6/28/2000 $20 Million for Enhanced Public Access, Preservation and Restoration of Open Space Announced by The Irvine Company and Donald Bren Foundation NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- (June 28, 2000) The Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation today announced two initiatives that will provide a total of $20 million to increase public access and the long-term preservation of open-space land on the Irvine Ranch in Orange County, Calif. Both programs will support such projects as trail restoration, trailheads, and limited conveniences for visitors that are compatible with the surrounding natural environment, such as drinking fountains and benches. The programs will also focus on protection and restoration of sensitive natural resources and improved coordination of regional open-space planning on the 33,600 acres of open space located on the 93,000-acre Irvine Ranch. "Open space is one of the most important elements of master-planned, sustainable communities," said Donald Bren, chairman of The Irvine Company. "As important as The Irvine Company's previous and future dedications of land for permanent open space are, our commitment to open space extends beyond the dedication of land. These two programs will ensure that additional resources are available for the ongoing stewardship of open-space land so that its benefits to the environment and to the public continue forever," Bren said. The Donald Bren Foundation will establish a $10-million Open Space Conservancy Fund, which will award grants to public agencies, educational institutions, and other non-profit organizations for enhanced public access and preservation of the approximately 14,000 acres of publicly owned open-space lands previously conveyed by The Irvine Company. The Irvine Company is concurrently establishing a land stewardship program, committing $10 million to increase the protection of existing natural resources on the approximately 19,600 acres of privately owned open-space lands that The Irvine Company has designated for future conveyance to public agencies. This land stewardship program will also provide funding to plan and prepare these privately owned open-space lands for public access prior to their conveyance to public agencies. Although the primary focus of The Irvine Company's program is to support open space that has not yet been conveyed to the public, funding from the land stewardship program may also be used to enhance resource protection and appropriate public access to publicly owned open-space lands. The Irvine Company has a long history of preserving and donating open space for use by the public. Beginning with the donation of the land for Irvine Regional Park in 1897, The Irvine Company has designated 33,600 acres of its land – more than 36 percent of the entire Irvine Ranch – as permanent open space. These lands include some of Orange County's best-known parks, such as Mason Regional Park in Irvine, and some of the county's most striking natural features, such as Limestone Canyon. Hikers along the trails of the Irvine Ranch Open Space Preserve can today witness a wide variety of environmental features, ranging from vast ocean vistas to dramatic rock outcroppings to serene oak woodlands and lush streambeds. One of the unique aspects of Irvine Ranch open space is its close proximity to existing and future communities, enhancing public access and enjoyment. This accessibility was aptly characterized by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt at a 1996 ceremony creating the Natural Communities Conservation Program in Orange County, when he noted, "The federal government has a wonderful national parks system, but Yellowstone Park isn't just down the road. These magnificent lands are." In the early 1980s, as part of the continuing master planning of the Irvine Ranch, The Irvine Company began formal, long-range planning to identify regional open space for conservation and recreational purposes throughout the Irvine Ranch. Complementing this effort were two of the most significant public-private environmental initiatives in Orange County: -- The Natural Communities Conservation Program (NCCP), a pioneering program that includes a donation by The Irvine Company of more than 29,000 acres of open space to protect five rare habitat types and related species on the Irvine Ranch in perpetuity; --The 1988 voter-approved Open Space Agreement with the City of Irvine, which designates in the city's General Plan a consolidated open-space system and a plan identifying the respective land parcels within this system that The Irvine Company will donate as it completes each of its communities in Irvine. This agreement, which was approved by 87 percent of Irvine voters, guarantees that the city's key open-space areas, such as Quail Hill and Bommer Canyon, will be preserved in perpetuity. The Donald Bren Foundation has focused most of its philanthropy over the years on education and environmental issues. Its donations have supported both K-12 education and higher education, including innovative programs at schools serving the Irvine Ranch, and research by top faculty at universities including UC Irvine, Caltech and Chapman University. In 1997, a $15-million gift from the foundation established the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, a graduate studies program combining disciplines throughout the University of California to conduct research and teaching on solving current and future environmental problems. |
