Orange County Parks

A look back at our 2020 drive-in movie events. Check out how these events came together behind the scenes. We look forward to bringing you more events in 2021! #OCParksDrivein

Park Closure Out of an abundance of caution, Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park is closed until further notice due to recent mountain lion activity. Please visit OCParks.com for updates.

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. John Muir#ScenicSaturday #ClarkRegionalPark #FindYourPark

"Be like the bird who, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing she hath wings." - Victor Hugo Ospreys are often spotted near bodies of water including estuaries and salt marshes, making Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve an ideal location for these majestic fish-hawks. Ospreys can be identified by their brown back and wings, white underbelly, and by their distinctive hook-shaped beaks. : Resource Specialist Nathan #WildlifeWednesday #OCParks #Birding #Raptors

Thank you to everyone who joined us at OC Parks Drive-In movie events throughout the year! While 2020 didn't unfold as expected, we took great pleasure in reimagining our events and were thrilled to continue offering a source of entertainment to the community. Wishing you all a happy New Year! #OCParks #OCParksDriveIn

#OC volunteers, we need your help. Register today to help government staff provide #OCCOVID19 vaccine distribution at Super PODS (points of dispensing): https://volunteers.oneoc.org/special-event/a182I000007VTf2. #COVIDVaccine

That’s a piece of leav-a-rite, yeah, leave it right there! Context is everything in archaeology. In the field at an active archaeology dig, someone might say, That’s a piece of leav-a-rite, yeah, leave it right there! They are referring to maintaining the artifact’s logistical context, known in Latin and in the archaeological world as in situ. Pictured in the photo above are grinding stone artifacts in situ at an archaeological site in south Orange County. In situ ref...ers to an artifact that has not been moved from the place where it was found, and is critical to the interpretation of an archaeological site. This is based on the premise that one artifact alone does little to tell us about the people who lived during the artifact’s time of manufacture and use, rather, it’s the association of artifacts with one another that holds the most valuable information about its people. It’s also important to note that an artifact in situ indicates only that it has not been "newly" moved, so it could have very well been moved by people in past or by natural events. The next time you’re out hiking with your friends and you see something that looks like an artifact, be sure to flex your new vocabulary words and tell them that artifact is a leav-a-rite and you all need to leave it right there in situ. If you do find an artifact in the field, let us know at [email protected] so our staff can record its contextual information. #ThrowbackThursday #Archaeology #OCParks

What's all the buzz about? Recently observed at Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, this swarm of #bees was likely a local colony that divided into two - which is a good thing! When a colony gets overcrowded a second queen bee is hatched and the former queen leaves the hive. At least half of the bees will follow the queen out and immediately surround her to protect her and keep her safe and cool, until scouts find a suitable location for a new hive.... These beneficial pollinators are vital to the health of our ecosystem and are necessary for the survival of all living things. A world without pollinators, like bees, would be a world without food to eat or air to breathe because most plants can’t reproduce without them. Remember to never approach bees or any form of wildlife. #WildlifeWednesday #BeeSwarm #OCParks : Resource Specialist Nathan

TRAILS UPDATE: As of Wednesday morning, trails at O’Neill Regional, Riley, Caspers, Aliso & Wood, Laguna Coast and Whiting Ranch wilderness parks have reopened. Trails at Carbon Canyon, Santiago Oaks, Peters Canyon, Irvine and Mason regional parks remain closed due to wet and muddy conditions. Please see our alerts page for up-to-date information and closures. https://www.ocparks.com/parks/alerts

Pink skies, mesmerizing sunrise. Silhouettes of trees and the Saddleback Mountains are the perfect companion to this picturesque sunrise at Mile Square Regional Park. : Events Coordinator Orkideh #OCParks #FindYourPark #MorningMotivation #ScenicSaturday

While we were celebrating the New Year, the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, reached its highest point! Watch this month's Naturalist's Almanac for more fun facts on January winter weather from Resource Specialist Nathan! #OCParks

Strike a pose! OC Parks’ paleontologists have many specialized skills for working with fossils, including photography that’s used for photogrammetry. Photogrammetry is a relatively new technique that constructs an accurate 3D model from a series of digital photos. Creating digital models of fossils lets our paleontologists share OC Parks’ fossil and artifact collection without the risks of shipping. To produce the 3D models, we take a series of photos all around the fossil,... from every angle. Then the photos are uploaded into special software that creates a reconstruction of the fossil. Editing software pares the mesh down to the part that we’re interested in viewing. Lastly, we upload the model to the internet for sharing. You can view the photogrammetry 3D image of a sea lion femur fossil here:https://sketchfab.com//sea-lion-femur-ocpc-524-94df63944b9 In addition to digitizing fossils as seen in these photos, OC Parks will digitize historic buildings and archaeological artifacts. #ThrowbackThursday #OCParks #Fossil #Paleontology

Trails at Carbon Canyon, Santiago Oaks, Peters Canyon Irvine and Mason regional parks, Riley, Aliso & Wood, Laguna Coast, O’Neill and Whiting Ranch wilderness parks are closed due to wet and muddy conditions. Please see our alerts page for up-to-date information and closures. https://www.ocparks.com/parks/alerts

Mark your calendars for some parks-related fun! Check out what we have on our social media channels this week: #MondayMemories introduces you to fang-tastic musk deer. #TriviaTuesday challenges your knowledge of a festive native berry on Instagram and Facebook Stories.... #WildlifeWednesday gets goosed! #ThrowbackThursday reminds you of something merry at the OC Zoo. #FeatureFriday brings you the sounds of the season with a virtual performance. #ScenicSaturday spreads holiday cheer with #OperationRudolph.

Thanks so much for following our #OperationRudolph trucks throughout #OCParks! Which #OperationRudolph photo do you like best? Vote for your favorite in the comments below. The park with most votes will be our holiday victor and bragging rights are at stake! Vote for O’Neill Regional Park by commenting 1 below. Vote for Peters Canyon Regional Park by commenting 2 below. Vote for Yorba Regional Park by commenting 3 below.... Vote for Santiago Oaks Regional Park by commenting 4 below. Follow OC Parks on social media for more parks-related content all year long.

In the spirit of Elf on the Shelf, we’re kicking off Operation Rudolph! Follow along this month as our honorary Rudolph ranger truck spreads cheer across the county, and try to guess what park he’s visiting. Rudolph started his holiday travels at this lovely park, originally part of an expansive cattle ranch and farm owned by Bernardo Yorba. Where is he? #OperationRudolph #OCParks

Rudolph was feeling merry and bright when parked near this 44-acre lake known as Sulphur Creek Reservoir. After a busy holiday season, he’s looking forward to relaxing and fishing at this park. Where is he? Hint: Within the lake on the large island is a protected bird sanctuary. #OperationRudolph #OCParks

Owl bet you can’t guess what birds commonly nest in these boxes? We'll give you a hint, #ItsNoTurkey! Primarily home to barn owls and screech owls, these owl boxes are built to offer nesting locations to cavity nesters. With decreasing habitat, the availability of cavities is also decreasing which makes these owl boxes a reliable option for local wildlife. Owl boxes are typically painted white to help reduce heat, and are often installed in grasslands, fields, on t...rees, poles or unused structures. Located throughout our parks, you can tell if an owl box is occupied by looking for droppings or owl pellets nearby. Occupied boxes may also have scratch marks or develop a ring around the entry hole. Remember not to try and touch or feed local wildlife. If you see an owl box, please view from a safe distance. Photo credit: Resource Specialist Kelly and Ranger Jason #WildlifeWednesday #Owls

We’re kicking off our OC Parks Virtual Holiday Concerts with special guests Holiday Harmony Carolers as they perform the seasonal classic, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. We hope you enjoy from wherever you’re tuning in! Follow OC Parks on social media all month long for more festive virtual offerings. #OCParks

And now the thrilling conclusion of The Curious Case of the Missing Coprolite! Join OC Parks' archaeology team as they discover what happened to their missing artifacts. They are teaming up with the paleontology team to examine different types of coprolites found in their respective fields. Then, we find out how to identify if a piece of coprolite is from an animal, human or something else! #MondayMemories In case you missed it, find Part 1 here: www.facebook.com/OrangeCountyParks/videos/790244441765809

UPDATE - As of 1 p.m. Friday, 12/4 yesterday's fire and wind closures are now as follows: OPEN: Irvine Regional, Peters Canyon, Santiago Oaks regional parks. CLOSED: OC Zoo, Irvine Lake, Irvine Ranch Open Space, Saddleback Gateway, Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, Arden Modjeska Historic House and Gardens, O'Neill Regional Park. Weekend camping and group reservations at O'Neill are also canceled. Continuing updates and park status are always available on our alerts page: https://www.ocparks.com/parks/alerts

Due to high winds and fire conditions, the following facilities are closed: Irvine Regional, Peters Canyon, Santiago Oaks and O'Neill regional parks, OC Zoo, Irvine Lake, Irvine Ranch Open Space, Saddleback Gateway, Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and Arden Modjeska Historic House and Gardens. O'Neill Park weekend camping and group reservations will be canceled due to the fire.

Mark your calendars for some parks-related fun! Check out what we have on our social media channels this week: #MondayMemories introduces you to the OC Parks archaeo/paleo collection. #TriviaTuesday challenges your knowledge of animal tracks in our Instagram and Facebook Stories.... #WildlifeWednesday continues our #ItsNoTurkey series with a post about owl boxes. #ThrowbackThursday takes you back to Canyon Fire 2. #FeatureFriday puts the spotlight on owl pellets. #ScenicSaturday features a beautiful post photographed in one of our parks.

A moody sunrise captured at Mile Square Regional Park to kick off our November series of Scenic Saturdays. #ScenicSaturday #SunriseSaturday We appreciate your continued cooperation with current restrictions. Please visit OCParks.com for a full list of closures and modified operations. : Park Ranger Matt

Today's #featurefriday brings back Resource Specialist Nathan to tell us what nature has in store for us in November! From butterfly migration to King Tides, here's what to watch for.

Today's #throwbackthursday replays a video from 2017 marking the 10th anniversary of the Santiago Fire. Much like last week's Silverado Fire, it burned in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park, causing significant damage. This video shows the recovery from the 2007 fire. If allowed to recover properly, even the most badly damaged parkland can once again become a welcoming place for visitors, wildlife and native plants. Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park remains closed until further notice while parks staff assess hazards and damage. Long-term closures in some areas may be necessary for fire recovery, especially going into the winter rainy season. We will provide updates here and on our website as we have information available. Please observe all closures and stay away from burn areas for your own safety and the recovery of the park.

In November, the word turkey often conjures up images of domestic or wild turkeys, but we have a park resident that is a completely different kind of gobbler. These photos were taken in Riley Wilderness Park of an adult turkey vulture that was tagged in 2017 at Anaheim Lake. While #ItsNoTurkey in the traditional, seasonal sense, turkey vultures are a very important part of our ecosystem that definitely deserve celebrating! Turkey vultures, also known as buzzar...ds, possess excellent eyesight and a keen sense of smell. They're bald, typically larger than other raptors and have long wingtips. Majestic yet unsteady, they exercise very few wingbeats as they soar, making their flights look a bit awkward. Known as nature’s cleanup crew, these scavengers are key to keeping our local ecosystems healthy. They act as natural carcass recyclers and can often help alleviate the presence of harmful and contagious disease. With incredibly dynamic digestive abilities including corrosive stomach acid, turkey vultures clean up what could potentially make other animals (including humans) sick. Here's to turkey vultures! #WildlifeWednesday #RileyWildernessPark

#SilveradoFire CLOSURE UPDATES 11/3: Irvine Regional Park & OC Zoo remain closed due to a fire camp. We anticipate they will reopen later this week. Irvine Ranch Historic Park and the Katie Wheeler Library remain closed until further notice due to wind damage. Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park and Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve in the Irvine Ranch Open Space remain closed due to ongoing fire suppression activity. Fire crews continue to fight hot spots and perform mop-up. Both ...parks are closed until further notice, and it will be some time before we can make any assessments. Long-term closures in some areas may be necessary for fire recovery, especially going into the winter rainy season. Please observe all closures and stay away from burn areas for your own safety and the recovery of the park. We will provide updates as we have information available.

Who took the coprolite? What exactly is coprolite? Our archaeo team is on the case! Catch the thrilling conclusion next Monday! #MondayMemories

Happy Halloween from OC Parks! All week long "OC Parks Spooky Series" has unwrapped frightfully fun virtual offerings. To conclude this series, grab a costume and enjoy this rock-and-ghoul performance from local cover band, Past Action Heroes! #OCParksSpookySeries

We are pleased to share that after being evacuated due to the #BlueRidgeFire and #SilveradoFire, the animals of the OC Zoo safely returned home. We will resume our previously planned social media content including this #WildlifeWednesday feature recorded prior to the fires. Ghostly greetings from the OC Zoo! The animals are looking fang-tastic in their Halloween attire. Marcy, our Curator of Education, takes you on a virtual tour as the animals enjoy treat-filled pumpkins in celebration of Halloween during our #OCParksSpookySeries. Irvine Regional Park and the OC Zoo remain closed until further notice. Closures are due to a fire camp for ongoing firefighting operations in the area. For more information on the OC Zoo visit OCParks.com/zoo.

UPDATE Saturday 10/31: Irvine Regional Park & OC Zoo remain closed due to a fire camp. Irvine Ranch Historic Park & Arden Modjeska remain closed due to wind damage. Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park & Irvine Ranch Open Space closed due to ongoing fire activity. Parking lots at Clark Regional Park are closed for construction but the park is open. Please visit our website for up-to-date information: ocparks.com #SilveradoFire

Thank you to all of our OC Zoo staff for their hard work evacuating animals Monday, Oct. 26, and to the Santa Ana Zoo for graciously hosting them! The zoo animals were moved out of an abundance of caution and due to the unpredictable nature of the nearby fires. OC Zoo staff cared for the animals at the Santa Ana Zoo, and began returning them to the OC Zoo Wednesday, Oct. 28. The OC Zoo and Irvine Regional Park remain closed for a fire camp, hosting firefighting resources.