Home Page for Save Banning Ranch.

We are a group of people that want to protect the last bit of available open space left in the Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Huntington Beach areas. This particular area, known as Banning Ranch, is located at the end of the Santa Ana River where it meets the Pacific Ocean and consists of wetlands, tidal marshes, coastal bluffs, and a mesa. This property has escaped the residential and urban development that is characteristic of much of the West Side due to its use for oil production.  Because of this, it is now home to an abundance of increasingly rare coastal vegetation and wildlife including threatened and endangered species. Banning Ranch also serves as a vital link between neighboring publicly owned open space and extremely sensitive ecosystems. To the west of Banning Ranch are wetlands. Immediately north is the Talbert Nature Preserve and further up the river is Fairview Park. Below is an artists sketch of what we could have if all goes well. One day this could truly be The Westside's Back Bay.

The owners of Banning Ranch are AERA Energy, LLC. The owners are proposing to build 1,375 homes, 75,000 square feet of commercial, and a resort on this very site. Such massive urban development will result in the loss of open space and wildlife habitat and impact the sensitive ecosystems that neighbor the ranch.

The Sierra Club's Banning Ranch Park and Preserve Task Force (link) is working to arrange a purchase of the entire area at a price agreeable to both the owners and public. Banning Ranch would then be able to join the previously described adjacent open spaces to create a "Greater Orange Coast River Park" which would encompass over 1200 acres.

The Task Force is affiliated with the Angeles chapter of the Sierra Club. Their work includes educating the public and local officials about Banning Ranch and securing funds for the eventual purchase of Banning Ranch. They have initiated dialogue with the owners who have said they will consider selling the property with the right offer. The passage of Proposition 84 in the November 2006 general elections makes available up to 25 million dollars for acquisition of properties along the Santa Ana River. The Task force is currently working to access as much of these funds as possible.

The Banning Ranch Conservancy (link), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is now on board as well to help save this area from development. All donations to this organization are tax deductable and are devoted to preserving the ranch as open space. Money donated to this organization is well spent and gets us that much closer to saving "The Ranch."

For volunteer information, event information, free bumper stickers, or any other questions you might have, please visit the contact page and send us an e-mail or give us a call. We need all the help we can get.