NNaattuurree RReesseerrvvee ooff OOrraannggee CCoouunnttyy County of Orange Central/Coastal NCCP/HCP 2013 ANNUAL REPORT 2013 ANNUAL REPORT Nature Reserve of Orange County 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue Irvine, CA 92618 www.naturereserveoc.org Nature Reserve of Orange County ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Table of Contents BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION......................................................................................1 1.0 NROC ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND ANNUAL REPORT OVERVIEW ........... 1 1.1 Board of Directors Milestones in 2013 .................................................................... 1 1.2 Annual Report Format Revision ................................................................................ 2 2.0 NROC SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM STATUS AND WORK PLAN 2013-14 ............................. 6 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................6 2.2 Work Plan Table ....................................................................................................7 2.3 Project Descriptions ...............................................................................................8 2.4 Potential In Development Projects ........................................................................ 43 2.5 Habitat Restoration & Enhancement Summary Tables ......................................... 44 2.6 A 17-Year Retrospective ...................................................................................... 46 3.0 NROC CONSERVATION CUSTODIAL FUNDS ................................................................ 64 3.1 2013 Pacific Pocket Mouse Custodial Fund .......................................................... 64 3.2 2013 Cowbird Fund .............................................................................................. 64 4.0 RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLANS AND POLICIES ...................................................... 64 4.1 Fire Management Plan ......................................................................................... 64 4.2 Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Plan ......................................................... 65 4.3 Recreation Management Plan .............................................................................. 65 4.4 Grazing Management Plan ................................................................................... 65 5.0 IMPACTS TO CSS IN THE CENTRAL/COASTAL NCCP/HCP ......................................... 66 5.1 Authorized Take by Participating Landowners as Reported in 2013 ....................... 66 5.2 Take by Non-Participating Landowners – Mitigation Fee Option ............................ 66 6.0 ACCOUNTING OF FUNDS RECEIVED AND DISPERSED BY NROC............................. 66 7.0 BOUNDARY CHANGES/MINOR AMENDMENTS IN THE RESERVE SYSTEM ............... 67 8.0 RESERVE LANDOWNER/MANAGER PROGRESS REPORTS AND WORK PLANS...68 8.1 Crystal Cove State Park 8.2 CA Department of Fish and Wildlife Ecological Reserves 8.3 Orange County Parks 8.4 City of Irvine 8.5 City of Newport Beach 8.6 The Irvine Company 8.7 University of California, Irvine 8.8 Irvine Ranch Water District 8.9 Transportation Corridor Agencies 8.10 Orange County Waste and Recycling Acknowledgements The Nature Reserve of Orange County appreciates and thanks the reserve landowners and land managers whose hard work and collaboration makes a significant contribution to the health of the Reserve and this Annual Report. Nature Reserve of Orange County ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Sections: 1.0 - 7.0 Nature Reserve of Orange County BACKGROUND The Implementation Agreement for the County of Orange NCCP/HCP Central and Coastal Subregion specifies that an Annual Report be prepared each year to describe activities of the non-profit management corporation and of landowners and land managers within the reserve system. The annual report contains a progress report for the preceding year and a work plan for the following year. This report is being submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to fulfill that requirement for the years 2013/2014. Guidelines provided by the Wildlife Agencies were used in the preparation of this report. INTRODUCTION The Nature Reserve of Orange County (NROC) is the 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that was formed to manage the Natural Communities Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP) for the Central/Coastal Subregion of Orange County. NROC’s mission is “To ensure the persistence of the reserve’s natural communities, including the full spectrum of native plant and animal species, through the protection, study and restoration of native habitats and natural processes.” Thirty-nine sensitive species are protected, including nine plant and 30 animal species. The primary vegetation type in the Reserve is coastal sage scrub, coexisting in an intricate mosaic of oak woodland, native grassland, chaparral, Tecate cypress and riparian communities. NROC helps coordinate the management activities of reserve landowners and managers in the 38,000-acre reserve system. Additionally, it conducts biological research and monitoring, and implements habitat restoration and enhancement programs in coordination with landowners and managers. The overall biological goal of the Reserve program is to conserve healthy, functioning ecosystems at a landscape level. This is accomplished through adaptive management, a flexible approach that is open to change based on new scientific information. 1.0 NROC ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND ANNUAL REPORT OVERVIEW 1.1 Board of Directors Milestones in 2013 March · The election of public at-large members was held in March, and new directors and alternates, representing environmental, business and recreation communities, are: Environment – Garry Brown, Director; Elisabeth Brown, PhD, Alternate Director Business – Jerry A. King, Director; Michael Recupero, Esq., Alternate Director Recreation – Thomas Eastman, Director; Harry Helling, Alternate Director · Board of Directors unanimously approved the NROC 2012 Annual Report and 2013 Work Plan for submission to the Wildlife Agencies. · President Mark Denny elevated the Land Managers Council to a Board Committee— Land Management Committee, chaired by Director Todd Lewis. June · The audited financial statement for fiscal year 2012 was approved by the board. The financial statement was found to be materially correct by the auditor, and received an unqualified opinion. · NROC Board established an Audit Committee. 1 September · NROC Board of Directors conducted a one-half day Strategic Plan Workshop to review and recommend changes to the December 20, 2012 approved plan. · NROC Science Coordinator, Milan Mitrovich, PhD, prepared a 17 year review of NROC Science and Land Management Project Funding December · NROC convened an independent Science Experts Panel to assist the organization in a review of past accomplishments, its current organizational capacity and role, prioritizing critical issues and threats facing the Reserve, and providing direction in establishing a five to ten year science vision. · NROC Board approved revised Strategic Plan and associated strategies, objectives and master calendar. · Brian Fisk, City of Irvine, was elected Vice President of the NROC Board. · The Board of Directors approved the fiscal year 2014 budget. 1.2 Annual Report Format Revision NROC has produced an Annual Report since 1997. Over the years the format and content have evolved, and the report has grown in size and complexity. Recently, NROC conducted a survey of members of its Board of Directors (which includes representatives of the Wildlife Agencies), land managers and key partners to gain insight to the current utility of the Annual Report, the amount of time various individual stakeholders spend in the preparation of the document, and recommendations of changes that would improve its value. Below is a table of NROC’s survey findings. Forty surveys were mailed. Twenty-four (60%) were returned completed: 15 (55.6%) from NROC Directors and Alternates, seven (100%) from NCCP/HCP land managers and two (33.3%) from selected key partners. Topline Summary · Significantly more Land Managers than NROC Directors/Alternates reported participating directly in the production and editing of the 2013 NROC Annual Report and 2014 Work Plan. · Responding Land Managers on average spent three times more time in the production and editing of the current year NROC Annual Report than NROC Directors/Alternates. · Slightly more than 50 percent of both responding NROC Directors/Alternates and Land Managers reported that last year’s (2012) Annual Report and Work Plan was unused or under-utilized as a resource during 2013. In an early attempt to respond to survey comments regarding improving the usefulness and readability of the Annual Report, NROC is testing format changes in its portion of this Annual Report and will coordinate with others to critique the modifications to determine which, if any, will be standardized for use in future reports and Timewhich and will beValue further Annual refined andReport tested. Survey of NROC Board of Directors, Land Managers and 2 Time and Value Annual Report Survey of NROC Board of Directors, Land Managers and Key Partners # Question NROC Director Land Manager Other Key or Alternate (n=7) Partner (n=2) (n=15) 1a Did you participate directly in the production Yes: 10 Yes: 6 Yes: 2 of any part of the 2013 (66.7%) (85.7%) (100%) NROC Annual Report/2014 Annual No: 5 No: 1 No: 0 Work Plan? (This (33.3%)