$97M Banning Ranch Conservation Project Secures Final Piece Of Funding

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Conservationists received the final piece of funding Thursday needed to purchase the 384-acre Banning Ranch oil field as part of an effort to restore the land as an open space park.

The state's Wildlife Conservation Board awarded up to a $15.5 million grant to nonprofit groups Trust for Public Land and Banning Ranch Conservancy toward the $97 million purchase of Banning Ranch.

The Newport Beach property is considered one of the last remaining pieces of privately owned land along Southern California's coasts, and conservationists have spent almost 20 years lobbying for its preservation.

Conservationists said Banning Ranch has "open space potential" with the possibility of restoring its coastal wetlands and establishing a park.

Guillermo Rodriguez, the California state director for Trust for Public Land, called the grant an "important moment in the decades-long, community-driven fight" to close the park access equity gap in Southern California.

"We’re thrilled to give residents the opportunity to realize a dream about what Banning Ranch can be and work alongside them to make their vision come to life," Rodriguez said.

Trust for Public Land and Banning Ranch Conservancy said they spent several years securing public and private funding to go toward the purchase of the land, including an $11.5 million grant earlier this month from California's Coastal Conservancy.

A $50 million donation in 2021 from Newport Beach philanthropists Frank and Joann Randall helped Trust for Public Land secure an agreement to purchase Banning Ranch.

"This has been a team effort, and we have kept our eyes on the prize," Terry Welsh, president of the Banning Ranch Conservancy, said. "It is a historic moment for our coast, and for nature lovers and park lovers everywhere."

The next stage in the conservation efforts will be drafting a plan to clean up Banning Ranch and remove the oil facilities and infrastructure, the nonprofits said.