Efforts to conserve Banning Ranch receive $11-million boost from U.S. Fish and Wildlife

A federal grant of $11 million from the federal Fish and Wildlife Department announced by the Banning Ranch Conservancy on Tuesday puts conservationists with about $83 million available for the acquisition of Banning Ranch, a 384-acre property at the mouth of the Santa Ana River and oil field, according to Banning Ranch Conservancy executive director Melanie Schlotterbeck.

The conservationists, which have long vied for the property in hopes of turning it into a public park, are now within $14 million of the purchase price for the property.

In May, the Trust for Public Land announced that it secured an exclusive agreement with the property holders of Banning Ranch after Newport Beach philanthropists Frank and Joann Randall donated $50 million to the Banning Ranch Conservancy in 2019.

That agreement gave conservationists 12 months to collect an additional $47 million to complete the $97-million purchase by next April.

Upon that purchase, the land would then be conveyed to a public agency to be made and maintained as a public park. Since then, they’ve received about $16 million from state grants and funds.

Another two remaining grants are to be considered in 2022 and a statement from the Banning Ranch Conservancy said the hope is they will be able to close escrow by June 2022.

“We are absolutely thrilled that the service awarded this grant—we are now only 15% away from reaching the acquisition price. The size of the award speaks volumes to the importance of the many sensitive plants and animals on the site,” Schlotterbeck said in a statement.

“From the vernal pools with their San Diego fairy shrimp to the riparian areas with least Bell’s vireo — the site is packed with important and diverse species,” she added.

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