Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC) hosted its first public activity on the newly constructed Mountain Bike Skills Course at the City of Irvine’s Portola Staging Area on Sunday, April 25. The new Mountain Bike Skills Course has been in development for the past year with work executed by Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s Infrastructure & Planning Crew.
“We were thrilled to have people come out and experience the new bike skills course at the Portola Staging Area,” said Dave Raetz, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer at Irvine Ranch Conservancy. “Many activities on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks were postponed this past year in accordance with state and local guidelines and we can’t wait to start welcoming people back to Orange County’s native wildlands in the coming months.”
Improvements at Red Rock Stage Area are just part of repairs being made at Irving Ranch Conservancy while the IRC is closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Courtesy photo.
Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC) and its land partners, OC Parks, the City of Irvine, and City of Newport Beach, have taken advantage of the COVID-19 shutdown to make improvements to the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks and rehabilitate areas damaged by recent wildfires. With over 40,000 acres of land on the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks and countless plant and animal species, these wildlands are an important part of Orange County’s natural habitat.
In recent years, increased wildfire danger has become more of a threat to the Landmarks, with fires occurring 90% more frequently than natural return intervals of 70 to 150 years. On October 26, 2020, the Silverado Fire burned about 12,466 acres of land in Orange County, damaging infrastructure and natural habitats on the Landmarks. Due to the COVID-19 shutdown, public a