Stewards' Success: NEWPORT DUNES RESTORATION PROJECT

---

"My first dune project was to build one for the coastal bird exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific that still exists there to this day; now it is part of the penguin exhibit. It was a success and the first year I had nesting birds in captivity. That is just one of two exhibits I built for them." 

"Then I was approached by the city of Newport and I took the job as I had an opportunity to pursue a dream of mine." 

"After five years I completed a successful dune complex and my dune restoration took off."

Dunes of this nature have been disappearing from California's coast for a long time. These rare habitats are used by species that are on the endangered species list, such as: the California least tern and the dune tiger beetle.

Instead of using tractors to artificially replace the sand that had been lost, the plan was to build them up naturally by introducing native plants and protecting the area from foot traffic.

Five years later, the project has been deemed a success by the California Coastal Commission.

"The restoration that occurred here is one of the most successful we have seen.

"We have learned that not only have the native plants re-established here, but the restored native dune complex has attracted a number of different animal species that live in this dune habitat, including dune beetles, lizards and butterflies, once again indicating a highly successful restoration"

-Aaron McLendon

Statewide Enforcement Supervisor

California Coastal Commission

Hidden in between the Pete Archer Rowing Center and Spinnaker Bay community is Jack Dunster Marine Biological Reserve. 

Our namesake and one of two of the last remaining salt-marshes in LA County. Out of a complex of 2400 functioning acres only 44 remain. The Los Cerritos Wetland functions on all trophic levels and provides habitat, breeding grounds, feeding grounds, rest and respite for migratory birds and a myriad of local resident birds.

What used to be a pond for Sims' Bait Shop is now a thriving riparian habitat full of cattails, Red-Wing Blackbirds and Black-Crowned Night Herons. 

Across from Shoreline Village in Downtown Long Beach is a little saltwater lagoon full of fish, anemones and other invertebrates. Although it is concrete lined, the lagoon supports enough aquatic life to have a perennial Osprey scoping out the scene atop the adjacent Hyatt hotel. 

Golden Shore is one of three mitigated marshes in the LA county and lies directly off the mouth of the Los Angeles River. Golden Shores offers a unique refuge for birds of all sorts, several species of salt marsh plants and numerous invertebrates in the middle of the bustle of downtown Long Beach.

To experience the natural beauty of undeveloped land in Southern California, Long Beach residents don't have to go much further than their own backyard. In the late 1990's the Greenbelt Committee was formed to revitalize the neglected old Pacific & Electric Right-of-way. 

A mixture of recreational space and beach, wetland and marine habitat, Colorado Lagoon offers a bit of everything for everything. Walking around this dynamic East Long Beach environment you can easily become a bird-watcher, plant enthusiast, swimmer, sun-bather, or playground participant.