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.

Irvine Ranch Conservancy invites visitors to a special Wilderness Access Day on Nov. 21 in Bommer Canyon to recognize its partners. 

Irvine Ranch Conservancy, a pioneering non-profit managing more than 30,000 acres of open space parks in Orange County, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Over the last decade, the organization has partnered with public agencies such as OC Parks, City of Irvine and City of Newport Beach to connect people to globally-significant local wildlands.

“We started out with one trail and eight volunteers, and today we manage more than 150 miles of trails and support more than 800 volunteers who help provide nearly 2,000 public activities each year,” said Michael O’Connell, the Conservancy’s founding and current Executive Director. “With that capacity, our ability to offer opportunities for the community to connect to and help take care of these public natural resources has grown exponentially.”

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.

Volunteering for stewardship and trail work activities not only helps the land, but benefits those who participate.

From the mountains to the sea, there are numerous places and ways to enjoy the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Many people visit for recreation or education programs, but many organizations offer volunteer opportunities to help people give back to local open space areas. Whether you want to spend an afternoon helping to plant acorns or volunteer regularly to help others enjoy the land, it’s easy – and rewarding – to volunteer.