2001 Annual Report Prepared by: Nature Reserve of Orange County And LSA Associates, Inc. 2001 ANNUAL REPORT TO THE RESOURCE AGENCIES INTRODUCTION The Nature Reserve of Orange County (NROC) has prepared this annual report for the year 2001 consistent with Section 5.1.4 of the Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP) Central/Coastal Implementation Agreement (IA). The preparation and submittal of this annual report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) satisfies this requirement. 1.0 MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS 1.1 Monitoring NROC began and continued a number of monitoring projects. In an effort to establish baseline data and help assess the health of the Reserve lands (the land managed by NROC), the projects include the monitoring of vegetation, wildlife, and invasion by exotic plant species. These monitoring programs included the following: Monitoring Program for Mammalian Carnivores and Deer Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Program California Gnatcatcher and Cactus Wren Monitoring for the San Joaquin Hills Burn Area Reptile and Amphibian Monitoring at Long-Term Biodiversity Monitoring Stations Brown-Headed Cowbird Trapping Program in the San Joaquin Hills Pitfall Trapping of Ants at the Biodiversity Monitoring Stations Target Bird and Cowbird Monitoring Program Raptor Nest and Territory Monitoring Program 1.2 Restoration/Enhancement NROC has continued its effort to restore and enhance habitat throughout the Reserve, including approximately 2,100 acres of artichoke thistle and 30 acres of veldtgrass control, as well as native topsoil and plant salvage from Shady Canyon and relocation in Bommer Canyon. NROC is also in the process of developing an overall Reserve-wide restoration plan based on the mapping of exotic vegetation and prioritizing restoration opportunities based on specific criteria. Several other restoration projects are being conducted throughout the Reserve by private landowners in association with NCCP 4(d) Special Rule mitigation, as well as other mitigation efforts. 1 1.3 Fire Management The Fire Management Plan was presented to the Board and is open for further discussion. 1.4 Financial In March 2001, the NROC Board approved $18,000 for recreation monitoring contract services; however, no contract has been initiated. The Acquisition/Restoration Small Cap Growth investments were converted to mutual funds consistent with the Board’s Investment Policies. 1.5 Acquisition Program The Reserve will continue to research and seek out potential property that could be added to the Reserve. The Pocket Mouse Preserve will be held by a new owner, and NROC will continue as a fiduciary for the monitoring funds for the time being. The Pocket Mouse Preserve will not become part of the Reserve. 1.6 Other Lyn McAfee was hired to replace Tim Neely as Executive Director of NROC. President Foley resigned his presidency and nominated Director Jones, who became the new President. 1.7 Public Outreach The NROC participated in a number of community outreach and educational programs, including the establishment of Orange County Wild, continued the docent training program, and prepared and distributed the “Living Close to Nature” brochure. The programs are described in more detail below. 1.8.1 Orange County Wild (OCW). Orange County Wild was designed to develop and implement a cohesive strategy to educate the public about the importance of preserving, protecting, and enhancing our wildland, forest, park and reserve resources, from the mountains to the Pacific. Orange County Wild is a coalition of 26 Orange County wilderness landowners, managers, and stewards, including State, County, and city park systems and public conservancy groups. The OCW brochure and the Web site were completed in 2000. A symposium for countywide interpretive staff and environmental educators was held in January 2001. The Family Adventures Passport Program began in spring 2001. 2 1.8.2 Docent Day. Docent Day is an annual Orange County Wild sponsored event to provide continuing education for volunteer docents, trail guides and interpretive staff throughout Orange County. The event features presentations and tours by local researchers, biologists, and specialists to share the latest information about our local wilderness. 1.8.3 Questionnaire and Brochure. The “Living Close to Nature” brochure was designed for residents living along the wilderness edge. In December 1999, 5,000 copies of the brochure were mailed to a target group of residents living directly along the edge of the NROC wilderness areas. The Wildlife and Wildlands questionnaire was developed with the assistance of Terry Hartig, Social Ecologist with the University of Uppsala, Sweden; members of the NROC Board and the NROC Technical Advisory Committee; Kevin Crooks (USDS & UW); and Shalene George. The questionnaire was mailed out in June 2000 to 2,000 of the same target group of residents receiving the “Living Close to Nature” brochure and to 2,000 residents who had not received the brochure. By the end of September, there was an 18 percent response. Compilation of the questionnaire results was provided by Shalene George. 1.8.4 Recreation Ecology. The committee has identified components of the projects including establishing parameters for trail and access road standards, a trail conditions census of existing trails (and data entry form for recording plus photo documentation recommendations), habitat conditions monitoring, and a demographic survey. The project was reviewed by the NROC Technical Advisory Committee. Training of volunteers and the trail census began in June 2001. 1.8.5 Docent Training. Docent training courses are offered at Saddleback College each fall and began at Fullerton College in the spring of 2000. In December 1999, Saddleback College graduated 42 volunteers. In spring 2000, Fullerton College graduated 23 volunteers. In fall 2000 Saddleback College graduated 35 volunteers. 1.8.6 Other Public Outreach Programs. Wilderness managers in The Nature Conservancy, Aliso & Wood Canyons Park, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Crystal Cove State Park, the City of Irvine Open Space Administrator, and the Laguna Greenbelt and Laguna Canyon Foundations developed and printed a South Coast Interpretive Trails Map in spring 2001. The map is generating revenue for the wilderness parks. 2.0 MANAGEMENT AND GOALS 2.1 Public Access And Recreation 2.1.1 Crystal Cove State Park. The Resource Management staff at Crystal Cove State Park (State Park) has continued to manage the lands in an effort to restore the disturbed site to a mosaic of native bunchgrass and coastal sage scrub communities. State Parks has continued a number of restoration projects, including removing invasive exotic species, site preparation, relieving soil compaction, and planting and seeding with native species. Most of the restoration work occurred at the narrow coastal terrace at Pelican and Reef Point, East and West Meadows adjacent to park headquarters, and the 3 Bowl (one mile inland). Within these project areas, there are 24 work sites totaling over 100 acres implementing restoration techniques such as mowing, herbicide treatment, container plant installation, broadcast seeding, mycorhizae, and topsoil and plant salvage. In addition to State Park staff, hundreds of man-hours of California Department of Forestry fire crews and volunteers were used to help accomplish many of the restoration goals. In addition, State Parks has continued to conduct presence/absence surveys for California gnatcatcher, coastal cactus wren, and snowy plover in the State Park. Illegal trails continue to be a problem within and around the Park. State Parks continues to monitor for illegal trails. In an effort to deter the use of illegal trails, signs were posted, and community outreach meetings were held with users and enforcement groups. A census was conducted of all of the trails to measure trail impacts and surface condition in association with the NROC Recreation Ecology Committee. During the summer of 2001, the Resource Management staff cleaned up the 46 historic cottages located in the State Park. Along with the help of CDF fire crews, vegetation was cleared from around the structures. 2.1.2 County Regional Parks The County of Orange’s Public Facilities & Resources Department/Harbor, Beaches, and Parks (PFRD/HBP) manages nine regional parks that are incorporated into the Reserve system1 including the following: Aliso & Wood Canyons Park Irvine Regional Park Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Limestone-Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park Peters Canyon Regional Park Santiago Oaks Regional Park Talbert Nature Preserve Upper Newport Bay Regional Park Mason Regional Park The County Parks within the Reserve System had an annual attendance of an estimated 1,228,481 people. This is down from 1,272,402 in the previous year. The Recreation Ecology Committee (REC), made up of representatives from Harbors Beaches and Parks, The Nature Conservancy, State Parks, City of Irvine and California Department of Fish and Game, worked on an overall plan for the Reserve, which was funded by NROC to identify and 1 Includes all NCCP designated land categories including Reserve, Special Linkage, and Non- Reserve Open Space. 4 manage on a long-term basis recreational use impacts. The plan includes surveying and monitoring trail locations, conditions, and habitat impacts. The County sponsored a number of construction projects/improvements that are being implemented, including the following: