Seeking Ranger Reserves and OC Parks Volunteers to assist with backcountry patrol of park trails. Patrolling the trails is at times strenuous and will include passing out maps, educating public about importance of keeping their dogs on a leash and making a presence on the trails. Other duties may include repairing broken fencing, checking for graffiti and investigating illegal trail use in Weir canyon. Hours are flexible.

Are you a nature lover, hiker, gardener, or just need to get outside to refresh yourself? Does the idea of adopting a canyon interest you? Please come help Irvine Ranch Conservancy restore local habitat, native plants, and wildlife so they may thrive in the canyon of Agua Chinon. No experience is necessary other than a desire to explore and care for our open space. Participants may engage in plant identification, removal of invasive weeds, and planting native plants.

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-3 activity on the land.

Administrative support of rangers.

Join Laguna Canyon Foundation volunteers in beautiful Laguna Coast Wilderness Park at our native plant nursery as we care for native plants from their seed stage to their mature, ready-to-be planted stage. Volunteers may collect seeds, sow seeds in flats, bump plants up, plant at restoration sites, sterilize plant containers, and/or help maintain the facilities for the plants. Gain hands-on experience with habitat restoration while working alongside other zany and interesting plant lovers! Wear close toed shoes, layered clothing and sun protection. Bring water. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Willow Canyon Staging Area (west side of Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133, just south of El Toro Road). Park and walk up the gravel trail 100 yards to get to the small native plant nursery, just before the trailers. Free parking passes will be provided for you at the nursery. Youth ages 16 and 17 are eligible to volunteer with parent permission. A form is required to be signed by their parent or guardian prior to starting the volunteer activities. Youth under the age of 16 are not eligible to volunteer unless accompanied by an adult or guardian. On line reservations required: lagunacanyon.org/activities Forms available on this webpage as well. For questions, call 949-497-8324 Mon-Fri or 949-923-2235 Sat/Sun.

Requesting assistance from Ranger Reserves for weekend patrol. Ranger Reserves will assist with patrolling the park, advising for codified ordinance violations, traffic/parking control, and making public contacts.

Want to have fun while giving back to nature? Join Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s one-of-a-kind Native Seed Farm in Irvine. You will be working to help expand the Farm’s impact for restoration of Orange County’s wildlands by planting new plants into our growing fields, weeding to protect them while they grow, and harvesting seed, depending on the season. Tools and training will be provided. You do not need experience, nor a green thumb, just excitement to give back to the land.

Please note our Minors Policy as noted on the letsgooutside.org website:  All minors (under 18 years of age) must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. They must also (both parent and minor) be registered for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy led program they wish to attend.

Reviewing the 1-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this Level 1 activity.

Participants are required to come prepared by reviewing the Stewardship Tips in their confirmation email. Under-prepared participants may be turned away.

Santiago Oaks Regional Park needs help in caring for its beautiful woodland gardens.
No experience is necessary. Training, tools and gloves will be provided. Duties and responsibilities will vary week to week and month to month.

Connect with nature and give back to the land as we assist native plants and wildlife so they may flourish in an extremely sensitive area of Limestone Canyon Preserve. You will ride through the canyon in a safari-type vehicle to the Dripping Springs Trail where you may water or add native plants. In addition we will give existing native plants room to thrive as we weed out invasive plants. As a bonus we will hike approximately 2 miles round-trip to Dripping Springs; a fern-covered rock face dripping with life-giving water creating an essential watering hole for wildlife in the canyon. Your work along this trail will not only benefit the plants and animals, but you will be supporting its continued beautification and protection.

Reviewing the 1-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this Level 3 activity. The hike is a Level 2 Difficulty Rating.

Leave your park better than you found it! Join Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff during monthly habitat stewardship activities at Irvine Regional Park, aimed at keeping the park’s trails and habitat healthy. Identified in collaboration with the Park Rangers that patrol the trails everyday, stewardship projects can include planting to combat the effects of off-trail use, removing invasive plant species that threaten to crowd out the diversity of native plants, and more!

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-3 activity on the land.

Join Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve staff and volunteers in enhancing the Bay’s habitat for local wildlife. Activities may include non-native plant removal, planting natives, watering, trash cleanup, and Butterfly Garden maintenance. No experience is necessary; please bring hat, sunscreen, snacks, etc. Water and tools are provided.

• Space is limited and pre-registration is required.
• Minors ages 16 and younger must have legal guardian present at all times.
• Rain or heat advisories cancel event.

Please join us at the Native Plant Nursery located at the Augustine Staging Area. This is a unique opportunity to help plant coastal sage scrub plant species. All work at the nursery is community-driven, and the plants grown and planted will help to enhance native habitat within Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve! We will be working in close proximity to the parking area. 

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-1 activity on the land.

The Youth Action Team, an after school community-service based program throughout the City of Irvine regularly volunteers their time to steward the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. This week, High School students will spend their afternoon helping to plant native grasses on West Loma! Students will be transported to work site via IRC vehicles. Hiking with tools will be required.

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-3 activity on the land.

Please join us at the Community Stewardship Native Plant Nursery located at the Quail Hill Trailhead in Irvine. This month, help us plant native species . We will be working along the Quail Hill Loop off of the trailhead parking lot. Your work at the nursery will help to enhance the native habitat – directly benefiting the local wildlife!

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-1 activity on the land.

Want to have fun while giving back to nature? Join Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s one-of-a-kind Native Seed Farm in Irvine. You will be working to help expand the Farm’s impact for restoration of Orange County’s wildlands by planting new plants into our growing fields, weeding to protect them while they grow, and harvesting seed, depending on the season. Tools and training will be provided. You do not need experience, nor a green thumb, just excitement to give back to the land.

Please note our Minors Policy as noted on the letsgooutside.org website:  All minors (under 18 years of age) must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. They must also (both parent and minor) be registered for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy led program they wish to attend.

Reviewing the 1-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this Level 1 activity.

Participants are required to come prepared by reviewing the Stewardship Tips in their confirmation email. Under-prepared participants may be turned away.

IRC Farm Stewards are invited to help out at this “openhouse style” workday!

Our tasks and actual location are TBD, and they will be based on accomplishing the Farm’s top priority work for each specific week. Depending on the time of year we might be at the Farm doing planting, weeding, doing nursery things, or at the Extension center cleaning Farm & wild seed , or something else entirely new!

(Not a Farm Steward yet? To get started on becoming one, check out “Trainings” under the Activities category drop-down menu, and get signed up for the next quarterly Farm Intro Training!)

Sahara mustard is a nasty exotic that has invaded thousands of acres across Southern California and is just beginning to encroach upon the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks. Now is the time to act! Over the last five years volunteers have been successfully keeping this plant at bay at Loma Ridge within the Irvine Ranch Open Space. Your help is needed to search for and remove new mustard plants that have come up from seed so that we can keep this weed from infesting our wild lands! This event will include bending, kneeling and walking across slopes and uneven terrain. All training and tools will be provided. We hope you can join us!

Join Laguna Canyon Foundation and OC Parks at one of our habitat restoration stewardship events in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park as we learn and work together to create a healthier habitat for the native plants and wildlife that call the canyon their home. Depending on the time of year, volunteers will assist with various stewardship activities, including removal of non-native plants, seed collection, and/or planting of native plants. No experience is necessary and all tools will be provided. Please wear long pants, close toed shoes and sun protection and bring water. Come out and join the team to help restore the wild lands we all enjoy! Big Bend Staging Area (west side of Laguna Canyon Rd/SR-133, approximately 1 miles south of El Toro Rd.). Youth ages 16 and 17 are eligible to volunteer with parent permission. A form is required to be signed by their parent or guardian prior to starting the volunteer activities. Youth under the age of 16 are not eligible to volunteer unless accompanied by an adult or guardian. On line reservations required: lagunacanyon.org/activities Forms available on this webpage as well. For questions, call 949-497-8324 Mon-Fri or 949-923-2235 Sat/Sun. Parking: Free for Keep It Wild volunteers!

Want to have fun while giving back to nature? Join Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s one-of-a-kind Native Seed Farm in Irvine. You will be working to help expand the Farm’s impact for restoration of Orange County’s wildlands by planting new plants into our growing fields, weeding to protect them while they grow, and harvesting seed, depending on the season. Tools and training will be provided. You do not need experience, nor a green thumb, just excitement to give back to the land.

Please note our Minors Policy as noted on the letsgooutside.org website:  All minors (under 18 years of age) must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. They must also (both parent and minor) be registered for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy led program they wish to attend.

Reviewing the 1-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this Level 1 activity.

Participants are required to come prepared by reviewing the Stewardship Tips in their confirmation email. Under-prepared participants may be turned away.

The Paws-Fur Pink event is a large charity walk that brings crowds of 700 people and their dogs that walk for Breast and Canine Cancers to Irvine Park.

We need help with traffic control in the park because of the large event. Come out and support this great event!

The Tecate Cypress is a rare species found only in southern California and northern Baja California. Unfortunately, the northern most population in the Santa Ana Mountains is in severe decline due to too-frequent wildfires. In effort to protect this rare species, locally genetic trees have been planted in Fremont Canyon, in close proximity to the staging area. Join us as we deeply water and weed around the young trees. Your work will ensure the newly-planted Tecate has all they need to thrive, and will directly help the effort to ensure the persistence of this unique forest community here in Orange County!

Reviewing the 1-through-5 Difficulty Ratings will help you evaluate your readiness to participate in this level-2 activity on the land.