Nearly 40,000 acres of open space on the historic Irvine Ranch have been designated a Natural Landmark by both the State of California and the U.S. Department of Interior. This honor recognizes the exceptional value of these lands to California and the entire nation. The open space of the Natural Landmark is part of the 50,000 acres of open space preserved on The Irvine Ranch.
The land first received national recognition in 2006 when most of the protected areas on The Irvine Ranch were singled out for their rare biological and geological features through designation as a National Natural Landmark (NNL). NNLs are designated by the U.S. Secretary of Interior for natural areas in both public and private ownership. They are recognized as outstanding examples of the natural heritage of the country alongside national parks, recreation areas and monuments. Nationwide, fewer than 600 sites have received this special designation.
Most recently, on Earth Day 2008, nearly 40,000 acres was designated the first California Natural Landmark (CNL), under a new state program that officially recognizes extraordinary examples of natural resources.
The Irvine Ranch Natural Landmark contains large areas of important natural habitats and unusual geological formations. It is also home to hundreds of species of plants and animals, including eagles, badgers, mountain lions, Tecate cypress trees, and many rare species of birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants. Scientists have identified this region as one of the world's biodiversity "hot spots" -an area with large concentrations of species found nowhere else.
Both Natural Landmark designations were given only after the land received a rigorous scientific evaluation. The review process considered the diversity and rarity of the area's biological, geological and paleontological features; its natural communities; the qualitiy of its habitats and the presence of rare, threatened or endangered species - as well a the land's value for science and education.
The open space on The Irvine Ranch contains rock formations and fossils that reveal a sequence of events chronicling earth's history dating back nearly 80 million years. This landscape also contains large swaths of coastal sage scrub, a rare habitat found only in coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. The combination of unusual geological and rare biological characteristics is rare even among Natural Landmarks.
The Natural Landmark is protected and maintained by group of cooperating landowners including the County of Orange, the City of Irvine, The Irvine Company, The Nature Conservancy and California State Parks. It represents one of the few places in Southern California where habitats have been preserved stretching from the mountains to the sea.
For more information on the National Natural Landmarks program, administered by the National Park Service, visit www.nature.nps.gov/nnl. The California Natural Landmarks program is overseen by California State Parks, www.parks.ca.gov.
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The land first received national recognition in 2006 when most of the protected areas on The Irvine Ranch were singled out for their rare biological and geological features through designation as a National Natural Landmark (NNL). NNLs are designated by the U.S. Secretary of Interior for natural areas in both public and private ownership. They are recognized as outstanding examples of the natural heritage of the country alongside national parks, recreation areas and monuments. Nationwide, fewer than 600 sites have received this special designation.
The Irvine Ranch Natural Landmark contains large areas of important natural habitats and unusual geological formations. It is also home to hundreds of species of plants and animals, including eagles, badgers, mountain lions, Tecate cypress trees, and many rare species of birds, reptiles, amphibians and plants. Scientists have identified this region as one of the world's biodiversity "hot spots" -an area with large concentrations of species found nowhere else.
