"Open space is freedom," says Donald Bren, who has permanently preserved tens of thousands of acres of some of California's most beautiful wilderness.
The Irvine Ranch® is home to one of the nation's largest and most beautiful networks of parks, trails and open space located within minutes of millions of residents. Comprising more than 50,000 acres - more than half of The Irvine Ranch in central Orange County - this network contains some of the most biologically important land in California and the nation, and offers a wide range of recreational opportunities, from hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, to picnicking, bird-watching and kayaking.
Donald Bren guided development and implementation of an innovative and far-reaching stewardship plan to protect, enhance, manage and increase access to the land. As part of that plan, he committed $50 million and created the Irvine Ranch Conservancy to guide the land's steady evolution into a world-class environmental and recreational treasure.
Mr. Bren and The Irvine Company have made a commitment to protect and preserve the hundreds of plant and animal species present, and to restore natural resources that have been impacted due to time or human influence. The land is extraordinarily diverse and stretches 22 miles from the mountains to the sea.
"My dream is that The Irvine Ranch will be known and celebrated as much for what is not developed here - the sweeping expanse of beautiful and valuable open space - as it is for the outstanding communities we have planned and built offering an unparalleled quality of life." - Donald Bren, chairman, The Irvine Company.
