Banning Ranch is located along the Santa Ana River where it meets the ocean.

Banning Ranch is a 401-acre area of wetlands and coastal bluffs in West Newport Beach where the Santa Ana River meets the Pacific Ocean.  It is the last large parcel of unprotected coastal open space remaining in Southern California, and is the central element of the proposed Orange Coast River Park, which, when realized, will achieve a significant linkage of open spaces and wetlands.  Banning Ranch supports a mix of coastal wetland, riparian woodland, coastal bluff sagescrub, shortgrass grassland, and vernal pool communities that are without parallel anywhere in Orange County.

At least six wildlife species listed as threatened or endangered have been documented on Banning Ranch: San Diego Fairy Shrimp, Light-footed Clapper Rail, American Peregrine Falcon, Least Bell’s Vireo, California Gnatcatcher and Belding’s Savannah Sparrow. In an era where nearly all remaining privately owned open space in Orange County is being developed, Banning Ranch is truly a gem and deserving of being called “Nature’s last stand.”

Join the Banning Ranch Conservancy! Be part of the effort to BUY BANNING RANCH!

The Conservancy recently had the honor of accepting Sea and Sage Audubon’s Fern Zimmerman Conservation Award for our efforts to save Banning Ranch from residential and retail development. We greatly appreciated their gesture and we share this honor with all our supporters and the many environmental organizations who have dedicated themselves to saving Banning Ranch.

Great strides have been made!

On November 27, 2017, the Newport Beach City Council voted to vacate all Banning Ranch development approvals, freeing us to focus on buying Banning Ranch! You can help us achieve this next great goal by becoming a Conservancy member and rededicating yourself to the cause.

It’s not over until we have a beautiful coastal park and nature preserve for the public to enjoy! Please join us. We need your help now!

$1.25 million settlement reached in Newport’s Banning Ranch development dispute
The conservancy that successfully sued to block the Banning Ranch coastal development in Newport Beach will receive $1.25 million in legal fees from the developer…

The Battle Over Banning Ranch Isn’t Done.
“What’s the developer’s next move?”

Banning Ranch Conservancy wins California Supreme Court case.
“The unanimous decision was another major setback for the project, which was denied in 2016 by the California Coastal Commission.”

Thank an Environmentalist, commentary by Terry Welsh.
“Open space doesn’t happen by accident. Behind every open-space success story, there is a group of dedicated environmentalists.”