Aerial view of ocean, highway and Bolsa Chica wetland..

Bolsa Chica Lowlands Sea Level Rise Adaptation Project

The project is a re-envisioned restoration of the Bolsa Chica Lowlands wetland complex to improve the self-sustaining nature of the wetland complex in light of current sea level rise predictions, not available at the time of the original restoration. This will include reduction in water management gates and pump reliance, expansion of full tidal influence, … Continued

Randall Preserve Wetland Feasibility Study

After 20 years of work to preserve the land formerly known as Banning Ranch, the property closed escrow and is now in public ownership. It is called the Randall Preserve and title is held by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA). This protection allows the land to undergo planning, including a restoration plan. The … Continued

Newland Marsh Restoration Permitting and Design

The Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy will prepare 60% and final restoration design plans, complete necessary studies for permitting, and secure permits for restoration at Newland Marsh, a 44.8-acre tidal wetland. The Project will create a culvert connection to the HB Channel to convey muted tides and sea water through the marsh, create a tidal channel … Continued

Bitter Point Salt Marsh Acquisition

The Orange Coast River Park aims to acquire Bitter Point Salt Marsh, which includes 1.3 acres of intertidal and upland salt marsh habitat. The proposed area is adjacent to a city-owned parcel of salt marsh. Once Bitter Point Salt Marsh is acquired, the degraded habitat will be enhanced and restored. The site is currently private-owned … Continued

Newport Valley Riparian Restoration with Diverse Communities

The proposed project enabled the Tides Center/Marine Education Project to restore one acre of riparian habitat at Newport Valley in Newport Beach, California through use of community member volunteers. The restoration work consisted of installing cuttings (arroyo willow, black willow, mulefat), container plants (elderberry, arrow weed, buckwheat, among others), and a native herbaceous/native grass seed … Continued

Huntington Beach Wetlands Salt Marsh Bird’s Beak Outplanting

Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy was previously granted funding for the outplanting of one new population of Salt Marsh Bird’s Beak (SMBB) in Southern California at Magnolia Marsh in the Huntington Beach Wetlands. An initial experimental outplanting was performed in winter of 2015-16 and germination of 199 plants successfully occurred in the winter of 2016-17. The … Continued

Restoring Audubon Starr Ranch Riparian Woodlands with Community Participation

The project enabled Audubon Starr Ranch, through the work of interns and volunteers (consisting of students, scout troops, nearby community members), to remove invasive plants without chemicals and restore both herbaceous and native woody species in a pristine riparian corridor at the 4,000 acre Audubon Starr Ranch. Audubon Starr Ranch addressed the challenge of dead … Continued

Rabbit Island Restoration Education Initiative

The Rabbit Island Restoration & Education Initiative project restored 2-acres of infested dune area on a 55-acre island in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve known as Rabbit Island. The project will protect and restore a coastal wetland ecosystem by enhancing a diverse salt marsh and dune habitat conducive to supporting an array of native plants … Continued

San Joaquin Marsh Hydrology & Climate Adaptation Feasibility and Planning

The University of California, Irvine manages the UC Irvine San Joaquin Marsh Reserve, an approximately 200 acre wetland that is a remnant of a more extensive fresh to brackish water marsh ecosystem in coastal Orange County. Agricultural and urban development in Irvine during the 20th century drained shallow water aquifers, severed hydrological connections, concentrated water … Continued

Big Canyon Creek Restoration and Estuary Adaptation Project: Phase 3 Final Design and Permitting

Big Canyon Nature Park, located between Jamboree Road and Back Bay Drive, has been degraded by numerous well documented impacts and requires habitat restoration and enhancement to improve the site’s biological productivity and ecological function. Big Canyon Nature Park has been subjected to the effects of water quality degradation from upstream development and selenium-laden groundwater … Continued

Aliso Creek Estuary Restoration Plan: 30% Design & Permitting

The Aliso Creek Estuary is a small, intermittently open estuary that drains a 30-square mile, mostly urbanized watershed in south Orange County. Aliso Creek once drained to the ocean through a broad estuary with expansive wetlands but has suffered habitat loss from development of a parking lot for Aliso Beach Park, modified hydrology, and poor … Continued