We are grassroots and almost all volunteer led & run; we rely on generous donations like yours to continue our work. Our goal is to continue to serve both our community and the environment that we all share at the Bolsa Chica.
Amigos de Bolsa Chica is a non-profit volunteer organization formed in 1976 by a group of Huntington Beach residents to protect the Bolsa Chica wetlands from development. Located in Huntington Beach in northwest Orange County, the Bolsa Chica wetlands had once been part of thousands of acres of coastal wetland that had been filled for urban development in the 20th Century. The Amigos de Bolsa Chica pledged to protect, preserve and acquire the Bolsa Chica and surrounding open space.
After almost 50 years of existence, and a 20+ year litigation and battle to save the Bolsa Chica from becoming another marina, the Amigos de Bolsa Chica now provides a variety of educational opportunities for students, the public, and other organizations so they can about the ecological importance of the Bolsa Chica.
The Amigos de Bolsa Chica achieved major reductions to the development plans and spearheaded an effort that resulted in the state's acquisition in 1997 of 880 acres of wetlands. The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve now consists of over 1400 acres of wetland and upland. Upon completion of a large portion of a major restoration project in 2006, biodiversity immediately increased.
Our cornerstone educational activity has been interpretive walking tours of the Bolsa Chica Wetland. We offer free public tours of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve that are aimed at all ages, and we offer private, scheduled tours for schools, scouts and other groups. We also do annual restoration at the nest sites within the reserve, and we have a citizen/community science water quality testing program known as FLOW where people of all ages can learn and contribute to the health of our wetlands.
Find out more of our tours, programs, and events happening every month on our EVENTS calendar and our VOLUNTEERING calendar!
