Bolsa Chica Conservancy seeks volunteers to help restore dune habitat in Huntington Beach

The Bolsa Chica Conservancy and the California Department of Parks and Recreation are seeking volunteers to help restore 10,000 square feet of dune habitat in Huntington Beach by adding native plants to sandy areas within a few hundred feet of the coast.

Volunteers will help restore the coastal dune habitat along Pacific Coast Highway near Warner Avenue. Volunteers so far have restored portions of the dunes along a pedestrian and bike path near the shore.

“Parts of the coastal sand dunes are inhabited with invasive plant species that must be removed, and restoring the sand dunes and wetlands plays a significant role in protecting habitat for wildlife that depend on the Bolsa Chica as a stopping point along the Pacific Flyway, spawning ground for fish and filtering polluted water entering the wetlands,” Orange Coast District State Park Supt. Kevin Pearsall said in a statement.

The Bolsa Chica Conservancy, a nonprofit established in 1990 to help preserve the Bolsa Chica wetlands, and the state hope the restoration project will enlighten the community of the wetlands’ significance and sensitive ecology.

“This dune restoration project engages the community and provides access to beach resources like Bolsa Chica State Beach, giving students an opportunity to learn about the connectivity between wetlands and ocean ecosystems,” Grace Adams, the conservancy’s executive director, said in a statement.

For more information, visit bolsachica.org/get-involved-2/volunteer.