NNaattuurree RReesseerrvvee ooff OOrraannggee CCoouunnttyy County of Orange Central/Coastal NCCP/HCP 22001199 AANNNNUUAALL RREEPPOORRTT Natural Communities Coalition 13042 Old Myford Road Irvine, CA 92602 www.occonservation.org NATURE RESERVE OF ORANGE COUNTY ANNUAL REPORT 2019 Table of Contents BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1 RESERVE MAPS .......................................................................................................................1 Coastal Reserve Map .................................................................................................. 2 Central Reserve Map .................................................................................................. 3 1.0 ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND ANNUAL REPORT OVERVIEW ................... 4 1.1 Board of Directors Milestones in 2019 ............................................................... 4 2.0 SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM STATUS AND WORK PLAN 2019-20 ...................................... 5 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Work Plan Table ................................................................................................ 8 2.3 Project Descriptions ........................................................................................ 10 2.4 Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Summary Tables .................................. 90 3.0 CONSERVATION CUSTODIAL FUNDS ......................................................................... 91 3.1 2019 Pacific Pocket Mouse Custodial Fund ....................................................... 91 3.2 2019 Cowbird Fund ......................................................................................... 91 4.0 RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLANS AND POLICIES ..................................................... 92 4.1 Wildland Fire Management Plan ...................................................................... 92 4.2 Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Plan ..................................................... 97 4.3 Recreation Management Plan .......................................................................... 97 4.4 Grazing Management Plan ............................................................................... 98 5.0 IMPACTS TO COASTAL SAGE SCRUB HABITAT ....................................................... 98 5.1 Authorized Take in the Reserve System by Participating Landowners as Reported to NCC in 2019 ................................................................................................. 98 5.2 Take by Non-Participating Landowners – In-Lieu and Other Mitigation Fee Options .......................................................................................................... 107 6.0 ACCOUNTING OF FUNDS RECEIVED AND DISPERSED .......................................... 107 7.0 BOUNDARY CHANGES/MINOR AMENDMENTS ....................................................... 107 8.0 LANDOWNER/MANAGER PROGRESS REPORTS AND WORK PLANS .................. 108 8.1 California Department of Fish and Wildlife Coal Canyon Ecological Reserve ...................................................................... 108 Laguna Laurel Ecological Reserve .................................................................... 113 Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve ........................................................... 118 8.2 California Department of Parks and Recreation Crystal Cove State Park ................................................................................... 126 8.3 Orange County Parks Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park ...................................................... 134 Irvine Ranch Open Space ................................................................................ 141 Irvine Regional Park ........................................................................................ 152 Laguna Coast Wilderness Park ........................................................................ 158 Peters Canyon Regional Park .......................................................................... 165 Santiago Oaks Regional Park ........................................................................... 171 Talbert Regional Park ..................................................................................... 177 Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve .............................................................. 183 Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park ...................................................................... 188 8.4 Orange County Public Works/OC Flood Control District Orange County Public Works Projects ............................................................. 193 8.5 Orange County Waste and Recycling Orange County Waste and Recycling ............................................................... 201 8.6 City of Irvine Open Space Preserve ...................................................................................... 206 8.7 City of Newport Beach Buck Gully Reserve ......................................................................................... 213 8.8 Irvine Company Irvine Company .............................................................................................. 219 8.9 University of California, Irvine Ecological Preserve ......................................................................................... 224 8.10 Irvine Ranch Water District San Joaquin Reservoir ..................................................................................... 231 Syphon Reservoir Preserve ............................................................................. 235 8.11 Transportation Corridor Agencies Bonita Creek ................................................................................................... 239 Coyote Canyon ............................................................................................... 243 8.12 Southwest Resource Management Association Portola South ................................................................................................. 247 Acknowledgements The Natural Communities Coalition 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. Cover Photo Western Spadefoot (Spea hammondii) Creation of new breeding sites and restoration of adjoining upland habitat in the San Joaquin Hills are recognized as essential to the long-term conservation of western spadefoot toad in the County of Orange Central-Coastal Subregion NCCP/HCP reserve system. Towards these efforts, a project is underway to construct breeding ponds in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Crystal Cove State Park with grant funding provided by the Wildlife Conservation Board. Photo by USGS. Used with permission from Baumberger et al., 2019, Draft Final Terrestrial Habitat Use of Western Spadefoot (Spea hammondii) in Southern California 2018-2019. USGS, Western Ecological Research Center. 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 2019/2020. Guidelines provided by the Wildlife Agencies were used in the preparation of this report. INTRODUCTION The Natural Communities Coalition is the 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that was formed to manage the Natural Community Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP) for the Central and Coastal Subregion of Orange County. Its mission is to “Coordinate with landowners, managers and other partners to ensure the persistence of the Reserve’s natural communities, including the full spectrum of native plant and animal species, through protection, study and restoration of native habitats and natural processes”. Thirty-nine sensitive species are protected, including nine plant and thirty 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. NCC helps coordinate science and land management activities of reserve landowners and managers in the nearly 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. RESERVE MAPS Two maps of the Reserve system, Coastal Subregion and Central Subregion, and associated non-Reserve open space have been included in this annual report for easy reference. 1 Coastal Reserve Anaheim Orange 22 ¬« ¬«261 ¬«241 Tustin ¬«55 Irvine Huntington Beach Costa Mesa 405 1 ¨¦§ 2 3 Lake Forest 8 4 133 Newport Beach 6 ¬« Laguna Woods Mission Viejo ¬«73 5 6 Laguna Hills 7 6 Aliso Viejo NROC 9 City Boundaries Laguna Beach Management