Communities across the United States are facing a shared challenge, how to accommodate growth while preserving the environmental systems that make places healthy, resilient and desirable over time. At Rancho Mission Viejo in south Orange County, Calif., a long-term commitment to protecting open space has helped shape an approach to development that continues to offer important lessons as The Nature Reserve marks its 20th anniversary.
Decades ago, the land-owning family made the decision to permanently conserve large portions of working ranch lands surrounding future residential villages. From the beginning, Rancho Mission Viejo led as a model of what a true commitment to preservation could mean to the health and vitality of a new community.
Today, The Nature Reserve has evolved into a defining element of the region’s land-use strategy, with its rolling grass-covered hills, wet meadows, oak woodlands, running creeks and shady canyons, drawing thousands of nature-lovers to visit each year. For example, in 2025, The Nature Reserve hosted 5,436 attendees at 146 nature based programs. Over 3,000 students also participated in our school field trips in the 2024-2025 academic year. Two decades of intentional efforts continue to sustain our mission to preserve and enhance the lands for ecological, educational, scientific and recreational uses which contribute to community vitality.
Protected landscapes provide in ways that are often not immediately visible but deeply consequential. Native vegetation communities including coastal sage scrub, grasslands, oak woodlands and riparian corridors support biodiversity, help stabilize soils and contribute to watershed health. These systems also influence how surrounding communities experience environmental stressors such as drought, heat and wildfire.
For example, contracted professionals, volunteers and staff teams working on The Nature Reserve have dedicated years to removing flammable invasive species and restoring native plant communities across priority conservation areas. Restoration efforts like these have improved ecological conditions for endangered and threatened species, while also reducing wildfire risk by better retaining water in drought-prone Southern California.
Permanently protected open space also helps bring clarity to future growth. By establishing defined boundaries between developed and preserved lands, communities can pursue more intentional patterns of development. This can support regulatory alignment, reduce uncertainty in entitlement processes and create greater confidence for residents about how their surroundings will evolve. In Rancho Mission Viejo’s villages, this visibility has contributed to a strong sense of community – one shaped by proximity to natural landscapes.