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Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. From our Carlsbad Office -- read the full version here!   Two Decades Ago, Orange County Made Conservation History -- and it's the Best Kept Secret After 20 years, the Orange County Central and Coastal Subregions Natural Community Conservation and Habitat Conservation Plans contiue to preserve native wildlife on nearly 37,000 acres of habitat in one of the most scenic and populated areas in Southern California.  Credit: Chris Jepsen/Flickr Creative Commons   By Joanna Gilkeson September 15, 2016 Ever wondered how Orange County, one of southern California's most populated areas, has managed to maintain large areas of open space? It's no secret that development is a big part of southern California's identity; less well known is a 20-year landscape planning effort, that continues today, creating open spaces and conserving undeveloped, ecologically rich networks of preserved land in Orange County. Preserving native open landscapes is no accident; it takes dedicated, sustained effort by people to make it happen. Equally as complex as urban planning, Orange County's landscape design deliberately made space on the map for connected wildlife preserves. Popular open spaces in Orange County like Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Irvine Regional Park, serve not only as recreation areas, but as homes for wildlife. Read the full story here! Stay Connected with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region     SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe All  |  Help This email was sent to mantiskhiralla@gmail.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region · 2800 Cottage Way · Suite W-2606 · Sacramento, CA 95825