32,000 acres in O.C. to be set aside as a preserve
About 32,000 acres of oak-studded woodlands in southern Orange County, including land that’s home to endangered species such as the California gnatcatcher and the arroyo toad, will be set aside as a nature reserve, federal wildlife authorities announced Thursday.
Environmental officials have worked for more than a dozen years to preserve the foothills east of Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente, cities that have had high growth in recent years.
“It serves as a blueprint to help guide the landowners for the most appropriate places to develop while identifying key preservation areas,” said Jane Hendron, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman.
The deal would allow several major construction projects to move forward on land adjacent to the reserve, including a controversial plan to build as many as 14,000 homes on the brushland south of Mission Viejo.
The reserve would include land deeded by the county and Rancho Mission Viejo, which is planning the housing development.
The Rancho Mission Viejo property, the county’s last significant piece of privately held undeveloped land, has attracted public scrutiny since plans were introduced 12 years ago to develop part of it.
“We feel it’s a strong conservation plan that preserves the biological integrity of the ranch, which is one of the most important environmental places in Southern California,” said Dan Silver, executive director of the Endangered Habitats League in Los Angeles.
For decades, the Rancho Mission Viejo property -- much like the Irvine Ranch -- was cattle-grazing and agricultural land. But as the years went by and the housing boom hit, the land became more valuable as potential residential development.
Environmentalists took issue with the failure to consider the flow of wildlife between the conserved areas, but dropped that complaint after the company agreed to compress the development, Silver said.
Silver said the new plan was “a good one” because the company agreed to develop on a smaller footprint while 75% of the property would remain open space and part of a working ranch.
State approval for the wildlife plan is pending in Sacramento.
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