Vote Clears Way for 1,300-Acre Nature Preserve

Nearly 1,300 acres of South County land will officially be set aside for an ecological preserve next week, the result of a Board of Supervisors vote Wednesday that cleared the way for creation of the county’s largest private nature conservancy.

The land is owned by members of the Richard O’Neill family, whose holdings include huge areas of South Orange County. Under a unique arrangement negotiated during the past several months, the family will retain ownership of the land, but its management will be turned over to the newly created Rancho Mission Viejo Land Conservancy.

That deal was made as a condition of an agreement with the county and city of San Clemente that allowed the heirs to sell a portion of their holdings to another developer who is building homes in South County.

The conservancy, a private non-profit group, is charged with protecting the land so that it can serve as a refuge for plants and animals whose habitats are rapidly being destroyed.

“This represents Orange County endorsing a commitment to protecting a unique ecological area,” said Bob Hamilton, manager of program planning for the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department. “We’re going to allow this area to continue in an absolute natural state.”

The planned open space--which features oak groves, sage scrub and native grasses spread across the long, rolling hills of Talega Valley on the county’s southern border--would preserve a significant wildlife habitat area, officials said. It would also provide scientists with a valuable setting for studying the county’s plant and animal resources, they added.

“It’s part of an effort to ensure that the plants and animals in that part of the county are preserved for the future,” said Supervisor Thomas F. Riley, whose district includes the nature preserve. “This is a major deal that is very important to Orange County and its environment.”

Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder agreed, calling it “highly commendable,” and adding: “I think it’s maybe the wave of the future.”

Wieder helped establish a similar conservancy to manage the Bolsa Chica wetlands near Huntington Beach. That land was publicly held when the conservancy was created, and it will remain open to visitors, she said.

The Rancho Mission Viejo Conservancy, by contrast, will shut out almost all public access. In general, only scientists and approved educational groups will be given permission to enter the property.

Environmentalists, some of whom have long complained about the county’s preference for recreational areas over habitat preservation, warmly welcomed news of the conservancy arrangement. “This can act as a prototype for managing this county’s land in the future,” said Walton Wright, a consulting ecologist who has long lobbied for creation of a conservancy in Talega Valley. “The county’s record of stewardship of its lands has been pretty poor, so the only way that we’re going to have preserved areas is to have someone else manage it.”

Some environmental groups expressed reservations about one aspect of the conservancy arrangement. Under the corporate bylaws approved by the supervisors Wednesday, O’Neill family members and their corporate affiliates will be able to name a majority of the conservancy’s governing board.

But that opposition appeared satisfied by county officials’ assurances that most significant decisions would have to be made unanimously by a board that would also include representatives of the county and city of San Clemente. Moreover, Anthony R. Moiso, president of the Santa Margarita Co. and one of the O’Neill heirs, pledged to include representatives of several area organizations such as the Audubon Society in his appointments.

“I offer the guarantee that this conservancy will never be a problem,” Moiso told the supervisors. “It’s going to work.”

Later, Ginny Chester, a former president of the Sea and Sage Audubon Society who complained about the voting arrangement during the meeting, said she heartily endorsed the conservancy.

“We have marvelous parks, but now we need these natural areas,” she said. “I don’t think the concerns are very significant. I mean, we’re getting along with the Russians now, why not developers?”