With the failure of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to live up to its commitment to protect critical wildlife habitat on federal lands in Orange County, the City of Irvine is playing a vital role in saving the State’s first Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP).

When the Orange County Central-Coastal NCCP was adopted in 1995, one of the crown jewels was 900-acres packed with threatened California gnatcatchers and coastal cactus wrens. Called the El Toro Conservation Area and owned by the Navy at the time, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service committed in writing to bring the land into the NCCP. In what was supposed to be an interim step, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received the land in transfer, under the condition that the conservation envisioned by the NCCP occur and that use by the FBI and other law enforcement for training purposes be limited to a then-operating pistol range.

The Sacramento Regional Office of the FWS stalled for over a decade, though (citing concerns over hazardous waste and management funding, but without effective problem-solving). During this time, in violation of the original conditions of transfer to the FAA, the FBI made plans for a massive expansion of training, such as intensively used rifle ranges in the heart of the Conservation Area (and within striking distance of residential development). In 2009, the FWS finally initiated planning for a National Wildlife Refuge Unit in order to fulfill its commitments, but less than a year later abandoned the process despite an outpouring of support for the refuge.

When the FAA lost patience with the FWS and made plans to transfer the land to the FBI this year, EHL and its allies brought this crisis to the attention of the City of Irvine. The City built upon its longstanding support for the NCCP, to which it is a signatory, by meeting directly with the FAA about stewardship options for the land, including its own possible acceptance of the property. El Toro lies within the City’s municipal boundary and is adjacent to its Great Park. We wholeheartedly thank the City for its constructive engagement.