Location: Ventura County
Project Type: Acquisition
Status: Completed
Habitat Type: Tidal Wetland
Date Completed: 2002
Cost: $10,638,000
Area Affected: 265 acres
Assembly District: 44
Senate District: 19
Congressional District: 26
Project Lead/Grantee:
State Coastal Conservancy (Chris Kroll, 510-286-4165)
For more information, visit scwrp.org
This project acquired the privately owned portions of the Ormond Beach wetlands. In June 2002, the Coastal Conservancy acquired 265 acres formerly owned by Southern California Edison. In June 2006, the Nature Conservancy completed purchase of 275 acres from Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Future acquisition of 210 to 340 acres of adjacent agriculture property is expected pending negotiations on the City’s Specific Plan process.
The Ormond Beach dunes and wetland complex represents a significant natural resource for the people of Ventura County and California. The sand dunes stretching from Port Hueneme to Mugu Lagoon are a relict of a much larger system that extended from the Ventura River to Mugu Lagoon. Ormond Beach represents one of the few functioning dune-building systems remaining in southern California. Dunes, back dune swales, and seasonal wetlands are home to federally and state listed endangered bird and plant species including the Least Tern, (Sternula antillarum), Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus), Belding’s Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi), and Salt Marsh Bird’s Beak (Cordylanthus maritimus Benth. ssp. maritimus).
