Habitat Restoration
Bolsa Chica Stewards
The Bolsa Chica ecosystem is comprised of a rare combination of saltwater wetland and dry upland Mesa. The lower wetlands received a breath of new life in the form of a significant restoration; however, the Mesa was untouched by that project. The Bolsa Chica Stewards foresaw the need to heal the habitat and had the passion to undertake the immense challenge of restoring native vegetation among a sea of non-native, invasive weeds. With persistence, dedication, and a “yes we can” attitude, the Bolsa Chica Stewards have successfully met the challenge and transformed over 9 acres into beautiful Southern California Coastal Sage Scrub habitat and native grassland.
For more information on the Stewards, contact Beverley Hansen (Beverley@bclandtrust.org).
Bolsa Chica Land Trust Stewards: Growing Space
The purpose of this Growing Space is to support the Bolsa Chica Land Trust (BCLT) Stewards Habitat Restoration efforts, current and future, on the Lower Mesa at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. The space will be utilized to grow native plants for both Coastal Sage Scrub and Grassland habitats. The entire setup will be temporary and easily movable without physical change to the land.
Volunteer coordinator: Beverley Hansen, Beverley@BCLandTrust.org
Core Steward Leads: Mike McMahan, Mike Armstrong, Jeff Rokos
Core Steward volunteers:
John Phibbs
Marli McGraw
Joe Smisko
Roberta Armstrong
William Balow
Morgen Hansen
Ian Hansen
Manager: Erin Chin, Erin@BCLandTrust.org
Why
The BCLT believes this Growing Space is vital to our success in restoring the Mesa to native Coastal Sage Scrub and Grassland habitat because: it will save on total costs of the restoration project; it will save on total carbon output by decreasing the amount of driving required to transport plants to the site; the plants will be propagated under the exact conditions of the Mesa increasing the probability the plants will survive once planted; it is a tool for educational and experimental possibilities; it will serve as a pilot test for future larger restoration project(s).
The Bolsa Chica Stewards have been very successful in our 25 years of habitat restoration. The Coastal Sage Scrub habitat areas, most notably at the Point, have grown robust. Some of the species have even expanded beyond the fence to establish themselves where few natives have been seen and none have been planted. The Coastal Sage that was seeded in circles are growing and preventing non-native species from invading the circles. The erosion control plants that were planted on the slope going up to the Point have done very well and have stabilized the slope from erosion. Even the native grasses that we have just recently started to plant in the last few 5 years are surviving multiple years and are healthy enough to produce seeds on their own.
The Growing Space is an ideal location for education and experimentation of native plants. Also, the Growing Space will be a living laboratory to test different propagation and treatment techniques to determine the most efficient and successful procedures for growing native plants under the environmental conditions of Bolsa Chica.
The largescale goal of the BCLT Restoration program is to restore the entire 118 acre Mesa into native habitat. The project will use thousands of plants of many different species. The small Growing Space will be a pilot for a Growing Space with multiple units to be able to grow enough plants. The pilot Growing Space will test growing methods, supply needs, and the most efficient and safest procedures before the requirement of a larger-scaled space for increased plant output. It will resolve a lot of the potential issues that would arise before the larger project starts.
The NITTY-GRITTY
- Who: Bolsa Chica Land Trust Stewards
- What: an on-site location to grow native plants for planting on the Bolsa Chica Mesa
- When: weekly and monthly volunteering opportunities
- How: volunteers supervised by trained Core Stewards
photos: Beverley Hansen, Kim Kolpin, and E. Chin
Eagle Scout Project
A big thank you to Luke Maloney, an Eagle/Life Scout in Troop 316, and his Troop for the hard work and dedication of erecting the physical structure of the Growing Space in the summer of 2017 as well as the construction of the tabletop cages!!
photos courtesy of Troop 316
