AUGUST 2005 Hurricane Katrina
In August 2005, a Category 5 hurricane hit the Gulf Coast and decimated areas of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The massive storm impacted over 90,000 square miles. It wrought particular havoc on New Orleans, where levee failures and extensive flooding led to costly clean-ups and major economic devastation. Failing to anticipate the scope of the storm, officials delayed evacuation orders and underestimated the need for emergency shelters. Hospitals and other key buildings lost power and flooded. Low-income neighborhoods, such as the Lower Ninth Ward, were especially hard hit. The failure to evacuate the city and provide timely assistance resulted in more than 1,000 fatalities, making Katrina one of the deadliest hurricanes to ever hit the continental United States. Recovery efforts took years and involved significant rebuilding of flood control infrastructure as well as repairs to housing, increased social services, and ecosystem restoration projects.
Figure 82. Baseball and softball fields at the Great Park, 2024. Image courtesy of City of Irvine.
Agreement. When the trail opened, it included three metal footbridges and offered pedestrians an uninterrupted walkway, separate from congested roads. The lighted path quickly became popular with bicyclers, joggers, and walkers. Visitors encounter interpretive signs explaining more than 500 years of regional history. Additional sections of the trail feature signs describing natural history and information about the precontact landscape. The Jeffrey Open Space Trail, and the broader Jeffrey Open Space, are important greenspaces in Irvine. Future expansions will connect the trail to other natural areas protected and managed by the City. The trail has been recognized with landscaping and innovative design awards. SEE FIGURE 83 2006 Irvine Ranch Open Space Becomes a National Natural Landmark Donated to the City in 1988, the Irvine Ranch Open Space was designated a National Natural Landmark in 2006 and a California State Natural Landmark two years later. The area includes some 50,000 acres of land that had once been part of the Irvine Ranch, owned by the Irvine Company. The property previously supported many different industries such as agriculture and mining. Now, the City of Irvine and project partners maintain public trails and facilities for recreational uses, such as hiking, biking, and horseback riding. This landscape contains a complete stratigraphic succession in age from the Cretaceous (80 million years ago) to the present, making it a valuable natural history learning space. The area also includes numerous landmarks overseen by the City of Irvine and Orange County Parks. It is an important example of chaparral and coastal sage shrub environments. To preserve both the cultural and natural history of the area, habitat restoration and environmental protection remain key priorities across the Irvine Ranch Open Space.
AUGUST 2005 Dedication of the Great Park
In August 2005, Irvine dedicated the Orange County Great Park and celebrated a long effort to secure the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and the surrounding land for public use. Ballot Measure A, in 1994, was intended to designate the land for development as a commercial airport, after the military base formally closed in 1999. In 2001, however, Orange County voters approved Measure W. The approved measure would convert the area into a public park. The community envisioned large green spaces with art installations, cultural institutions, and housing. Initial development efforts focused on sporting venues and recreational facilities, as well as environmental cleanup and stabilization related to the historical military activity. The Orange County Great Park project involved many community meetings and planning efforts to develop an exemplary metropolitan park, one of the largest in both the region and the nation. SEE FIGURE 82
JUNE 2006 Jeffrey Open Space Trail Opens
The first one-mile-long segment of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail opened on June 3, 2006. Later extended to three and a half miles, the trail follows Jeffrey Road through the city of Irvine. The Irvine Company donated the 76-acre park tract to the City as part of the ongoing land transfers under the 1988 Irvine Open Space
Figure 83. Jeffrey Open Space Trail, pictured in 2006. Image courtesy of City of Irvine.
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