Conservation Plan

A conservation plan developed to protect natural habitat and wildlife in Orange County in exchange for accelerated freeway improvement projects was finalized in spring 2017.

Years in the making and requiring cooperation from multiple entities, the Final Natural Community Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan ensures more than 1,300 acres of OCTA wilderness preserves will remain forever protected from development. In addition, the conservation plan provides a path forward for OCTA's OC Go, formerly Measure M, Freeway Environmental Mitigation Program. The program allocates funds to acquire land and fund habitat restoration projects in exchange for streamlined project approvals for the 13 OC Gofreeway improvement projects. Acquired properties are purchased and permanently preserved as open space. Funded restoration projects restore preserved open space lands to their native habitat and include the removal of invasive plant species.

The conservation plan demonstrates that sufficient conservation is being provided to address the biological mitigation related to the freeway projects; an accompanying agreement streamlines the environmental permitting process and will help freeway projects reach completion faster.

"This is an important effort to protect our environment that would not have been possible without the leadership of the OCTA board and the strong involvement of environmental and community groups," said state Sen. Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, who previously served as an OCTA board member and led the Environmental Oversight Committee. "I think that OCTA has created an ideal model for the mitigation of transportation projects that can be followed statewide."

Preserve Management Requirements

Resource Management Plans (RMP) are required in order to provide guidelines for the management and monitoring of the Orange County Transportation Authority’s seven Preserves in accordance with the goals and objectives of the Conservation Plan. More specifically, the RMPs provide guidance for the ongoing protection, preservation, and management of the natural resources found within the Preserve. Priority plant and animal species or “Covered” species are carefully monitored with the goal of ensuring the long-term health of populations. The RMPs also address the control of site-specific encroachments, fire protection issues and the accommodation of safe public access where and when appropriate. Designated roads and trails, and their uses, also are identified in each RMP.

These documents are a result of years of assessment and collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (Wildlife Agencies). The RMPs will be reviewed at least every five years and updated as necessary to prioritize management actions based on the changing Preserve needs. At that time, the RMPs would be presented for public review and must be approved by the Wildlife Agencies.