Removal of native habitat at Banning Ranch halted

Activists prevailed this month at a California Coastal Commission hearing in which a land owner agreed to stop ruining the coastal open space at Banning Ranch in Newport Beach.

The 400-acre Banning Ranch, located at the mouth of the Santa Ana River, is the largest parcel of unprotected coastal open space remaining in Orange County.  Approximately half of Banning Ranch is a coastal salt marsh, while the other half is an adjacent coastal mesa. A 1,375-home development project is proposed for the coastal mesa.

On March 12, at a California Coastal Commission Enforcement Hearing in Chula Vista, the commission unanimously approved a settlement agreement with land owner and developer of the proposed project, Newport Banning Ranch LLC (NBR), regarding violations of the Coastal Act charged by the commission against the company. Without admitting guilt, NBR agreed to stop committing the alleged violations and perform actions (restoration, mitigation and dedication of permanent open space) to correct them.

The heart of the victory was permanent cessation of the annual mowing of 40 to 50 acres of California gnatcatcher critical habitat, allowing coastal sage scrub, including encelia scrub and southern cactus scrub to return to these areas.  

The back story

At least 19 sensitive species are found on Banning Ranch, and the property has documented remnants of prehistoric Native American peoples. The entire Banning Ranch is U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared critical habitat for the California gnatcatcher.  The property has been used for oil production since the 1940s.

For many years, about 40 to 50 acres of mesa top vegetation had been mowed on an annual basis. The reason given by the property owners for the mowing was "oil field maintenance and fuel modification" (fire safety). However, the mowing was occurring in areas of the property where all the wells were long-abandoned and occurring at distances of up to 1000 feet from adjacent homes (the Orange County Fire Authority Vegetation Management Guidelines require only a 100-foot fire buffer between flammable vegetation and homes). Moreover, the mowing was occurring almost exclusively in the footprint of the proposed 1,375-home development project.

Effect of habitat damage on wildlife

By controlling the amount of coastal sage srub on the property, the annual mowing likely had the effect of limiting, or impeding, not just the California gnatcatcher population, but other species on Banning Ranch. For example, since the 1990s the cactus wren population on Banning Ranch has seen a steady decline and may now be extirpated from the site.

The settlement agreement and the future of Banning Ranch

The developer is still pursuing its proposed housing project on the Banning Ranch mesa. It is working with the commission staff to complete the Coastal Development Permit application. The proposed development project could come to the commission for a vote next year. Since the mowing was temporarily suspended in 2012, some of the formerly mowed areas have seen a return of native vegetation. This means that these areas could be considered Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas by the commission and protected from development.

Support the effort to preserve all of Banning Ranch as openspace

The Sierra Club Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force and the Banning Ranch Conservancy are working toward preserving all of Banning Ranch as open space. For more information, please contact the Sierra Club Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force, or contact the Banning Ranch Conservancy at info@banningranchconservancy.org or www.banningranchconservancy.org or call (714) 719-2148.

Terry Welsh is chairman of the Sierra Club Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force and President of the Banning Ranch Conservancy.