January 3, 2022: Jesse Potter on the Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve

The reserve functions as habitat for many species of animals and plants, as well as an accessible area for humans to visit. The land has seen many uses, from an important area for native people, including the Tongva and Acjachemen, to its more recent history as a hunting ground for the elite, oil fields, and an ecological reserve. These uses have shaped Bolsa Chica and, in turn, the habitat we can now observe.

Containing one of the last remaining coastal salt marshes in southern California, Bolsa Chica is in and of itself a rarity and, as one would expect, contains rarities of its own. As a part of his efforts with the Bolsa Chica Conservancy, Jesse has worked with a variety of rare plant species, including Centromadia parryi ssp. australis (southern tarplant) and Nemacaulis denudata var. denudata (coast woolly heads).

The Bolsa Chica Conservancy is one of a handful of organizations working to restore the Bolsa Chica wetlands and mesa. Working in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to restore habitat on the ecological reserve, and OC Parks on an upper mesa restoration project. The Conservancy hopes to continue and expand it’s restoration and monitoring efforts throughout Bolsa Chica and nearby areas to help improve the ecosystem for rare species to thrive.