Recently my daughter and I had the chance to attend an open house event hosted by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy. It was held at Silverado Canyon here in Southern California. Though I was vaguely aware of this vast network of desert wilderness and rugged canyons, I had never ventured over to Silverado before. The event promised to showcase some of the free activities the Irvine Ranch Conservancy offers its younger guests, so we were both excited to check it out.

 

Irvine Ranch National Landmarks

This natural preserve spans from the mountains to the sea across over 50,000 acres. The Irvine Ranch Conservancy manages it in partnership with the OC Parks, City of Newport Beach, and City of Irvine. Nearly 40,000 of these acres have been designated a natural landmark both on the state and federal level. It sometimes feels like all of Southern California has been paved over for high density housing and shopping malls. So hearing that such a vast amount of land has been preserved was an eye opener and a joy. This is a gift both for future generations to enjoy and for the benefit of the local flora and fauna.

Silverado Canyon is just a small corner of this vast expanse of nature preserve. But it is stunningly beautiful and rugged canyon terrain. I immediately wanted to come back and explore it more.

 

A Little History

Here’s a little background in the history of this region, courtesy of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy:

Geologists who studied the Irvine Ranch for the Natural Landmark designation identified many unique and rare features – including fossils of hadrosaurian, or “duckbilled,” dinosaurs. The land is an outstanding illustration of the complicated and unique geologic history of the southwestern continental margin of North America. The exceptionally wide variety of rock types and diversity of fossils exposed on the land captures changing landscapes and evolutionary events with remarkable completeness for a span of nearly 80 million years.

 

The terrain ranges from picturesque coastlines subject to modern erosion and other natural processes, to rugged, uplifted mountains where the geologic history of Southern California is exposed from the late Cretaceous period (65 million to 80 million years ago) to the late Pleistocene period (less than 1 million years ago) and largely intact.

In other words, thar be dinosaur bones in them there hills!

 

Flora and Fauna

Currently, this preserved land is considered one of the world’s biodiversity “hot spots.” That means it has a large concentration of different species co-existing within it. Among the hundreds of species of flora and fauna within, there are eagles, mountain lions, badgers, Tecate cypress trees, and numerous rare species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and plants. There’s also “biologically rich” coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats, within which many of these rare and endangered species reside. By preserving this land, we have protected important and imperiled natural habitats like native grasslands, stream corridors, and live oak woodlands.

 

Exploring Nature

During the media event that we attended, volunteers and nature guides had set up tables a short walk up a trail in a clearing that was covered by a large tarp. We were so thankful for that shade covering because this was August and the temperature was in the 90s.

 

PRO TIP: If you’re going hiking and especially if it’s during the day when the sun will be out, wear long clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunscreen!

 

My daughter and I were able to experience a taste of the awesome and FREE kids programs that Irvine Ranch Conservancy offers throughout the year. Their programs range from toddler-friendly nature-themed story times and crafts, to grade school level explorations of geology and animal tracking, to nature hikes for all ages and experience levels.

 

 

 

The range and quality of nature-focused activities offered here was impressive. Not to mention the fact that they’re all free! So let’s spread the word both to locals and people who may be visiting from out of town about this terrific kids program being offered in SoCal’s back yard.

 

Here are 4 FREE Family-Friendly Nature Activities Offered By The Irvine Ranch Conservancy

 

#1 – Wee Wonder Walks

This parent and me activity is perfect for wee little ones, ages 2 – 6 years of age. The first half of the program is spent focusing on the topic (e.g. Insect Safari). Possible activities are making a craft or listening to a story. Then you’ll go on an easy walk through the trails (sturdy strollers welcome!).

 

#2 – Butterfly Garden Volunteer Day in Mason Regional Park

This event happens the first Sunday of every month. No gardening experience needed! Enjoy the butterflies, learn new gardening tips, and help to create and maintain a beautiful butterfly sanctuary.

 

#3: Animal Tracking in Fremont Canyon Nature Preserve

Kids can learn how to search for evidence animals leave behind in nature, including tracks, homes, fur, and bones. At the media event my daughter got to make clay molds of deer and coyote tracks!

 

#4 – Family Hike in Limestone Canyon Natural Preserve

Enjoy an early evening family hike in Agua Chinon (City of Irvine). This hike averages 3 miles at an easy pace and up to 500 ft elevation. It’s led by a guide who will help you watch for red-tailed hawks, mule deer, and other notable nature during your walk.

 

TIP: Always wear sturdy shoes and bring water on a hike. I recommend an insulated reusable metal bottle which will keep your drink cold and also help reduce plastic waste.

 

For More Info

These 4 family-friendly events are free to the public. So are all the other nature and wildlife programs offered by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy. But you must RSVP through their website, https://letsgooutside.org. You can also check there for the latest dates/times and seasonal events. There’s a fishing class for kids in December that looks fun!

 

A Final Note About Wild Fires

Silverado Canyon, where this media event was held, is on the border of the Cleveland National Forest. The Holy Fire had broken out there a day or two prior. As we arrived that morning, we could see the giant plume of smoke from the fire over the next ridge. Fire helicopters were buzzing overhead. The air quality was good at the time so we proceeded to enjoy the fun activities. But it was an indelible reminder about how this area has been ravaged by disaster in recent years.

California has had several devastating wildfires in just this year alone due to drought. Wildfires are not only destructive of land and property though. The smoke also pollutes air quality.

The air pollution caused by one giant wildfire in a week equals the toxic emissions of every vehicle in California for a year! And the fire retardant chemicals used to contain the blaze have lasting affects on our environment.

I’d like to give a shout out to all those brave people who run into danger, and are risking their lives to protect us – and our planet – from harm. As we were driving home and away from the fire on the dusty two lane highway through the canyon, no less than 20 police and fire emergency vehicles tore past us in the opposite direction, sirens blaring. This photo is from when we had made it out of the canyon and back into civilization.

Thank you to all those emergency personnel who are working round the clock to keep these fires from devastating the earth more than they already have!

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My toddler and I attended a media event this morning for some kid-friendly @ocmountainstosea nature programs in Silverado Canyon, on the border of the Cleveland National Forest where the Holy Fire is currently raging. As we arrived we could see the giant plume of smoke from the fire over the next ridge, and fire helicopters were buzzing overhead. But the air quality was good so we proceeded to enjoy the fun activities, which I’ll be blogging about in an upcoming post. . California has had several devastating wildfires this year due to drought. Wildfires are not only destructive of land and property though. The smoke also pollutes air quality (the air pollution caused by one giant wildfire in a week equals the toxic emissions of every vehicle in California for a year!), and the fire retardant chemicals used to contain the blaze have lasting affects on our environment. . But right now I want to give a shout out to all those brave people who run into danger, and are risking their lives to protect us – and our planet – from harm. As we were driving home and away from the fire on the dusty two lane highway through the canyon, no less than 20 police and fire emergency vehicles tore past us in the opposite direction, sirens blaring. This photo is from when we had made it out of the canyon and back into civilization. . Thank you to all those emergency personnel who are working round the clock to keep these fires from devastating the earth more than they already have! 👩🏻‍🚒👮🏽‍♀️👮🏻‍♂️👨🏾‍🚒❤️ . . . #holyfire #wildfire #californiawildfires #ocmom #ocmoms #hugafirefighter #silveradocanyon #clevelandnationalforest #blogwithheart #bossgirlbloggers #ecoblogger #ocfirefighters #califirefighters #socal #oc @ocfirefighters #hotshots #wildlandfirefighter #ocoutdoors @orangecountyoutdoors #wildlandfire #ocpolice #californiaisburning #californiafires

A post shared by Hilary Feldstein Ratner (@ecofriendlymama) on Aug 8, 2018 at 1:27pm PDT

• hike
• hiking
• Irvine Ranch Conservancy
• nature
• OC Parks
• Southern California