that will die in the summer and become potential fuel for wildfire. The ranching history of the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks includes plants that were brought here to support cattle grazing in the hills. Now that land managers are restoring local habitat for the benefit of wildlife, attention is being turned to the importance of re-introducing native grasses.

From the dark leaves of coastal scrub oak and black sage, to the bright hues of coyote brush and coastal prickly pear cactus, St. Patrick’s Day green is a common color around the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks this time of year. Recent rains and the winter season – when native plants come out of dormancy – have made the green shades even more prominent.
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There are a variety of activities out on the Landmarks the week of St. Patrick’s Day to spot green in full force, whether during a fast-paced hike, an interactive outdoor adventure or volunteer opportunities giving back.

The first official day of spring isn’t until March 20, but many flowers on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks are already beginning to bloom. Chocolate lilies have been spotted on the slopes of West Loma Ridge in Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve, Weir Canyon Nature Preserve is rich with fields of bright yellow fiddlenecks, and wild hyacinth and sticky monkey flower are plentiful along many trails in Bommer Canyon.

But wildflowers need more than just warm weather and rainfall to thrive long-term. Invasive and non-native plants can steal light and nutrients from native flora, making it harder for native species to grow. In 2012, the small-flowered morning glory – a rare, native flower that was in decline within the Landmarks – was discovered sprouting from dormant seeds in the West Loma Ridge watershed habitat restoration area. This uncommon flower was able to make a comeback in part due to the removal of invasive species; in the absence of weeds, its seeds remaining in the soil were able to return to an environment free of competition from invasive plants.