All events specify a minimum age for participation.
- Eight (8) is the minimum age for most Reserve events.
- Some events require participants to be ages 12 & up.
- FAMILY events welcome children aged 6 & up.
- Refer to specific event listing for details.
- Be sure to review our age limit policy.
Pre-registration required for all programs.
- Contact us for large groups or to arrange a special group outing.
- Your registration enables us to contact you about program changes or cancellations. Please see our policy on Cancellations and Refunds.
- All visitors to The Reserve must present a signed release waiver upon entry to the property. Families may submit a single form, as long as all entrants are identified on the form. Waivers are also available at the event.
Sounds of Nature - Family Walk
Enjoy a walk through oak woodlands as we listen for bird songs while becoming beginner birders, learn about animal adaptations including the sounds they make and discover the history of Native American legends. We will get crafty and make our own instruments from natural and recycled materials. Close your eyes and listen closely as we explore the sounds of nature!
Activities geared for ages 6 - 11 years, but everyone 6 and up is welcome to participate.
Interpretation Level: Medium
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ages: 6 and up
Participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, February 22nd.
| When: | February 23, 2019, 9:00 am – 11:00 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 15 (out of 25) |
Shooting Stars Wildflower Walk
Local wildflower expert Bob Allen will lead an exploration of The Reserve looking for early wildflowers like the Padre Shooting Star. Learn to identify blooms and savor the smells, sights, sounds and breathtaking beauty of winter.
Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 8 and up
Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 8:00 pm on Friday, February 22rd.
| When: | February 23, 2019, 8:00 am – 11:00 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 13 (out of 25) |
Caspers Park Foundation Nature Talk
Reservations are not necessary for this event.
This nature-themed lecture is held in association with the monthly meeting of Caspers Park Foundation (CPF) volunteers.
Subject: Creation of Caspers Park
This event is presented by the Caspers Park Foundation. For information regarding this event, please contact the Caspers Park Foundation. For more info, email: CaspersParkFoundation@gmail.com or call 949-923-2210.
| When: | March 2, 2019, 10:00 am – 11:00 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | Caspers Wilderness Park |
| Information: | Available Spaces: Unlimited |
Monday Trail Clearing and Weeding
Start off your week by working on maintaining Reserve land while enjoying a walk through nature. We will spend a couple of hours cleaning up the trails of The Reserve that traverse through oak woodlands and grasslands.
Drinks, snacks, gloves and tools are provided. We recommend bringing your own work gloves if you have them.
Interpretation Level: Low
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 10 and up
Please note: participants must be registered by 4:00 pm on Sunday, March 3.
| When: | March 4, 2019, 7:30 am – 9:30 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | Chiquita Ridge |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 20 |
Sierra Sage Hike
Join the Sierra Sage chapter of the Sierra Club to enjoy the beautiful, natural scenery of The Reserve.
Interpretation Level: Medium
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 10 and up
Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Tuesday, March 5th.
| When: | March 6, 2019, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 25 |
Astronomy Night
Orange County Stars
Visitors traveling to sparsely populated areas are usually delighted to discover how many more stars are visible than at home. Come out to The Reserve for Astronomy Night where you can still view many more celestial phenomena than elsewhere in urbanized Orange County!
Enjoy an evening outdoors, as you gaze into the heavens, learn the constellations, and peer through the telescopes of our volunteer astronomers. Reserve astronomers are all volunteers who enthusiastically share their telescopes and expert sky knowledge with you. (BRING: Warm clothing, Red cellophaned flashlight, binoculars, optional beach chair.)
Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ages: 8 and up
Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, March 8.
| When: | March 9, 2019, 7:45 pm – 9:45 pm |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 23 (out of 30) |
Saturday Trail Clearing and Weeding
Volunteer to spend a few hours in beautiful surroundings helping make The Reserve trails accessible to our visitors. Join the crew dedicated to protecting our native ecosystems by maintaining trails and eliminating weeds. Volunteer efforts make an impact!
Drinks, snacks, gloves and tools are provided. We recommend bringing your own work gloves if you have them.
Interpretation Level: Low
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 10 and up
Please note: participants must be registered by 4:00 pm on Friday, March 8.
| When: | March 9, 2019, 8:00 am – 11:30 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 20 |
After School Community Service
Join our staff for monthly after school service hours at the beautiful Reserve Headquarters on the Ortega Highway, nestled between the San Juan Creek and foothills covered in oak woodlands. The service project site hosts school field trips, summer camps and other programs. Maintaining the space allows for a safer and more enjoyable experience for all of its visitors. Earn volunteer service hours while giving back to the community!
Drinks, snacks, gloves and tools are provided! We recommend bringing your own work gloves if you have them.
Interpretation Level: Low
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 10 and up
Please note: participants must be registered by 4:00 pm on Thursday, March 14.
| When: | March 15, 2019, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo Headquarters |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 19 (out of 20) |
Leprechaun Hunt
Bring the “wee-ones” out for a morning in pursuit of the mischievous Irish faery - the Leprechaun. Decorate a blarney stone, build a fairy house, play games, and go on a search for a leprechaun.
Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ages: All. Activities geared for ages 5 and up.
Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, March 15.
| When: | March 17, 2019, 10:00 am – 11:30 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo Headquarters |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 0 |
Lecture: Wildflowers from A to Z - (Almost) Everything You Want to Know about Local Native Wildflowers
After winter rains, The Reserve teems with an endless array of wildflowers. Join us as botanist Tony Bomkamp presents interesting facts (with photos) about many of the most picturesque wildflowers popping up along our hillsides and in our back country.
Ages: 8 and up
Please note: Participants must be registered by 4:00 pm on Thursday, March. 21.
| When: | March 21, 2019, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm |
|---|---|
| Where: | Guest House in Rancho Mission Viejo |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 44 (out of 50) |
Spring Wildflower Walk
Enjoy the springtime beauty of wildflowers out on The Reserve. Explore ridges and canyons looking for spring wildflowers with guest biologist Tony Bomkamp. You'll see some of the more common spring wildflowers and may discover some uncommon ones as well.
Interpretation Level: High
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 8 and up
Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday, March 22.
| When: | March 23, 2019, 9:00 am – 11:30 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 14 (out of 25) |
Monday Trail Clearing and Weeding
Start off your week by working on maintaining Reserve land while enjoying a walk through nature. We will spend a couple of hours cleaning up the trails of The Reserve that traverse through oak woodlands and grasslands.
Drinks, snacks, gloves and tools are provided. We recommend bringing your own work gloves if you have them.
Interpretation Level: Low
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 10 and up
Please note: participants must be registered by 4:00 pm on Sunday, March 31.
| When: | April 1, 2019, 7:30 am – 9:30 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 20 |
After School Community Service
Join our staff for monthly after school service hours at the beautiful Reserve Headquarters on the Ortega Highway, nestled between the San Juan Creek and foothills covered in oak woodlands. The service project site hosts school field trips, summer camps and other programs. Maintaining the space allows for a safer and more enjoyable experience for all of its visitors. Earn volunteer service hours while giving back to the community!
Drinks, snacks, gloves and tools are provided! We recommend bringing your own work gloves if you have them.
Interpretation Level: Low
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 10 and up
Please note: participants must be registered by 4:00 pm on Thursday, April 11.
| When: | April 12, 2019, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo Headquarters |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 20 |
Bird Safari
Would you like to learn to identify some of our local feathered friends? Are you ready to start your “life list?” Enjoy a spring morning with docent and bird expert Gary Meredith while quietly combing The Reserve for our resident and migrant birds.
This is a birding 101 event and will partially take place alongside a private road overlooking oak groves, grasslands and more. Participants will initially drive on the road from site to site to look and listen for a variety of birds and later take a stroll to view other birds on our trails.
We encourage you to wear neutral/natural colored clothing and to bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them.
Interpretation Level: Medium
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ages: 10 and up
Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday April 12.
| When: | April 13, 2019, 8:00 am – 11:00 am |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 20 |
Butterfly Walk
Come explore with amateur butterfly enthusiast Gary Meredith and learn to identify butterflies – a relaxing and fun activity. How many species will we find during our walk through the ever-changing palette of habitats? Learn how to recognize our common butterflies. Find out about hill topping and territorial behavior as you hike the trails of The Reserve.
Interpretation Level: Medium
Difficulty Level: Easy-moderate
Ages: 10 and up
Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Friday April 12.
| When: | April 14, 2019, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 25 |
Sunset Hike: Twilight in the Trees
Celebrate Arbor Day with a twilight hike through the oaks and sycamores of The Reserve. Trees provide essential habitat for wildlife. They produce oxygen for the air we breathe. They give us shade and a place for kids to play. Experience sunset among trees, enjoy their beauty and learn more about their significance.
Interpretation Level: Medium
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Ages: 8 and up
Please note: participants must be registered or on the wait list by 4:00 pm on Thursday, April 25.
| When: | April 26, 2019, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Where: | The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy |
| Information: | Available Spaces: 25 |