Cattle Grazing: Keeping Orange County’s Agricultural History Alive  

TCA’s pilot program provides sustainable habitat restoration at Live Oak Plaza

Long before Orange County was home to shopping malls and the Happiest Place on Earth, it was an agricultural paradise. From oranges to avocados to boysenberries, the temperate Mediterranean climate we celebrate today allowed for agriculture in the region to flourish. In addition to the county’s namesake crop, cattle ranches peppered the region and cattle grazed throughout pastures in what is now modern-day South Orange County. 

Today, the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) are keeping a small part of Orange County’s history alive at the Live Oak Plaza Conservation Area (Live Oak Plaza) while also restoring natural habitat and reducing wildfire risk. In May 2020, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (F/ETCA) Board of Directors approved the innovative cattle grazing pilot program at the 23.2-acre site. 

Live Oak Plaza, located northeast of the 241 Toll Road in Trabuco Canyon, contains valuable riparian, oak woodlands and coastal sage scrub habitat that has the potential to support the threated coastal California gnatcatcher and the endangered Riverside fairy shrimp. The site provides natural wildlife movement corridors to and from the Cleveland National Forest, O’Neill Regional Park and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park.

The award-winning cattle grazing program uses innovative, science-based approaches to land management that highlights TCA as a leader in environmental stewardship for the communities we serve.  

Now that the third year of the grazing program has begun, the cattle have returned to their vacation home at Live Oak Plaza. The cattle have been carefully monitored over the past two years as they snacked on non-native plants, including mustard plants, greatly reducing wildfire risk and allowing native plants to grow. 

“We are pleased with the positive effects cattle grazing has had at the mitigation site and look forward to seeing the final results of this three-year pilot program,” said F/ETCA Director and Orange County 4^th District Supervisor Doug Chaffee, who serves as Chair of the Joint Environmental Committee. “Protecting native species and preserving open space is an important part of our mission and legacy.”

It can be difficult to imagine an Orange County where you could see cattle roaming through areas like Lake Forest or the San Joaquin Hills. But when the cattle are grazing at TCA’s Live Oak Plaza, it allows passersby to catch a glimpse of Orange County’s rich history and its potential for a sustainable future. 

Watch the full Conservation Grazing video to learn more about TCA’s Live Oak Plaza Conservation Area and cattle grazing program.