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The Bay Foundation Expands Its Role at LAX Dunes
(Los Angeles, California) The Bay Foundation (TBF) has signed a one-year agreement with the Los Angeles World Airport (LAWA) to conduct monitoring and continue restoration at the LAX Dunes. The LAX Dunes are the largest remaining coastal dune community in Southern California.TBF monitoring will assess the extent of LAWA’s restoration and provide reports with recommendations.Continued restoration will include monthly and special volunteer events, student internship projects, and expanded outreach efforts.
“This agreement allows TBF and LAWA to accelerate our efforts to restore this precious landscape. I am indebted to LAWA and the Coastal Commission for their leadership. I am very proud and appreciative of all the volunteers and students that continue to show up every month. Simply put, the transformation of the LAX Dunes is really taking off!” states Tom Ford, TBF Executive Director.
Since 2013, LAWA has removed about four acres of road and infrastructure, culled acres of non-native invasive plant species, scattered native seed collected onsite, developed the “Adopt-A-Dune” program, co-founded the Friends of the LAX Dunes (FOLD), and employs an experienced maintenance and landscaping staff.In 2015, TBF began donating staff time to participate in, and eventually lead, monthly volunteer restoration events. Hundreds of volunteers have worked on the site, as well as TBF interns who gained fieldwork experience through monitoring and data collection.
“Carrying out LAWA’s mission to connect people, places, and cultures relies on maintaining great partnerships, and The Bay Foundation’s work has been instrumental in connecting surrounding communities to the LAX Dunes,” said Samantha Bricker, LAWA Deputy Executive Director of Environmental Programs Group. “Through recruiting hundreds of local volunteers each year to restore the LAX Dunes, The Bay Foundation helps us connect people to a culture of environmental stewardship and sustainability, right in our communal back yard. We thank The Bay Foundation and those volunteers for their continued commitment to restoring the dunes.”
This coming year, TBF will work with LAWA to implement comprehensive monitoring, continue and expand habitat restoration, and inform short-term and long-term management of the site. TBF will recruit, train, and manage personnel as needed to assist with data collection, restoration monitoring, and weed removal.TBF will provide quarterly activity reports and submit a final report at the end of the term.Finally, TBF will pursue funding opportunities to expand and continue restoration efforts throughout the 48 acres site.
The significant LAX Dunes are nestled between Los Angeles International Airport and the Pacific Ocean, and is home to over 900 species, many rare and threatened, including the federally endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly.Its protection and enhancement are good for biodiversity and good for the community.For more information and volunteer opportunities: http://friendsofthelaxdunes.org/.
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