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Dear Friend,
Happy Earth Month! April is always a busy time and this year is no different. First, marine wildlife need your help with the devastating toxic algae bloom. You will find the phone numbers to the organizations who are hard at work responding to this wildlife emergency below. For some positive news, the photo submission period for the 2026 Bolsa Chica calendar starts April 7th and lasts the whole month, and the annual City Nature Challenge is at the end of the month. Join us as we participate in this fun international event. Finally, a big thank you to the visiting Japanese students who helped with our restoration work and to all the volunteers and groups who helped us prepare nest site 2 for the breeding season!
Heads ups: the events scheduled for the weekend of April 19-20 are now cancelled
Until next time, see you on the trails.
| | Marine Wildlife Need Your Help! | |
See sick or injured wildlife? The toxic algae bloom is causing catastrophic wildlife devastation across the coast of Southern California right now. Both seabirds and marine mammals are becoming sick and dying at alarming rates from Domoic Acid poisoning. Birds like pelicans and cormorants, sea lions and dolphins need your help!
Save these phone numbers to report a sick animal and stay at least 50 yards (150ft) away‼
🪶 Birds- the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center: 714-374-5587
🦭🐬 LA marine mammals- the Marine Mammal Care Center: 1-800-39-WHALE (94253)
🦭🐬 OC marine mammals- the Pacific Marine Mammal Center: 949-494-3050 ext. 9
Please visit their websites for more information and consider donating to help them have the resources they need to get through this tragic wildlife emergency.
| | Calendar Photo Submissions Open April 7th | |
Announcing the opening of the 2026 'Wings Over Bolsa' Bolsa Chica calendar photo submission period! Do you love to visit the Bolsa Chica wetlands and take photos of everything from beautiful birds to sweeping landscapes? We encourage you submit your photos for our annual 'Wings Over Bolsa' calendar!
The purpose of the calendar is to inspire and educate people about the importance and beauty of Bolsa Chica birds, wildlife, and ecosystem. The 'Wings Over Bolsa' calendar is one of the best ways we show why preserving and restoring Bolsa Chica is so important. Thousands of visitors enjoy Bolsa Chica every year, but few get to see the amazing wildlife, behavior, and landscapes photographers like you capture with your cameras. We know it takes many hours, patience and tons of practice to get such stunning images, and we are enormously grateful to all the photographers who sharing their photos with us.
Upload your photos through our secure online BCLT portal between Monday April 7th and Friday May 2nd, 2025, for consideration in our 2026 'Wings Over Bolsa' calendar. All photos are selected by blind review and based on quality and originality. We look forward to seeing your stellar photos!
| | City Nature Challenge April 25th | | |
The Bolsa Chica Land Trust is spreading the word! Join us and participants in cities worldwide beginning April 25 in a global effort to document nature and see how many wildlife observations we can gather together. Every photo, video, and audio recording you submit helps scientists better understand the biodiversity of our cities and further vital research being done each and every single day.
In the spirit of Earth Month, let’s make this a challenge to remember! Check back on our website and our social media to join us as we participate on iNaturalist (@bolsasteward). Learn more about the City Nature Challenge from the link below.
| | Thank You Visiting Japanese Students! | | We have a wonderful time hosting a lovely group of visiting students from Japan! They not only helped us on-site at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, but also helped us clean and sort the valuable native seeds we germinate in our native plant Growing Space nursery. During their time with us, we educated them on the importance of Bolsa Chica as an ecological reserve for wildlife and habitat conservation, and witnessed the beneficial impact habitat restoration has on the environment. Even though their home is thousands of miles away across the largest ocean in the world, we hope that they take home a little piece of Bolsa Chica in their hearts, just as they leave a lasting positive effect at Bolsa Chica. | | A Giant Thank You Nest Site 2 volunteers! | | |
Nesting season has begun which means our restoration work to prepare nest site 2 is now complete. Thank you to all the groups and volunteers who helped clean up the nest site of vegetation for the endangered CA Least Terns and Western Snowy Plovers! Both of these species only nest is open pebbly areas where they dig shallow depressions to lay their eggs. Many invasive plants try to take root in this nesting habitat which discourages the birds from nesting.
Last year's nesting season was another successful year for nest site 2! It was again the site with the most number of successful nests and the Bolsa Chica Stewards' work played a big role in that accomplishment. We want to thank CDFW, under their management and guidance, for allowing us to help restore this critical nesting habitat for these special birds and we look forward to continuing this restoration work next season.
| | We are always interested in hearing from you dear readers. What content do you want to see, and how often and where (inboxes, social media, physical mailings) do you want us to reach out to you? Any other comments or suggestions? If you like our e-newsletters please consider sharing it with your friends and family. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn to catch our weekly "Wildlife Wednesdays" and current events as we share with you what we see and find every week! | | | VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES AND FREE TOURS | | |
BCLT Stewards Habitat Restoration Volunteering
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Dates
Sunday Apr. 6th, 9am- 12
Saturday Apr. 19th, 9am-12 (cancelled)
Pre-registration and sign up on our website is required. Capped at 50 volunteers for each event.
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Miracles of the Marsh Docent Volunteering
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“Miracles of the Marsh from Wetlands to Wildlife” is our elementary school education program which brings children to the Bolsa Chica. Our docent-led tour focuses on plant life, wildlife, and history. Join our dedicated and fun team as we educate our local 3rd graders to the wonders of Bolsa Chica.
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BCLT Outreach and Free Public Tour
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Dates
Sunday Apr. 13th, 10am-12
Sunday Apr. 20th, 10am- 12 (cancelled)
Monthly free guided walking tours of the Bolsa Chica wetlands and mesa. Learn about the history of Bolsa Chica, its wildlife, and plant life with a Bolsa Chica Land Trust docent.
Or, come hang out at our table and help spread the word about the cool and important elements of Bolsa Chica as an Outreach volunteer! Interested in becoming a docent volunteer? Shadow one of our docents to get started.
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*ON HIATUS*
Beach Clean Ups
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When: Every Monday at 8:30am from November to March
Where: 20th Street entrance to Huntington City Beach
Who: Everyone! Most of the supplies are provided, but if you want, please bring a reusable bucket or bag, and gloves.
*If you have a group that you want to bring, please email Info@BCLandTrust.org and we can work to accommodate your group.*
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April's Animal of the Month: CA Ground Squirrel
The Bolsa Chica mesa has a large population of California Ground Squirrels which are an important part of this interconnected food web. They blend in with their earthy coloring serving as effective camouflage that is helped by a plain gray-brown head, a white eye-ring and a back that is dark brown mixed in with paler buffy spots. A long, bushy, brown tail with white edges makes them fun to watch as they forage for food. They also dig burrows in the ground to hide from their predators. Check out this particular squirrel having a bit of encelia (Coast
Sunflower) salad for lunch.
18” long; 27 ounces
photo: Dante Vasco
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Reminders When You Visit Bolsa Chica
Here are some things to remember during your visit:
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Please stay on the trails. Not only could you disturb nesting birds, but snakes are often not far off the trails.
- Enjoy the flowers, but please do not pick them.
- Do not feed the animals.
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Do not litter. Please pack out your trash, including food scraps.
- No bikes or ebikes.
- No dogs.
- No drones.
- Enjoy being with nature!
- If you see any BCLT Stewards working along the trail, say hi! We are happy to answer any questions.
| | Support Bolsa Chica Today! | |
The mission of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust is the acquisition, preservation, and restoration of all of Bolsa Chica and the education of the public to its natural wonders and cultural significance.
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Photo Credits:
Western Pygmy Blue butterfly- Jodi Newell, Forster's Tern- MIke Zampelli, CA Brown Pelican- Donna Stogner, Japanese students- Beverley Hansen, nest site 2 volunteers, stewards- Bequi Howarth, Miracles docent with kids outreach table- Jeff Rokos, volunteers on beach- Mike McMahan, CA ground squirrel- Dante Vasco, landscape-Eileen Rizzacasa
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