CIR’s Environmental Experts Webinar Presents:

Invasive Species Control and Restoration at Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary

with Sandy DeSimone, Ph.D. Director - Research, Education and Land Management

Thursday, April 24, 2025
5:00pm – 6:00pm

Starr Ranch is a 4000 acre Audubon preserve in southeast Orange County.  Driving down the Ranch’s oak lined country road is like going back through time. The original Ranch buildings, built in the 1930s by previous owners Eugene and Applin Starr, now serve as staff residences and spaces for meetings and education programs. The Ranch protects and restores the rare native landscapes of Southern California and is truly a wild land jewel in South Orange County. 

Sandy DeSimone, Ph.D.
Director - Research, Education and Land Management

Plants and birds are a passion for Sandy DeSimone, who did her doctoral research on the globally endangered coastal sage scrub. Sandy’s land management and education programs at the 4000-acre Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary in southeast Orange County reflect her passion and studies.  Since 1999, after several years of research on the biology and nonchemical control of the highest priority nonnative on Starr Ranch (artichoke thistle), the Starr Ranch has used an experimentally based method that has reduced artichoke thistle cover by 95% in a work site after one season of nonchemical treatment. The second season of artichoke thistle control the restoration process begins, either active restoration to coastal sage scrub or maintenance of needlegrass grasslands. This work is done by the Starr Ranch field crew, comprised of a full-time field supervisor and four seasonal field assistants. Land managers from Ventura to San Diego Counties have come to Starr Ranch to learn about the research-based, sustainable land management practices and visit restoration sites. Local and regional partnerships focusing on Southern California conservation issues are also critical to Sandy’s work. She works closely with academic and agency partners on tree pests, fire prevention, mountain lions, bird monitoring, and rare riparian fish and macroinvertebrates.

Audubon California Starr Ranch Sanctuary
100 Bell Canyon Rd
Trabuco Canyon, CA  92679

www.starr-ranch.org