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. To accomplish this, the The Western Alliance for Nature purchases critical habitats and partners with others such as in this case, the University of California at Santa Barbara to protect endangered species.

One of the best remaining examples of a coastal-strand environment in Southern California, the Coal Oil Point Natural Reserve protects a wide variety of coastal and estuarine habitats. Largely undisturbed coastal dunes support a rich assemblage of dune vegetation and have become a nesting site for the endangered Western Snowy Plover. The Snowy Plover is a threatened species, mainly due to loss of its preferred breeding habitat, the beach. Coal Oil Point Reserve, with its sandy beach, sand dunes, and adjacent estuary mouth is one of a few choice west coast locations where the snowy plovers can still breed and thrive. But they must compete for the beach with beach users, unleashed dogs, and predators like crows. Without help, the plovers lose like they have elsewhere. However Coal Oil Point Reserve has established the gold standard of plover protection program consisting of docents, monitors and with public education and symbolic fences the plovers at UCSB has made a come back.

This critical program needs public support and funding.
Please support this conservation program
by sending your donations designated for COPR to:

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