Most OCCNPS field trips are free and open to all, but read the trip outlines to be sure they fit your needs. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, appropriate trail shoes, a camera, a notepad and lots of enthusiasm. Rain may cancel CNPS trips.

For rain cancellation status or other updates check this page after 7 PM the evening prior to the trip or contact Ron Vanderhoff ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 949 337-5462).

Upcoming trips (past trips at end of article):

FOLLOW-UP: TRANSFER OF EL TORO FROM FAA TO FBI

In March, a Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact, El Toro Custodianship Transfer was issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The document’s purpose was to assess impacts of the FBI’s taking custodianship of 900 acres on the northeasterly corner of the former El Toro Marine Air Base in Irvine. See the conservation alert on occnps.org/conservationfor background on this issue, and for how important the 900-acre site is for connectivity between the Central and Coastal parts of the Nature Reserve of Orange County.

The Draft Finding... asserted that “No changes in operations will result from this transfer.” Several conservation groups, including OCCNPS, asserted that the transfer WILL result in deleterious changes to the site’s role in the Nature Reserve, and made extensive comments to that effect. (Many thanks to all OCCNPS-ers who wrote comment letters, despite a short deadline.)

Thanks to Dan Silver of the Endangered Habitats League for updating the situation as of 4/2012: “EHL, other conservation groups, and the City of Irvine submitted extensive comments on the legal inadequacy of the Environmental Assessment and requested a full Environmental Impact Study. Very importantly, though, the City of Irvine also called for a Memorandum of Understanding with the FBI to establish use areas compatible with the NCCP/HCP and for joint management. Thus far, the FBI has rejected this constructive initiative, further breaking with the long-standing federal commitments. EHL fully supports the City in its efforts to protect the NCCP and to reach an accommodation with the FBI.” OCCNPS also supports the City of Irvine’s efforts. 

ACTION NOW, especially if you live in Irvine: tell the City that you support protecting the NCCP and the City’s commitment to reaching an accommodation with the FBI that furthers that protection.

BANNING RANCH DEVELOPMENT HEARINGS CONTINUE

In March, the Newport Beach Planning Commission voted 4-1 in favor of recommending approval of the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Newport Banning Ranch development. Two more public hearings have been held on whether to recommend approval of the development itself, with another scheduled for May 17. These recommendations will be the basis for the City Council’s decisions on the fate of the Banning Ranch property. 

ACTION NOW, especially if you live in the Newport Beach area: contact the Banning Ranch Conservancy, banningranchconservancy.org, to find out how you can help with its campaign to preserve the entire site as natural open space. The Conservancy points out that there are two things to keep in mind:

—The hearings are an opportunity for the public to bring forth information that was lacking in the Draft EIR. Public comments made at the hearings (and written comments submitted during the hearing process) become part of the official administrative record.

—It is important to remember that the City of Newport Beach General Plan makes a priority of preserving Banning Ranch as open space. The Conservancy believes that preservation is possible using Measure M funds.

—Celia Kutcher, Conservation Chair

Native Gardener’s Corner—Member’s Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

This column is a regular newsletter feature offering chapter members and local experts a chance to briefly share information on many things related to gardening with natives.

This issue’s question was “Which birds are the most enjoyable visitors to your native plants?” Answers listed in order received.

Ron Vanderhoff - “Western Bluebirds. They are not only beautiful birds and insect eaters, they almost rely on gardeners. With the lack of old or dead trees in our suburban areas (and their natural nesting cavities) bluebird boxes provided by gardeners are critical.”

Dori Ito - “In a word, Hummingbird.”

Christianne Shannon - “Since I began to transform the garden into a ‘bit of nature’, more than 15 years ago, my favorites are the Western Bluebirds, Nuttal's & Downy Woodpeckers, Orange-crowned & Yellow-rumped Warblers, Hooded Orioles, White-crowned Sparrows, Anna's & Allen's Hummers and House & Bewick's Wrens, as either residents or regular seasonal visitors. But I have to mention the 3 species of Finches and the California Towhees, not only they were the first species to move in but their constant presence attracts many passing birds to my garden.”  

Alison Shilling - “Bush tits: they come both in spring and in fall to the annual sunflowers—in spring for insects and in fall for the seeds. They form a twittering group debating which plant is best, often hanging upside down.”

Thea Gavin - “I love to watch and listen to small flocks of tiny bushtits flitting in and out of the sagebrush (Artemesia californica) fence line thicket in my back yard; their constant contact calls—chipping and twitting—are a welcome counterpoint to the traffic noise from the nearby Orange Crush interchange.”

Greg Suba, CNPS Conservation Program Director, has provided us with a lot of information on the conservation concerns with Desert Solar & Wind Projects:

Desert Solar & Wind Development Links

Take Action

CNPS asks you to consider signing a petition, created by desert conservation groups, to elevate BLM land management protection for the whole of Ivanpah Valley, in CA and NV. The Ivanpah Solar project represents a "threshold" project heralding the review and possible approval of more massive projects in the area. To prevent further ecological damage to this desert valley identified as core, intact desert habitat by recent studies, there is a petition to nominate the valley as a BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). There are significant rare plant populations and plant communities threatened in this valley, and these are described in the ACEC petition. This nomination campaign needs individual signatures, which can be provided on-line. Please consider signing the petition, ...

Thank you,
Greg Suba

LINK to ACEC petition language

LINK to ACEC nomination sign-on campaign

There are 2 other important online petitions to support rooftop solar.