Birds
Flock to Huntington Beach Safe Haven
Sunny
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Written
by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel
Now that summer’s here and surfers and sun worshipers are
heading to Surf City to enjoy the beach vibe, migrating birds are coming, too –
from their winter homes in the southern region to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.
The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach –
designated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as a protected
coastal wetland – is a local treasure.
SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel talked to
Joe Shaw, President of the Bolsa Chica
Land Trust and Huntington Beach’s Mayor Pro Tem, about the importance of
maintaining Bolsa Chica in its natural state…
something that can be challenging
in an era of beachside property development.
“The Bolsa Chica Land Trust is pleased that the Ridge
Project – a proposal to build 22 houses on the Bolsa Chica Mesa – was withdrawn,”
Shaw said.
More than a place of natural beauty, Bolsa Chica, which
means “little pocket” in Spanish, is a sanctuary for migrating birds and
provides a tranquil habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife.
Among the birds and various wildlife seeking shelter in
Bolsa Chica are the snowy plover, savannah sparrow, least tern, Caspian tern,
great blue heron, snowy egret, red-tailed hawk, and great horned owl, along
with cottontail rabbits, ground squirrels, coyotes and other animals.
In the wetlands birds can rest on their long journeys and
also have a safe place to breed, nest, and rear their young.
Without these pit stops along the way, migrating birds
become exhausted and disoriented, unable to reach their destinations and even
dying for lack of food, water and shelter.
An oasis of primitive beauty in an urban setting, the
1,700-acre Bolsa Chica preserve wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for the
efforts of community volunteers and environmental groups, none more supportive
than the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.
For over 20 years the Land Trust has been working to
protect all of Bolsa Chica’s mesas and wetlands.
“Our mission is the preservation of the entire
eco-system,” Kim Kolpin, Executive
Director of the Land Trust, told SurfWriter Girls.
In 1997 the Land Trust was instrumental in saving 921
acres of wetlands.
Since 2004 the Land Trust has been involved in the
ongoing process of restoring the wetlands.
Joe Shaw explained to SurfWriter Girls, “We are doing
probably the most important work now…fighting for the last two jewels of
undeveloped land at Bolsa Chica.”
Through its Bolsa
Chica Legacy Campaign, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust is working to save from
development the wetlands’ Sacred Cogged Stone Site, an area
that was once a village and a cemetery of an ancient civilization.
"We are working diligently with a number of sources
including the City of Huntington Beach to acquire the land and save it in
perpetuity for the people of Huntington Beach and Southern California,” Shaw stated.
Important for more than its ecological aspects, Bolsa
Chica is thought to have major archaeological significance. Its cogged stones –
over 500 of them – are a mystery that could be linked to similar sites
discovered in Chile over 9,000 years ago.
Researchers are eager to discover the true meaning of
these cogged stones and what they represented to the early cultures that
created them. Some researchers have speculated that the stones served a
utilitarian purpose, while others think that they probably were used in
religious ceremonies.
Archaeologist Brian
Fagan says of the site: “What is preserved here is a unique record of
low-key adaptations to a challenging, ever-changing coastal world over 9,000
years.” In Fagan’s view, “This record is just as much a part of the common
cultural heritage of humankind as the Pantheon or the first Chinese emperor’s
terracotta regiment – and to California just as important.”
By saving the undeveloped parcels in Bolsa Chica, we and
future generations will be able to learn more about the stones and to preserve
this connection with our past. “This 9000 year-old sacred site can teach us a
lot about how the Native Americans lived in harmony at the wetlands,” Shaw said.
To understand what makes these wetlands so special, you
really have to see them for yourself.
For an even closer view, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust
installed a Nest Cam that provides a 24/7 live stream video of the remote
nesting areas of two of the endangered bird species on the site – the California
least tern and the western snowy plover.
To the casual observer Bolsa Chica’s raw landscape,
dotted with scrub brush and wildflowers, might not seem important, especially
when compared to million dollar homes and luxury resorts. But, to migrating
birds it’s a lifeline on their journeys home.
Huntington Beach City Council Member Connie Boardman knows how important this is. In addition to serving
on the Land Trust, she is a biology professor at Cerritos College and brings a
scientist’s eye to the wetlands. Viewing them as an essential part of our natural
environment, she explains this to the students in her classes.
Through the Land Trust’s Bolsa Chica Stewards and Junior
Stewards programs volunteers can get involved in helping to educate the
public about the need to protect this vital coastal land.
On a bright Saturday morning SurfWriter Girls Sunny and
Patti talked to volunteers who were working to restore the wetlands – removing
invasive plants and planting drought-tolerant, native vegetation.
Jeff
Rokos, who has been a Steward for 16 years, likes volunteering
because it “gives me a chance to get my hands in the dirt and help out.”
Everyone was excited about being able to safeguard this
unspoiled stretch of land and maintain a key link in the birds’ migration
route.
A long-time sponsor of the non-profit Surfrider Foundation, the Bolsa Chica
Land Trust shares its mission of protecting our oceans, waves and beaches –
whether it’s a top surfing spot…or a “little pocket” where birds can rest.
Please post your comment below.
Comments will appear the next day.
It's great to learn more about the preservation of the wetlands. Things have changed since we used to go to "Tin Can Beach" across from the wetlands. Yes, I am dating myself.Good article ladies.
ReplyDeleteBarbara
Thank you so much for this article! Long live the Wetlands!
ReplyDelete