Working with the community we can create a park & preserve useful to us today and a legacy for our children.

Our goal is the Acquisition and Preservation of the area known as Banning Ranch through providing the community with information, helping community members understand the process of acquisition and developing the public interest and momentum that will encourage the land owners to work with government and non-profit groups to arrange for acquisition.

We believe that market drivers greatly influence land use, and the owners, when they are prepared to sell, will investigate their alternatives for selling the property. They can sell the land to government and non-profits or sell the land to developers who speculate their ability to make a profit from a construction project.

When there is strong public opinion regarding preservation of a particular area, the money for acquisition follows. Those holding an elected office seek to satisfy voter desires if they understand those desires. The movement for preserving Banning Ranch has grown to the point that elected officials are thinking about how to acquire Banning Ranch.

Acquire Preserve Conserve Public Access & Coordinate the vision for Banning Ranch with the Orange Coast River Park

The Task Force is also working to educate the landowners on their opportunities related to preserving Banning Ranch. For example, the partnership that owns Banning Ranch could sell development rights to a government or non-profit entity and maintain ownership of the property. They can sell the mesa to a government or non-profit entity with easements that allow them to continue with oil production at Banning Ranch as parts of Banning Ranch become open to the public.

After helping a government or non-profit entity acquire the land, the task force wants to help the community preserve and conserve the valuable habitats of Banning Ranch. One way to achieve that goal and open access to the public would be to add Banning Ranch to the adjacent Orange Coast River Park.