The Randall Preserve (Formerly Banning Ranch)
The Randall Preserve, formerly known as Banning Ranch, includes 387 acres of lowlands and coastal bluffs located in West Newport Beach near where the Santa Ana River meets the Pacific Ocean. The land was protected Friday, December 16, 2022. Fourteen acres will remain in private ownership as an oil remainder. Over the next several years, the Randall Preserve will undergo substantial clean up and some limited restoration to convert the former oil fields into a coastal park. During this time, the land will remain closed to public access due to liability issues.
With the protection of the Randall Preserve, there are now nearly 1,000 acres of protected coastal lands and waters that create a contiguous reserve system including the Huntington Beach wetlands, the Semeniuk Slough, Talbert Regional Park, Canyon Park, Fairview Park, and the Santa Ana River. Thanks to the hard work of The Trust for Public Land, the generous $50M acquisition funds from Frank and Joan Randall, and the stewardship of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), along with many state funding partners, this land is permanently protected from future development, forever.
The Randall Preserve supports a mix of coastal wetland, riparian woodland, coastal bluff sage scrub, shortgrass grassland, and vernal pool communities that are without parallel anywhere in Orange County. At least six wildlife species listed as threatened or endangered have been documented on the Randall Preserve: San Diego Fairy Shrimp, Light-footed Clapper Rail, American Peregrine Falcon, Least Bell’s Vireo, California Gnatcatcher, and Belding’s Savannah Sparrow.
See something of concern on the property? Call MRCA Ranger Services at (310) 456-7049. If it is a true emergency, please call 911.
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