The 26-facility county parks system includes the Irvine Ranch Open Space, comprising Limestone Canyon, Weir Canyon and Fremont Canyon nature preserves, as well as Black Star Canyon Wilderness Park.
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Description
The park is divided into six separate plant groups, identified as "zones" and based upon the progression of plant groups and changing conditions found along the Santa Ana River. The first zone is designated "Intensive Use Area" and the plant material has been selected based on use instead of its origins on the site. The second zone, a "Border Planting" zone is planted with vegetation designed to maintain boundaries and screen the embankment of the Greenville-Banning Channel. Another zone, the "Coastal Strand" consists of gentle slopes and dunes, a habitat largely destroyed by the advance of civilization in the area. The "Native Grassland" zone is the largest zone in the park and provides opportunities for wildlife habitats. An "Alluvial Woodland" zone contains a wide variety of plant and animal life and is the most secluded area in the park. Finally, the "Wetland Zone" consists of the southern 14.8 acres of the park and contains elements of riparian woodland and mulefat scrub.
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History
During recent geological history, the Santa Ana River was a major factor influencing the development of coastal wetlands from Newport Bay to Seal Beach. Periodic flooding events have rerouted its course throughout much of the northern Orange County coastline.
The river's present out fall was artificially created in 1920 when it was confined between levees and diverted from connection with western Newport Bay. At the turn of the century, an estimated 8,000 acre area between Newport Mesa and Bolsa Chica Mesa and extending inland as far as 7.5 miles was covered by freshwater, brackish water, and tidal wetlands. U.S. Geological Survey maps from that period show the course of the Santa Ana River running along the base of Newport Mesa and through the present day park site. This wetland system was eventually isolated by Pacific Coast Highway construction, river channeling, and flood control channel dredging and construction of levees.
Today most of these wetlands have either been diked or filled. Row crops were grown on the bench which contains the park site in the 1950s and in the 1960s and early 1970s organic gourds were grown on the site. Through the late 1970s and the 1980s the site lay abandoned and had evolved into an annual grassland with isolated areas of shrubs and exotic plant species.
In the mid-1970s the County of Orange acquired the 180 acre ecological preserve through the State of California. The North Talbert Preserve consists of 91.5 acres and the South Talbert Preserve is approximately 88.5 acres.
The construction of North Talbert commenced in 1993 and was funded by the California State Coastal Conservancy and the County of Orange, Harbors, Beaches & Parks / Environmental Management Agency.
Immediately prior to the construction of the park, sand verbena, beach bur, beach evening primrose and deerweed were found growing in the area where the coastal strand, or dunes zone has been established. In the area of the wetland, approximately ten acres of mulefat scrub intermixed with exotic plant species existed.
The planting of the new park was guided by the remnant material found growing on the site as well as the estimated original plant communities.