In Spring I wrote that twenty years ago, RMV was at the forefront of a movement by local landowners and government agencies to balance the conservation and protection of the state’s wildlife with appropriate development and growth. Many voices participated in the process to determine what lands would be preserved as The Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo and what lands would be developed.  

On a lovely afternoon earlier this month, many of the people who were integral to the approval process gathered to celebrate our 20-year anniversary. Beneath towering oaks, we broke bread together, remembered the past and looked forward to the future. We told stories of past arguments and debates. We recalled how we solved our differences. We appreciated how we may have started as adversaries but now we celebrate each other as friends and partners.  

The thread that binds us all together is caring for the land. We again thank those that cared about the land back then and those that care today. We look forward to meeting those who will care about it in the future.