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"I do not believe that there is another potential NNL site in all of the United States that places such a wealth of geologic features as close to such a major population center, thereby providing abundant opportunities for K-12 field trips, college students visits, graduate student and professional research, and for the general outdoor-oriented public to learn the lessons of the Earth."
Richard Behl, Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, California State University,
Long Beach
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On October 10, 2006 a large portion of the protected lands of The Irvine Ranch wildlands and parks (approximately 37,000 acres) was singled out for its value to the entire nation through federal designation as a National Natural Landmark (NNL).
NNL's are designated by the U.S. Secretary of Interior for natural areas in both public and private ownership. They are recognized as outstanding examples of the natural heritage of the country, alongside national parks, recreation areas and monuments. Nationwide, fewer than 600 sites have received this special designation.
Rock formations and fossils found here reveal a sequence of events chronicling earth's history that dates back nearly 80 million years. This landscape also contains large swaths of coastal sagescrub, a rare habitat found only in coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. The combination of unusual geological and rare biological characteristics is what gives these parts of the land such scientific value that they meet the high standards for special designation as a National Natural Landmark.
The 37,000 acres included in the NNL designation are protected and maintained parks and open space owned by the County of Orange, the City of Irvine, The Irvine Company, The Nature Conservancy and California State Parks. These lands represent one of the few places in Southern California where habitats have been preserved stretching from the mountains to the sea. They offer protection to a wide variety of plants and animals, some endangered and others found nowhere else. The areas recognized by the NNL designation include Crystal Cove State Park, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Bommer, Limestone and Fremont canyons.
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"The geologic features present on the Ranch appear to be outstanding. These include the succession of strata capturing the past 80 million years of geologic history of this region…and extraordinary examples of natural coastal geologic processes."
Peter Bowler, Senior Lecturer and Associate Research, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine
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Geologists who studied The Irvine Ranch wildlands and parks as part of the NNL designation process recognized a number of unique and rare features - including fossils of hadrosaurian, or "duckbilled," dinosaurs in the Blind Canyon area. On a large scale, the land is an outstanding illustration of the complicated and unique geologic history of the southwestern margin of the continental United States. The exceptionally wide spectrum of rock types and fossils captures changing landscapes and evolutionary events with remarkable completeness for a span of 80 million years. The terrain ranges from picturesque coastline subject to modern erosion and other natural processes to rugged, uplifted mountains where the geologic history of Southern California from the late Cretaceous period (65 million to 80 million years ago) to the late Pleistocene period (less than 1 million years ago) is beautifully exposed and largely intact.
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"This is the largest remaining patch of relatively undisturbed sage scrub immediately adjacent to the coast remaining in Southern California. The land contains a broad diversity of geological features, biological communities, and species. All of these other features are either associated with coastal sage scrub or chaparral communities or affected by them."
David Lawhead, Associate Park and Recreation Specialist, Colorado Desert District, California Department of Parks and Recreation
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Rich coastal sage scrub and chaparral natural communities are the primary biological features that make many areas of the land worthy of the NNL designation, scientists said. Embedded within the expanses of scrub are communities such as grasslands, stream corridors and oak woodlands, as well as important populations of rare and endangered plants and animals. The coastal sage scrub is very healthy and relatively undisturbed, and is one of the larges areas of this highly threatened Mediterranean-type shrub land remaining in California.
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There have been many scientific studies of the geological and ecological resources on The Irvine Ranch in the last few decades. Yet the comprehensive review leading to the NNL designation is the most rigorous, objective and independent scientific study of the land to date. Findings of the scientists who participated in this review confirm and reinforce previous evaluations that recognized the biological and geological importance of this land.
When the core natural areas of the land were submitted to the National Park Service for consideration as a NNL in 2004, a detailed site proposal was prepared by LSA Associates, Inc. in Irvine, California. The exhaustive review process included detailed onsite evaluations conducted by independent biology and geology experts selected by the National Park Service. These experts produced a thorough report that was then peer-reviewed by several other independent scientists. Based on these evaluations, and the recommendations of the Science Committee of the National Park Service, the National Park Service Advisory Board, the Park Service Director and the Secretary of the Interior designated the Irvine Ranch National Natural Landmark.
For more information on the National Natural Landmarks program, which is administered by the National Park Service, visit www.nature.nps.gov/nnl.
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