Randall Preserve

The Frank and Joan Randall Park and Preserve/Genga [Tribal Name To Be Determined] (formerly called Banning Ranch) is a 387-acre parcel consisting of a coastal mesa and adjacent coastal lowlands and wetlands. Title is held by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority for the Randall Preserve/Genga. The property is located between the Cities of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Huntington Beach, near where the Santa Ana River enters the Pacific Ocean.

There are numerous organizations authorized to support the Randall Preserve/Genga, including, but not limited to:

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See something of concern on the property?

Call the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority Ranger Services at (310)456-7049.

Background

The Randall Preserve is located entirely in the Coastal Zone and is therefore under the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission and subject to the provisions of the Coastal Act.

Because of its cultural significance, the Randall Preserve/Genga is contained within California’s Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC) Sacred Lands file. The Alliance is collaborating with leaders of Native Nations, other experts, and organizations to support appropriate acknowledgement, preservation, and tribal access to these sacred sites. Learn more about the Historic Resources Assessment or Cultural or Paleontological Resources from the Environmental Impact Report done for the development of the property.

The Randall Preserve/Genga serves as the largest major land link between other contiguous publicly-owned protected natural lands to the southeast (Sunset Ridge Park), south and west (Army Corps of Engineers’s Semeniuk Slough), north (Talbert Nature Preserve, Vista Park, and Fairview Park), and east (Canyon Park and Marina View Park). The Alliance is working to incorporate these publicly-owned protected natural lands, including Fairview Park in Costa Mesa, as well as the Huntington Beach Wetlands, into a larger coastal network of lands and waters.

Since the 1940s, the property served as an oil field. Over 80% of the wells have been abandoned and as of the mid-2010s the oil production is less than 10% of its peak in the 1970s and 1980s. Because of its history as an oil field, the property had escaped the high-density development that is characteristic of much of the Cities of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Huntington Beach for many decades until development plans began in earnest in the late 1990s.

Habitats & Preservation

The Randall Preserve/Genga, within the Coastal Corridor, is one of the last examples of an “ecological staircase” with an intact lowland/wetland habitat and coastal mesa. The landscape and is home to Nn-Native Grasslands, Coastal Sage Scrub, and Vernal Pool habitats, as well as special status species such the California Gnatcatcher, Coastal Cactus Wren, California Least Tern, Burrowing Owl, Least Bell’s Vireo, Belding’s Savannah Sparrow, and San Diego Fairy Shrimp.

This property’s preservation has been supported through a variety of agencies including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who concurred with research done by Dr. Jonna Engel of the California Coastal Commission regarding the property’s Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas. The Orange County Transportation Authority also deemed this land worthy of protection in its habitat mitigation program.

In an era where nearly all remaining privately owned coastal open space in Southern California is being developed, this land was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for land protection.

SAVING BANNING RANCH

As with most non-profit organizations dedicated to worthy causes, there was no one catalyst that led to the creation of the Coastal Corridor Alliance, originally called Banning Ranch Conservancy, in 2008. Many forces, events, and selfless people came together to give form to the organization. The Sierra Club Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force were instrumental in blazing a trail for the Conservancy.

Learn more about the timeline of accomplishments that chronicles some of the highlights of our journey to the present day, including our historic efforts to create public awareness of the rising threat of development of Banning Ranch, the only remaining coastal lands of its size south of the Ventura County line. Because of the public’s overwhelming response, the Conservancy (now CCA) was able to achieve its mission. The Conservancy also partnered with environmental organizations, community groups, elected and tribal leaders whose support was invaluable to the effort. Battles have been won and lost in the David and Goliath effort to save Banning Ranch, and the work isn’t over, but, like David, we have made surprising strides.