Irvine Ranch Conservancy 2025 Annual Impact Report

The Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC) 2025 Annual Impact Report has arrived, marking the organization’s 20th anniversary and a year of standout progress. With advances in scientific research, native restoration, wildfire prevention, invasive species control, stewardship, community programs and more, IRC continued its mission to restore, protect and enhance the ecological health of urban wildlands. Supported by dedicated partners and volunteers, this report highlights the collective work strengthening the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks.

This year is a celebration of two decades of impact, and a look at the exciting work still to come! 

To read Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s full 2025 Annual Impact Report, click here. 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2025:

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION

• 560 IRC-Certified Volunteers gave 37,250 hours, valued at $1.5 million.
• 1,381 OC Parks Volunteers gave 87,918 hours, valued at $3.5 million.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & EDUCATION

• Offered 1,633 public activities with over 17,900 participants.
• Strengthened community partnership with City of Irvine’s Youth Action Team for middle and high school students.
• Expanded the “Accessibility for All” initiative to include activities that provide an ASL interpreter and others that focus on identifying birds by their vocalizations for people with visual impairments.

MONITORING & RESEARCH

• Added 9 new wildlife cameras to monitor large mammals, an approximately 24% increase to our baseline number of trail cameras.
• Tested new equipment such as acoustic recorders and trail counters to assess human and wildlife activity in Veeh Creek for the City of Irvine.

WILDFIRE PREVENTION & MANAGEMENT

• Increased the OC Fire Watch Network to 318 volunteers, who are focused on ignition reduction and providing a physical presence and deterrent in high-risk ignition locations throughout the county.
• OC Fire Watch volunteers served 2,200 hours during 2 major deployments, including 13 days of Red Flag Warning activities.

INVASIVE SPECIES CONTROL

• Removed more than 252,000 invasive plants from public wildlands.
• Surveyed and cleared 703 acres of land, removing the equivalent of 34 acres of invasive plants.

HABITAT RESTORATION & ENHANCEMENT

• 191 acres of completed habitat restoration projects.
• 588 acres of active habitat restoration projects.
• Planning for 389 acres of new habitat restoration projects.

NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS

• Processed over 800 pounds of native plant seed.
• Harvested seeds from 34 species of plants at the Native Seed Farm.
• Cleaned and processed seeds from 84 different plant species, including farm harvests and wild collections.
• Prepared over 1,800 pounds of seed mixes for habitat restoration and enhancement projects.

PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE 

• Inspected, maintained, and repaired over 200 miles of trails.
• Constructed 27,925 lineal feet of new perimeter and interior fencing.
• Performed five-year maintenance and re-staining at 12 trail bridges.
• Constructed 2 trail bridges (20 feet and 24 feet).
• Maintained and serviced 124 access gates.