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Former mayor of Huntington Beach and chair of Cerritos College’s Biology Department Connie Boardman, works with the Bolsa Chica Stewards to help preserve and restore the natural habitat on the Bolsa Chica Mesa every third Saturday of the month.

The Bolsa Chica Stewards is a team that works with the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, a ten-year multi-million dollar project aimed at restoring 118 acres of Bolsa Chica’s wetland and Mesa to it’s natural state. “The stewards remove the non-native plants that are out on the Mesa and we revegetate with native California plants to increase the habitat value for the wildlife. We are trying to recreate what the area looked like maybe 200 years ago,” Boardman said.

According to the National Resources Conservation Service, 95% of coastal wetlands in California have been destroyed by development. Boardman has been working with the BCLT since 1993 to preserve land which thousands of species of flora and fauna depend on for survival.

But this important land is in danger of being destroyed. In a recent board meeting, the Huntington Beach City Council voted 5-1 to change the land use designation from parkland to residential, despite the public asking council members to deny the project.

Among the five council members who voted for the development of housing on the Mesa included Keith Bohr. According to keithbohr.com, Bohr has once stated, “I support preserving the Mesa, it’s ecological system and its wildlife so the unique nature of our point on the Southern California coast is maintained and its value enhanced for the future.” Bohr has declined several requests for an interview on why he voted in favor of the development.

If you are interested in lending a hand to the Bolsa Chica Stewards, come out to Bolsa Chica State Park on August 18. Volunteers are not only rewarded with cookies, but Boardman’s Biology 120 students are offered 10 extra credit points as well. The stewards meet across the street from the fire station on Warner off of Pacific Coast Highway. For more information, visit bolsachicalandtrust.org/stewards.