Dear Friend,

Spring is just around the corner and it's going to be a colorful one with all this rain! March 19th is the Vernal Equinox and you can learn about some of the flowers you will see on the mesa. The rains have also brought back the vernal pools to Bolsa Chica filled with such fascinating life. There's a neat video you can go watch too! And last call for Monday beach cleanups!

Happy St. Paddies Day and Easter! The holidays are sure to be filled with lush greenery and blooming flowers!

The seasonal pools, or vernal pools, are once again dotting the mesa. These vernal pools only form when the mesa gets sufficient levels of rain. It has only been within the last few years that the pools have been significant enough for fairy shrimp, daphnia, and other small aquatic life to survive and breed the next generation.

Last year, Bequi and Nicholas, a UCI College Corp Fellow, described their exciting discovery in a blog post that you can read from the button below. And here's a fabulous video of the fairy shrimp earlier this year by Lam-Son Vinh (Instagram @vinhlamson) below.

PSA: if you find a vernal pool at Bolsa Chica (most likely marked with warning signs now) DO NOT STEP IN IT! Don't throw things in it, don't poke anything in it, etc. Please just admire it from the dry ground and obey the signs. We want the vernal pools and the life that dwells within them to come back in the future. Thank you!

March 19th will have a roughly equal number of hours of sunlight and darkness and is the turning point when our days will be longer than our nights (in the Northern Hemisphere). It is the Vernal Equinox, or Spring Equinox, and the first day of spring. And with spring, comes the flowers!

You can read about some of the various plants that live in the different habitats of Bolsa Chica on our Flora of Bolsa Chica webpage and read about some of the flowers that you will see during your spring walks in our 2017 blog post about flowers.

March is the last month of the Monday morning beach cleanups until November! It's a great way to start the week with good company, helping the environment, and getting some stress-free exercise!

Remaining Dates: 4, 11, 18, 25

Where: 20th St. at the stairs to the Huntington City Beach (look for the sign)

When: 8:30am for about an hour

Everyone is welcome! Most of the supplies are provided, but if you want, please bring a reusable bucket or bag, and gloves.  

Please email Mike at Mike@BCLandTrust.org to volunteer.

March's Bird of the Month: Red-breasted Merganser

These lively and agile diving ducks swim quickly through the water searching for fish and other aquatic foods. With their ragged crests they appear somewhat disheveled and comical. Red-breasted Mergansers have been seen fishing cooperatively by herding fish into shallow pools. Females sometimes share nesting duties with other females. This species spends spring and summer breeding in Alaska, Canada, and the northern U.S. states. It winters along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf coasts.

23” long; 30” wingspan; 2.3 lbs.

photo: Les Coombes

Reminders When You Visit Bolsa Chica

Here are some things to remember during your visit:

• 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.
• 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!

Questions? Email us at Info@BCLandTrust.org or call (714) 846-1001

Photo Credits:

Great Blue Heron banner- David Carro, fairy shrimp- Bequi Howarth, fairy shrimp video- Lam-Son Vinh, blue-eyed grass- Kurt Bayless, beach cleanup volunteers- Jeff Rokos, Stewards in volunteer, sunset- Bequi Howarth, Miracles docent with kids, outreach table- Jeff Rokos, volunteers on beach- Mike McMahan, Red-breasted Merganser- Les Coombes