The Egret Corner
August 2020 | Issue 2
A southern pink moth on the pink flowers of a California Buckwheat bush in Inglewood. Photo captured by Johnathan Coffin.
Dear Ballona Wetlands Advocates,

We have an exciting new issue for you all this month! We have a new video from our education program, a spotlight on a local LA county nature enthusiast, a fun guest video feature and two new segments: bird of the month and a brief local news column; but first here are some project updates.

Important news: School visits and field trips are still put on hold. We working hard on ways to keep the community connected with nature while adhering to all safety protocols.

Our current projects updates:

  • We are preparing distance learning environmental education classes that we hope to begin sharing with students when online classes resume later this month.

  • To help students better understand the presence of nature in their local surroundings, we will be documenting nature at schools and parks in urban environments, as well at the Ballona Wetlands and other larger natural spaces.

  • Water quality field research will resume later this month.

Please enjoy the rest newsletter! If you have any questions and/or feedback reply to this email and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

The Ballona Wetlands Team
New Video: Wetlands! Its More Than Just Wet Land
Learn about wetlands in episode 2 of our educational video series!

We hope you enjoy the videos. Let us know what you liked, disliked, and/or how we could improve our videos. Thanks!
Diversity in the Field
Spotlight: Miguel Ordenana
This month we are showcasing Miguel Ordenana. He is the Community Science Manager of the LA Natural History Museum, in addition to his work with community science, he also uses his mammal research background to study urban mammals such as squirrels, bats and carnivores.

Miguel Ordenana standing in front of the P-22 Exhibit at the LA Natural History Museum.
Bird of the Month: Black Turnstone
Interesting Facts

When and Where: most easily seen from late summer through early spring on the jetty that separates the Ballona Creek mouth from the entrance to Marina del Rey.

Nesting Habitat: on ground near water, either open or hidden by tall grass, often returning to the same location each year.

Diet: barnacles, mollusks, insects.
News
Fire at Ballona Wetlands
Unfortunately, there was a fire on Area A of the Ballona Wetlands Reserve on July 5, thankfully the fire was quickly contained, and no one was hurt and no structures were damaged (YoVeniceNews).
Firefighters tending to the fire at Area A of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve.
Latino Conservation Week: July 18-26
Last month was LCW! Sadly we didn't promote the local events occurring in our July newsletter, but if you are interested in learning more or viewing the virtual event recordings click here.
Latino Conservation Week participants smiling and enjoying the outdoors after river rafting.
Bonus Feature: Novice Birders go to the Ballona Wetlands
Miss going out to the Reserve? Well check out YouTubers Shane and Ryan discover the wonderful and weird world of birding at the Ballona Wetlands Reserve.

In this video they chat with our dear friend Cindy Hardin and receive a bird tour by the Los Angeles Audubon Society. *PG-13 for language
Your Contributions Further Our Efforts!
Contributions collected are used to advance our efforts to advocating for the greater Ballona Wetlands ecosystem.
The Ballona Wetlands Land Trust is a non-profit community organization dedicated to advocating for the greater Ballona Wetlands ecosystem and to facilitating access to this ecosystem for education, stewardship, and public outreach.
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