7/7/2000 The Irvine Company Donates $1.5 Million To San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary At a ceremony to commemorate the significant environmental restoration of the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, The Irvine Company today announced it will donate $1.5 million over a five-year period to the sanctuary. The annual gifts of $300,000 will support the efforts of the sanctuary to further restore and preserve the tremendous wildlife and habitat in the San Joaquin Marsh and to expand the sanctuary's outstanding public education programs. "For the past decade, The Irvine Company has been proud to be a part of the cooperative effort to enhance and protect the San Joaquin Marsh," said Monica Florian, senior vice president of corporate affairs for The Irvine Company. "It is our hope that this additional funding will help further the sanctuary's ambitious agenda." The San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary is part of the San Joaquin Marsh, one of the largest and most productive coastal freshwater marshes in Southern California. The marsh is situated in the heart of Irvine's bustling business community, near the Newport Bay Ecological Reserve, which is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game. The marsh is approximately 1.6 miles long and .6 miles wide and home to more than 200 different species. "In addition to its remarkable habitat and the many contributions it makes to improving water quality, the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary provides outstanding recreational and educational opportunities to the public," said Peer Swan, president of the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary board and board member of the Irvine Ranch Water District. "We have been very grateful for The Irvine Company's ongoing support and are honored that the company has chosen to make yet another significant contribution toward preserving and enhancing this special place." More than 300 acres of the marsh, historically owned by The Irvine Company, are now owned by the Irvine Ranch Water District and managed by the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary with support of the Sea and Sage Chapter of the National Audubon Society. The adjacent 200 acres of the marsh are managed by the University of California Natural Reserve System. Approximately half of the sanctuary's acreage has been restored to a natural state by The Irvine Company, in cooperation with the Irvine Ranch Water District. While some of the restoration has occurred as a part of mitigation efforts by The Irvine Company, approximately one-third of the project's total restoration efforts were conducted outside the scope of mitigation requirements. The sanctuary includes three major habitat restoration areas with different designs and histories - the Duck Pond area, the Michelson Drive Riparian Forest area, and the Campus Drive Riparian Forest area. To date, habitat restoration and enhancement efforts on these three sites have included the planting of approximately 24,600 trees and some 8,300 shrubs. The Sea and Sage Audubon Society, which operates an office and bookstore in the Wildlife Sanctuary, facilitates public access and offers docent-led tours of the sanctuary. Its public education program allows more than 2,500 children each year to visit the marsh and learn about ecological values first-hand. The City of Irvine has been another key partner in the marsh restoration project. Irvine's Mayor Christina Shea noted, "The restoration of the sanctuary is a wonderful gift to Irvine and the surrounding communities. It provides a unique opportunity for everyone to enjoy the natural beauty of the coastal marsh area here in Orange County." "Only a few years ago, this remarkable wetland marsh was written off as dead," said Mary Nichols, the state Secretary for Resources who addressed the audience at today's event. "Yet today, thanks to a truly collaborative effort including the hard work of scientists, engineers, committed individuals and organizations, it is once again a vital habitat for fish and birds. These restoration activities are a wonderful example of how we really can reclaim California's natural heritage." Today's gift to the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary follows last week's announcement that The Irvine Company and the Donald Bren Foundation had created two programs to provide a total of $20 million to preserve and increase public access to open-space land on the Irvine Ranch in Orange County. Under the first initiative, the Donald Bren Foundation established a $10 million Open Space Conservancy Fund that will award grants to public agencies, educational institutions and other non-profit organizations for enhanced public access and preservation of publicly owned open-space lands previously conveyed by The Irvine Company. Under the second initiative, The Irvine Company created a land stewardship program, committing $10 million to increase the protection of existing natural resources on approximately 19,600 acres of privately owned open-space lands that the company has designated for future conveyance to public agencies. Although the primary focus of this 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, such as The San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. The Irvine Company's donation to the sanctuary of $1.5 million over the course of five years will be made out of this land stewardship program. "The Irvine Company is delighted to make our first donation out of this new program to such a remarkable place," said Monica Florian. The Irvine Company is a privately-held real estate investment firm based in Newport Beach, California. The 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 company has designated 33,600 acres of its land - more than 36 percent of the entire Irvine Ranch - as permanent open space. For more information, visit The Irvine Company's Web site at http://www.irvineco.com. |
