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Preserving a threatened habitat of global ecological significance: Bolsa Chica

Osprey - Western Alliance for Nature

The core mission of the Western Alliance for Nature is the preservation of biodiversity by conservation of endangered and rapidly vanishing habitats and managing and restoring them to functioning ecosystems. Preserving endangered wildlife habitats to protect biodiversity needs to be a global endeavor. Ecosystems are intricately linked in the web of life. Preserving biodiversity means conserving diverse ecosystems. That is why our conservation programs span both North and South American continents. After just completing the acquisition and preservation of several thousand acres of threatened critical tropical habitat on the western slope of the Ecuador Andes, we are now focusing on a different critical habitat in the Northern Hemisphere − Bolsa Chica, a Southern Californian coastal wetland ecosystem.

One of the few remaining large coastal ecosystems in Southern California, Bolsa Chica has a rich diversity of habitats with its salt and freshwater wetlands, mesas, coastal bluff scrub, and grasslands. Few if any, remaining Southern California wetlands have sufficient upland and transitional habitat to be able to function as a full and complete ecosystem. Bolsa Chica is also a rest stop for thousands of migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway which is the transcontinental connection to Western Alliance for Nature's core mission of preserving diverse ecosystems in Nature's world wide eco-network. We therefore consider Bolsa Chica a habitat of global ecological significance. Preserving and protecting the Bolsa Chica provides a rare opportunity to restore a fully functioning wetland ecosystem as an integral link in the global eco-network.


Pelican - Western Alliance for Nature

About Bolsa Chica:

The environmental casualty of California's explosive population is the loss of 90% of our coastal wetlands. By the early 1970's conservationists woke up to the night mare that only a scarce remnant 2,000 acres of once a vast Southern California coastal wetland called Bolsa Chica was under development siege. Developers were poised to annihilate the little remaining but degraded habitat which still functioned for many species of concern and some endangered species, including the California Least Tern and the Western Snowy Plover. Developers had plans to transform Bolsa Chica into a marina and 5,700 homes.

Local community conservationists led by the Amigos de Bolsa Chica and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, later joined by environmentalists from throughout the state, fought an epic thirty year long legal, political and administrative battle to save the Bolsa Chica. At last, 1300 acres of prime coastal saltwater wetlands and surrounding mesas are now protected from development. This summer we saw the completion of a $110 million wetland restoration project by State Lands of the 600 acres of Bolsa Chica that had been severely degraded and contaminated by oil field operations. The restoration also includes opening tidal flow to areas that had been cut off from the ocean for over a hundred years.

Is it time for the community to celebrate? Yes. But it is also time for conservationists to take a sober stock of the enormous challenges ahead. The victim has been rescued, but the patient has still to be nursed back to health. Bolsa Chica still needs to be restored and maintained as a healthy, fully functioning ecosystem. This requires a holistic ecosystem management program of science and stewardship. The state has no funds for such an endeavor. Therefore, the Western Alliance for Nature is preparing an ecosystem management program that will be administered in partnership with the Amigos de Bolsa Chica, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust and other interested parties who have a stake in the preservation of this ecological treasure and who worked so hard to save it.

Forster's Tern - Western Alliance for Nature

A Proposed Ecosystem Stewardship of Bolsa Chica:

Major elements of the Western Alliance for Nature's stewardship program which would be conducted jointly with the Amigos de Bolsa Chica and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust are:

  1. A scientific assessment of the current state of the wetland and surrounding mesas by wetland scientists and ecologists specializing in upland and transitional habitats.

  2. Based on that scientific assessment, develop a master plan, in coordination with the Department of Fish & Game, to transform the entire property back to a fully functioning ecosystem that would include on going maintenance and scientific monitoring.

  3. Hire sufficient staff, scientists and consultants to implement the master plan.

  4. Accommodate visitor services by building and operating a nature center with trails and observation platforms that will not intrude on the wildlife and ecology.

  5. Establish and manage a docent program to provide educational activities and ecotours of the preserve.

"The Western Alliance for Nature, together with the Amigos de Bolsa Chica and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust have launched a capital campaign for funding an endowment of this proposed stewardship program. Please help restore and maintain this rare habitat of critical ecological significance by contributing to the Bolsa Chica Endowment Fund."


Grebe - Western Alliance for Nature Mesas Wetlands Western Alliance for Nature Logo Amigos de Bolsa Chica

The Western Alliance for Nature

Send checks to:
Western Alliance for Nature,
PO Box 1041, Malibu CA 90265

For more information call: 310-456-0611 or email: director@wanconservancy.org

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