 Grab Our Tools!
The Bolsa Chica Stewards--the Restoration Team of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust--have been restoring the natural habitat on the Bolsa Chica Mesa since 1995. In cooperation with the California Department of Fish &
Game, the Bolsa Chica Stewards have planted over 16,000 drought tolerant, native plants with the help of more than 8,000 volunteers from 80 different schools and community organizations. Our planting season is October through April; during the warmer months we care for the new plants and work on trail design and general maintenance.
 The Bolsa Chica ecosystem is comprised of a rare combination of
saltwater wetland and dry upland Mesa. The lower wetlands received a breath of new life in the form of a mammoth restoration; however, the Mesa was untouched by that project. The Bolsa Chica Stewards foresaw the need to heal the
habitat and had the passion to undertake the immense challenge of restoring native vegetation among a sea of non-native, invasive weeds. With persistence, dedication, and a "yes we can" attitude, the Bolsa Chica Stewards have successfully met the challenge and transformed over 7 acres into beautiful Southern California Coastal Sage Scrub habitat.
In 2008, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust hired environmental consulting firm Dudek to develop
plans to restore the Lower Bench of the Bolsa Chica Mesa. Called CPR (Community Promoted Restoration©) for The Mesa, this 10-year, $4million project will incorporate new science, new environmental technology, and new educational curriculum for all ages, along with our years of on-site experience. We can't wait to get started!
Stewards Workdays: 9 am – 12 noon
1st Sunday of each month
3rd Saturday of each month
Meet at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve North Parking Lot (Warner & PCH, across from the HB Fire Station)
 We invite the community to join us on our regular work days. Please "dress for mess" with long pants and closed toe shoes (like sneakers) and plenty of sunscreen. That's it! We will take care of you from there – we will give you plenty of instructions, tools and equipment, information about the ecosystem, and cookies and snacks. All are welcome,
but please note we have very limited access for those with physical disabilities.
Groups of 25 or more, we ask that you please call ahead to (714) 717-6304 so we can provide extra equipment & snacks. Scouts will earn a badge from us for their help, and school credit slips are available as well.
Questions? Please check the FAQ below, or contact Kim Kolpin, Stewards Director, at (714) 717-6304 or Kkolpin@socal.rr.com.
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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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I have to join an organization to volunteer?
A. No. While many of our regular volunteers and Core Team are members of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust (our parent organization), you don't have to be a member of the Land Trust to volunteer with the Bolsa Chica Stewards - all you have to do is show up!
And there is no fee or registration required for regular work days. However, if you are bringing a group of 25 or more please give us a call a few days in advance so that we can make certain to have enough cookies on hand.
Joining the Bolsa Chica Land Trust is another way of expressing your support for the environment and the work of the Bolsa Chica Stewards. Please see the Land Trust's Donate page for more information.
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 Q. How do I get a Stewards tee shirt? A. All you need to do is show up – often!! Bolsa Chica Stewards tee shirts are earned, not bought. If you volunteer often enough and join our Core Team, you get a tee shirt!
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Q. How do I join your Core Team?
A. Core Team individuals are those who reliably come out to most, if not all, of our work days and are able to give direction to other volunteers. A fun and spirited bunch, each
member is vital to the functioning of the Stewards. While many of our Core Team have been with us since the beginning in 1995, new members are always welcome. There is no membership fee, and the best benefit is the friendships you will make.
Training is easy—just let a Core Team person know that you are interested in joining our ranks. Core Team membership is a
commitment of at least 4 hours a month (one work day). If you truly are ready to take charge, to help out your local environment in a profound way, let us know. We can't wait to meet you!
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Q. Where do your volunteers come from?
A. Our volunteers come from every corner of our community. Our volunteers range in age from 5 to 85 (really!). We see volunteers from grade schools, high schools, colleges, universities, homeschoolers, corporations, churches, community groups, the Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts, and folks from the local community who want to make a lasting, positive change in our local environment.
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Q. Can I bring my kids to help?
A. Absolutely! We do our best to make this a fun and educational experience regardless of age. It is a great family event, although we ask that all children have a parent or guardian with them. Our children will inherit our open spaces, and we are strong advocates of getting kids out into the sunshine and into the dirt. Look for the Jr. Stewards Program for ages 5-16 coming early 2009.
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Q. How can I donate to the Bolsa Chica Stewards?
A. Donations are always appreciated. Make your contribution to the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, our parent organization. Please
see the Land Trust's Donate page for more information.
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Q. How many plants have you planted?
A. As of January 2009, we have planted 16,854 one-gallon container plants and roughly 30 pounds of seed. In 2008 alone we had 1,312 total volunteers dedicate 4,195 hours towards planting 2,337 plants.
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Q. Why do some of the newly planted plants look dead?
A. We do loose some plants every time we put plants in the ground. The reasons vary: hungry critters may nibble a bit too much, transplant shock, harsh weather immediately after going in the ground, etc. But all is not lost; plants that do not take root
are left to compost and feed the soil. Typically, if the plants survive the first month, they will do just fine.
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 Q. Why do many of the native plants look dead?
A. All living things require rest, even plants and trees. Here in Southern California it is easy to take green things for granted. Palm trees and Bird of Paradise are always green; as soon as the petunias begin to falter they get ripped out and replaced. These are tropical and hybridized plants whose rest period is hard to see or not permitted. We are
in a constant state of immediate gratification when it comes to our home gardens. But our wild lands are much different. When many native plants 'go dormant' they loose their leaves and flowers and look very twiggy, but they are simply resting.
Most native plants choose to rest during the hottest months of the year – where it would take the most energy to maintain leaves
and blossoms. They go dormant and wait patiently for the winter rains to wake them. Once the cooler evenings and hopefully rain storms come in you will see the green leaves reappearing on bare branches, and by spring they are back stronger and growing.
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Q. What kinds of plants do you put on the Mesa?
A. We have been working with Southern California Coastal Sage Scrub, Coastal Strand, and some Coastal Wetland plants for over a decade. We now are beginning test areas for Coastal Grassland/Prairie. Our "CPR for the Mesa" project will develop six different habitat areas incorporating diverse native plant communities.
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Q . Where do you get the plants from?
A. The majority of our plants come from Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano.
Some have come from the nursery run by the ROOTS program at Newport Back Bay. Our seed comes from S&S Seed. Some cactus is taken as cuttings from existing native cactus found on the Mesa.
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Q. Can I purchase some plants for the Mesa?
A. Absolutely – donations for plants are deeply appreciated. Make your contribution to the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, our parent organization. Please do not directly purchase plants for our project; we are following a
specific restoration plan, and the Bolsa Chica Stewards will ensure that the correct species of plants are purchased and planted in the proper locations.
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Q. Can I plant on the Mesa on my own time?
A. Individuals are not permitted to plant on their own. The Bolsa Chica Stewards work in cooperation with the California Department of Fish & Game, who own and manage the Mesa, and as such have permission for their planting activities. Our main planting days follow the growth period found in nature, October through April. You are welcome to join us during these months on
our regular planting work day, the third Saturday of the month, to plant plants on the Mesa.
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Q. When will the fence around the Lower Bench come down?
A. Although we were less than thrilled when the fence went up in the 1990's, it has proven to be enormously beneficial for the wildlife of Bolsa Chica. For the most part, it has provided a level of security to the raptors and coyotes that use the Lower Bench area. Without the constant threat of human intrusion and abuse, these animals have
been able to use the Mesa, even in its degraded state, for hunting and foraging. Winter 2008 even saw a flock of Canada Geese safe within the fence.
Now that the California Department of Fish & Game owns the Lower Bench, the priority is keeping the area safe for the wildlife, so it has been determined to keep the fence intact throughout the 10-year "CPR for the
Mesa" restoration period. It will help to secure the site, our equipment, and the restoration project, as well as continue to provide needed security to the wildlife of the Mesa.
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Q. What are the plans for the Lower Bench?
A. The Bolsa Chica Land Trust has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the California Department of Fish & Game to develop plans to restore the Lower Bench (the area inside the fence). Working with the environmental consulting firm Dudek, the Bolsa Chica Stewards have developed plans to restore some of the most important upland habitat to be found along the Southern California coast.
Our 10-year, $4million project titled CPR (Community Promoted Restoration©) for The Mesa, will incorporate state-of-the-art environmental technologies, educational opportunities for all ages, and an interactive website, along with our years of on-site experience. In other words, it is going to be cool! But most important will be the community involvement, volunteers giving their
time and energies to breathe new life onto the Bolsa Chica Mesa. A unique combination, ours will be a project that will set the standards for restoring vital wildlife habitat amongst urban sprawl.
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