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.”

YOU MADE IT HAPPEN!!!

This year, for the first time ever, we extended our End of Year Matching Campaign to January 31, 2020, hoping we would make our goal of $15,000.  We did it with the permission of our two matching donors and we can’t thank them enough for their extraordinary support of our 20-year effort. 

We not only made our goal of $15,000, WE MORE THAN DOUBLED IT.  Isn’t that amazing!  And better yet…

EVERY DOLLAR OF IT WILL BE DOUBLED UP TO $15,OOO!!! BECAUSE YOU MADE IT HAPPEN!

We’re deeply grateful for your generosity and here’s why:  The $50 million gift we received is for acquisition only.  The Conservancy’s work doesn’t stop with the gift, it increases and gets more complex and demanding than ever. 

We’re not complaining!  We couldn’t be happier, more hopeful or more eternally grateful to Frank and Joann Randall.  Nothing can match the good they’ve done. 

But the reality is this:  Not a penny of the $50 million gift can be used for the ongoing effort to permanently save, restore and conserve Banning Ranch. 

The matching funds allow us to engage the financial and legal experts we urgently need to master the maze of regulations and codes that comes with purchasing and maintaining 401 acres of open space.  Going forward will require land management and restoration consultants, accounting… <Read More>

Large Donation Helps Fund Bid for Banning Ranch

Jan 2, 2020. Steve Ray and Frank Randall were recently interviewed by Spectrum News 1 and their interview is currently in rotation on that channel. Spectrum doesn’t list interview guests or show times on their Guide, but you can catch it by taping one of their news segments. You can also click on the link above to watch the interview on your computer. Enjoy!

UN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’

Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating.’ One million species threatened with extinction.

An Historic Win for California’s Coast and Ocean

The passage of Proposition 68 shows that voters can and will unite to preserve our future and natural resources