Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve
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The Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve is a California wildlife reserve located in western Orange County, California surrounded by the city of Huntington Beach. Constitutionally, it is a state ecological reserve managed by the California Department of Fish and Game, designated to protect an estuarine tidal saltwater marsh habitat, with its resident threatened and endangered species. “Bolsa Chica” means “little pocket” in Spanish, as the area was once part of a historic Spanish land grant.
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[edit] About the Reserve
The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve boundaries are Warner Avenue to the north, Seapoint Avenue to the south, Pacific Coast Highway to the west, and residential development to the east.
There are two small parking lots: the north lot SE of the intersection of Warner & PCH, and the south lot on PCH across from the entrance to Bolsa Chica State Beach. The north lot contains the Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center. It is the starting point for the Mesa Trail, which leads to the overlook and rest stop at Mesa Point. The south lot is the starting point for the 1.5 mile Loop Trail, which crosses a wooden bridge, passes two overlooks, and returns to the parking lot via a sand-dune trail paralleling PCH.
Hiking, birdwatching and photography are popular activities at the Reserve.
There are special regulations in force for the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve:
- Fishing shall be permitted at designated areas around outer Bolsa Bay only.
- Pets are prohibited from entering the reserve except when they remain inside a motor vehicle.
[edit] Tours
Free public tours are offered at Bolsa Chica and leave from the south parking lot. The first Saturday of each month at 9am the tour is conducted by the Amigos de Bolsa Chica. The third Sunday of each month at 10am the tour is conducted by the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.
[edit] History
The history of Bolsa Chica is a long and varied one. The earliest peoples were the native Indians of California. Archaeologists have found cog stones which date back 8,000 years and are the only surviving relic of the Indian lifestyle. Their exact purpose is unknown, but speculation has centered on religious or astronomical use. Cog stones can be seen at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California.
Once Spain colonized California, Spanish officials created vast land grants called Ranchos. One such grant was given to Manuel Nieto and called Rancho Las Bolsas. When Nieto died, the grant was split and his widow received Rancho de las Bolsa Chica. The grant was later owned by Abel Sterns.
In 1899, the Bolsa Chica Gun Club was formed by a group of wealthy businessmen from Los Angeles and Pasadena. They built a two-story structure on a mesa overlooking the Pacific Ocean. More significantly, the Gun Club is responsible for damming off of Bolsa Chica from direct tidal flow with the ocean.
In the 1940’s, it was feared that Japan would attack California. So the U.S. Military constructed two bunkers at Bolsa Chica to defend the coastline. Gun turrets were also mounted on the mesa, but were only ever fired for testing purposes. The larger of the two bunkers was demolished in 1995. The smaller support bunker still exists but is closed off from public access. All that is left of the turrets are their circular frame.
In the 1960’s, most of Bolsa Chica was acquired by Signal Landmark and plans for a massive housing development and marina were released. State officials objected, and so in 1970 the developer set aside 300 acres alongside Pacific Coast Highway to create the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. This action satisfied state officials but not members of the League of Woman Voters, who decided to create a new group, Amigos de Bolsa Chica (“Friends of Bolsa Chica”), to save and preserve more of the wetlands. Amigos were founded in 1976, and the 20-year battle to save the wetlands began.
In 1990, the Amigos and the developer, now called Koll Real Estate, entered a joint agreement to create the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. The Conservancy’s mission is to educate the public about the importance of wetlands.
Although the size of Koll’s development continued to shrink over the years, Bolsa Chica wasn’t out of the woods yet. In 1992, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust was formed by individuals who thought more of Bolsa Chica should be saved from development than just the wetlands. The upland habitat provided nesting, shelter, and food for egrets, herons, and raptors that also used the wetlands.
In 1997, the Amigos’ long-awaited goal of preserving the wetlands was reached when the state of California purchased 880 acres of Koll’s holdings. Restoration would come seven years later at a cost of $147 million.
November 2000 marked a major milestone in the Land Trust fight to preserve the upland mesa. The California Coastal Commission, which regulates development along the state's coastline, ruled that development had to be limited to the upper half (“upper bench”) of the Bolsa Chica mesa because the lower half (“lower bench”) was too valuable as habitat. Koll—now called Hearthside Homes—sued. The case was eventually thrown out. The developer took the hint and contributed to the campaign of bond measure Proposition 50, which included specific language to purchase land at Bolsa Chica. Prop 50 passed, and the state ended up purchasing 118 acres of the lower bench, closing escrow in December 2005. Hearthside was free to develop the upper bench, and their 379-unit project (whittled down from the 5,000+ plan of the 1960’s) broke ground in 2006.
But that's not quite the end of the story. 56 acres of uplands still remain in private ownership and under threat of development. The Land Trust is attempting to save and preserve those acres.
