Photo by Richard Valdes Pedestrian Bridge Installed JANUARY 13, 2010 It was a great day indeed. Workers need to lay the cement on the bridge and make sure it is secure. The bridge dedication ceremony will be in March. No public access until March. Without you there would be no pedestrian bridge at Bolsa Chica. CONGRATULATIONS. Another win for the people power.     CPR for the MESA Land Trust receives grant for Coastal Restoration from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation We are happy to announce that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the trustee for the California Coastal Conservation Fund, has approved a grant of $77,233.00 to the Bolsa Chica Land Trust to help implement the CPR (Community Promoted Restoration) for the Bolsa Chica Mesa. The grant will be administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. This funding will be use to create a unique restoration nursery on the Bolsa Chica Mesa that will produce more than 60,000 plants which will be used to restore the Mesa to multiple native plant habitats during the ten-year CPR for the Mesa project. Assisting in the design, building and installation of the nursery will be the faculty and students of Golden West College's Environmental Studies Program. The creation of the nursery is due to begin in 2010. For more information on CPR go to our Project section.         Hey Kids! Check out our new program called the Junior Stewards. You can get a stylin' t-shirt and free cookies – and help the environment! The really cool part is you can have fun digging in the dirt, but your parents won't mind because you'll also be getting documented volunteer hours. For all the info, click here.         "Federal recognition for ORA 83 Cogged Stone Archaeological site Eligible as a National Historic Site" READ More         CPR for The Mesa (Community Promoted Restoration)       The Bolsa Chica Land Trust mission is acquisition, restoration, preservation and management of the entire 1,700 acres of Bolsa Chica. Recently saved from bulldozers, the newly acquired 118 acres of the Bolsa Chica Mesa restoration begins. CPR For The Mesa' is an ambitious ten year $4.3 million dollar project.  Partnering with the California Department of Fish and Game who own the Bolsa Chica Mesa Lower Bench, the Land Trust has spent the past 3 years planning the best restoration project possible.  The vision is for the creation of six habitat zones, the largest being a 65 acre native coastal prairie grassland which will provide much needed foraging habitat for our raptors and mammals. Additional Southern California Coastal Sage Scrub, seasonal wetlands, an improved Warner Pond ESHA and Eucalyptus ESHA and riparian/herbaceous wetland habitats will one day replace the 120 acres of non-native invasive European grasses which currently choke the land. Most importantly, one aspect which sets the CPR project apart from all other restoration efforts is the amount and depth of community support. The Trust is unique in that our strength is two-fold, our bond with Bolsa Chica and our bond with you, our members without whom we would never have prevailed.  It is this special commitment which is leading us to embark on this amazing journey of restoration. To learn more about CPR for the Mesa check out our project link.   Ever wonder about the greatest threats to Bolsa Chica?   One of them is. . . trash!   Read Marinka Horack's compelling article "Cleaning Up Bolsa Chica"       New Tract Map for Upper Bolsa Chica Wetlands As expected, the HB City Council approved new development plans for the Upper Wetlands on June 1. Shea Homes has designed a new tract map calling for 111 houses on 27 acres, a 30% reduction of their prior proposal. The project has again been submitted to the state Coastal Commission for approval.     Make a Difference at Bolsa Chica On the first (1st) Sunday of each month and the third (3rd) Saturday of each month, the Bolsa Chica Stewards are out on the Bolsa Chica Mesa restoring native vegetation to the landscape. They plant new plants, water old plants, pull invasive weeds, and generally have a fun time doing their part to restore the Bolsa Chica ecosystem. For more information on how you can volunteer, call Kim at 714-717-6304.