About
The Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo Programs include recreational walks, interpretive hikes, astronomy nights, family programs, stewardship volunteer opportunities, and an educational speaker series. Specific activities include Wildflower Happy Hour, Spring Sunrise Hike, Reading with Reptiles, Celebrate Earth Week! Trail Stewardship, Mud Kitchen Morning, Celebrate Earth Week! Volunteer Orientation and Training, Astronomy Night, Celebrate Earth Week! Family Walk to Mother Oak, Bugs and Butterflies at Riley Park, and Earth Day at Panhe in San Clemente. The programs also include participation in Ocean Festivals, city celebrations, and talks with hands-on activities at local libraries and school science nights.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Price: $20 for Wildflower Happy Hour; $5–$10, Free/Supporter for Spring Sunrise Hike; Free for Reading with Reptiles; Free for Celebrate Earth Week! Trail Stewardship; Free for Mud Kitchen Morning; Free for Celebrate Earth Week! Volunteer Orientation and Training; $10–$15 for Astronomy Night; $5 for Celebrate Earth Week! Family Walk to Mother Oak
The stated goal of The Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo is to preserve and enhance the surrounding land for ecological, educational, charitable and recreational uses. The Nature Reserve is a growing habitat reserve in South Orange County that will grow to include over 20,000 acres of Rancho Mission Viejo lands and is protected open space managed by the Rancho Mission Viejo Land Trust, a non-profit organization. Its guiding principle is “Take care of the land and the land will take care of you.”
Community involvement includes participation in local fairs and fiestas, county parks, green days and similar conservation themed events, Bugs and Butterflies at Riley Park, Earth Day at Panhe in San Clemente, Ocean Festivals, city celebrations, programs for groups such as Boy and Girl Scouts, conservation and civic organizations, and talks with hands-on activities to local libraries and school science nights. Stewardship actions at The Nature Reserve include invasive species control, trail clearing, constructing bridges, installing signs, and erecting fencing. Staff and partners monitor “Covered Species” under federal and California Endangered Species Acts and participate in research on disease in mountain lions, migratory patterns of red-tailed hawks, reproductive output of barn owls, and genetics of fairy shrimp, as well as the annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count and regular NABA butterfly counts. The programs also feature an animal ambassador named Rosy, the Rosy Boa Snake.
Last updated April 6, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Price: $20 for Wildflower Happy Hour; $5–$10, Free/Supporter for Spring Sunrise Hike; Free for Reading with Reptiles; Free for Celebrate Earth Week! Trail Stewardship; Free for Mud Kitchen Morning; Free for Celebrate Earth Week! Volunteer Orientation and Training; $10–$15 for Astronomy Night; $5 for Celebrate Earth Week! Family Walk to Mother Oak
The stated goal of The Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo is to preserve and enhance the surrounding land for ecological, educational, charitable and recreational uses. The Nature Reserve is a growing habitat reserve in South Orange County that will grow to include over 20,000 acres of Rancho Mission Viejo lands and is protected open space managed by the Rancho Mission Viejo Land Trust, a non-profit organization. Its guiding principle is “Take care of the land and the land will take care of you.”
Community involvement includes participation in local fairs and fiestas, county parks, green days and similar conservation themed events, Bugs and Butterflies at Riley Park, Earth Day at Panhe in San Clemente, Ocean Festivals, city celebrations, programs for groups such as Boy and Girl Scouts, conservation and civic organizations, and talks with hands-on activities to local libraries and school science nights. Stewardship actions at The Nature Reserve include invasive species control, trail clearing, constructing bridges, installing signs, and erecting fencing. Staff and partners monitor “Covered Species” under federal and California Endangered Species Acts and participate in research on disease in mountain lions, migratory patterns of red-tailed hawks, reproductive output of barn owls, and genetics of fairy shrimp, as well as the annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count and regular NABA butterfly counts. The programs also feature an animal ambassador named Rosy, the Rosy Boa Snake.
Last updated April 6, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.