Conservation & Advocacy Update: September 2026

Conservation work is happening across Orange County every month, often led by dedicated volunteers, partner organizations, and local residents. This column connects Orange County CNPS members with important conservation efforts, policy initiatives, restoration projects, and opportunities to make a difference.

Below are this month’s major updates, followed by an Ongoing Watch List of conservation issues that remain active. Click a heading in the online version to jump directly to the story that interests you most.

City of Orange

OCCNPS Calls for Greater Protection of N Nicky Way Oaks

Orange County CNPS has submitted follow-up comments to the City of Orange regarding the proposed removal of 48 of 63 mature heritage coast live oaks at 6146 E. Santiago Canyon Road, near N Nicky Way (review the City’s project documents HERE).

OCCNPS continues to emphasize that avoiding impacts to existing native trees should come before mitigation. Our latest comments ask the City to evaluate an alternative project design that would preserve substantially more of the existing coast live oaks and their associated habitat.

OCCNPS is also encouraging the City to prioritize preservation of intact native oak habitat rather than relying on replacement of mature native trees with small, predominantly ornamental trees.

Get Involved

Stay tuned for future opportunities to comment as the project moves through the City’s review process.

South Orange County

Creek Vegetation Management Effort Expands to Aliso Creek

Orange County CNPS continues to serve on a County of Orange committee working to improve vegetation management practices in San Juan and Trabuco Creeks. Aliso Creek has now been added to the pilot effort as well.

The effort seeks to reduce pesticide use while retaining habitat and effectively addressing invasive plants. OCCNPS is advocating for an approach that balances all three priorities.

On August 27, OCCNPS co-led a field visit to the creeks with representatives from Supervisor Katrina Foley’s office, OC Public Works, California State Parks, Laguna Canyon Foundation, Irvine Ranch Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation, and other participating organizations. OCCNPS helped lead discussions about invasive plant management, habitat protection, and the important distinctions among native, non-native, and invasive plants.

OCCNPS will continue participating as the County evaluates its vegetation management practices. You can review OC Public Works Vegetation Management policies HERE.

Newport Beach / Costa Mesa

Randall Preserve Management Plans Formally Adopted

After more than two years of collaborative planning, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority Governing Board has formally adopted the Randall Preserve Property Management Plan, marking an important transition from planning toward implementation for the 387-acre preserve.

The adopted package includes the Resource Management Plan, Public Access Plan, Coastal Resilience Strategy, and Recreation Impact Analysis, which together will guide habitat restoration, public access, recreation, and long-term stewardship of the property.

Orange County CNPS participated throughout the planning process through our representative on the Randall Preserve Advisory Committee, Sandy Leatherman, helping ensure that native plants and habitat conservation were represented in discussions about the preserve’s future.

With the management plans now adopted, this will be our final regular update on the Randall Preserve planning process. OCCNPS will continue to follow significant conservation developments and future opportunities related to restoration and stewardship as implementation moves forward.

Newport Beach

Civic Center Park Gains Additional Conservation Support

Support for protecting Newport Beach Civic Center Park continues to grow as the City considers potential locations for a future police headquarters.

On August 4, an Orange County CNPS chapter director and OCCNPS member Laura Curran attended the Newport Beach Parks Commission meeting and spoke in support of preserving Civic Center Park. The park provides valuable urban habitat, including native coastal sage scrub vegetation, while also serving as an important community gathering place.

On August 15, Sherman Library & Gardens docents conducted tours for visitors during the Art in the Park event, introducing participants to the park’s native plants and their importance to wildlife and people.

More recently, the Sierra Club Orange County Conservation Committee submitted a letter to the City urging that Civic Center Park be preserved and that alternative locations be considered for the proposed police headquarters. The letter highlighted the park’s native habitat, ecological functions, public investment, and importance as a community open space.

The Sierra Club letter follows earlier comments from Orange County CNPS supporting protection of the park as the City continues evaluating potential police headquarters locations.

Get Involved

Follow upcoming Police Headquarters Advisory Committee meetings and opportunities for public comment.

Continue learning about and sharing the ecological value of Civic Center Park and its native plant communities.

Encourage a transparent evaluation of alternative locations that considers impacts to the park’s habitat and open space.

Newport Beach

ENC Development Approval Appealed to City Council

The proposed residential development adjacent to the Environmental Nature Center and ENC Nature Preschool will receive another level of review after the Newport Beach Planning Commission’s approval of the project was appealed to the City Council.

The Planning Commission voted 4-2 to approve the project on June 18. The ENC has raised concerns about the development’s potential impacts on its restored native habitat and educational environment, including shading, lighting, insufficient setbacks and buffering, wildlife disturbance, and the effects of an estimated 18–24 months of construction.

With the appeal now filed, the Newport Beach City Council will consider the project before a final decision is made. The hearing is currently expected to take place in November, although a date has not yet been announced.

Get Involved

The ENC expects to need community support again when the appeal comes before the City Council. Sign up for the ENC’s Land Protection Updates to receive the hearing date and information about opportunities to submit comments or attend the meeting.

Seal Beach

OCCNPS Seeks Greater Environmental Review for Los Cerritos Wetlands Solar Project

Orange County CNPS continues to follow the proposed Hellman Solar PV Electrical System Project near Los Cerritos Wetlands in Seal Beach. The project would install a 1.5-megawatt solar photovoltaic system covering approximately 2.66 acres at the existing Hellman Ranch Oil and Gas Production Facility.

OCCNPS is not opposed to the solar project itself, but has joined the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust and other conservation organizations in calling for a more rigorous environmental review because of the project’s location adjacent to sensitive wetland habitat.

The City of Seal Beach approved the project and adopted a Mitigated Negative Declaration in September 2025. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust subsequently appealed the Planning Commission’s decision, raising concerns about potential impacts to biological resources and arguing that additional environmental review is warranted.

OCCNPS will continue following the process, with particular attention to potential impacts on native plants and wetland habitat.

Learn More

Review the Hellman Solar PV Electrical System Project documents through California’s CEQAnet database.

National Forests

OCCNPS Opposes Proposed Rescission of the Roadless Rule

Orange County CNPS has prepared comments opposing the proposed rescission of the U.S. Forest Service’s 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. OCCNPS’s comments will be included with comments submitted by CNPS at the state level.

The Roadless Rule limits road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvesting within designated inventoried roadless areas of the National Forest System. The U.S. Forest Service is currently considering rescission of the rule and is accepting public comments on the proposal.

OCCNPS’s comments focus particularly on potential impacts to native plants and habitat, including the spread of invasive plants along roads and through vehicles and equipment, additional wildfire ignition risk, habitat fragmentation, erosion, dust, and other impacts associated with roads and infrastructure.

Take Action

Submit a public comment to the U.S. Forest Service by September 21, 2026. Members can use the official Regulations.gov docket to review the proposal and submit comments. When possible, explain specifically why protection of roadless areas matters to native plants, habitat, watersheds, wildfire risk, or other conservation concerns important to you.

Docket: FS-2025-0001

Community Engagement Opportunities

SPON Community Engagement Meeting: September 19

Still Protecting Our Newport (SPON) will host a community engagement meeting on Saturday, September 19 at Witte Hall in Newport Beach.

Breakfast begins at 8:15 a.m., followed by the program from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.

The meeting will explore strategies for engaging elected leaders, effective public outreach, and building community networks. Topics will also include Newport Beach Civic Center Park and the Upper Newport Bay/Airport Noise Settlement Agreement.

For members interested in becoming more effective conservation advocates, this is an opportunity to learn more about how community engagement can influence local decisions.

Register for the September 19 SPON Annual Meeting HERE.

Green Vision Coalition Gathering: October 19

Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks will host an in-person Green Vision Coalition gathering on Monday, October 19, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the IRWD Learning Center within the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine.

The informal roundtable follows a recent Green Vision Coalition survey that identified “convening, coordinating, and connecting” as an important priority. Participants will discuss the survey findings and coordinate conservation visions and priorities throughout Orange County.

The gathering will be held at 5 Riparian View, Irvine. RSVP to Sabrina Codding at sabrina@fhbp.org by October 10.

Ongoing Watch List

Dana Point Preserve

There are no significant new developments to report this month following the July court ruling involving the Conservation Land Management’s application for protective trail hours at the Dana Point Preserve. We continue to watch for updates as the permit process moves forward, particularly because of the preserve’s importance as habitat for the federally endangered Pacific pocket mouse.

Hansen Hotel — San Clemente

No significant developments to report this month. Orange County CNPS continues to monitor agency review, permitting, and future opportunities for public participation.

Orange County CNPS works with conservation organizations, agencies, community members, and decision-makers throughout the county to protect native plants and the habitats that support them.

Know of a conservation issue we should be following? Let us know at orangecounty@cnps.org.