Celebrating Earth Day

Jenny Marder

The 33rd Earth Day has been stretched to a week of events in

Huntington Beach, a city renowned for the passion and zeal of its

environmental activists.

A bird walk, accompanied by a restoration project at the sand

dunes Saturday, is one of a handful of Earth Day festivities

occurring in Surf City this month.

Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, was started in the United

States in 1970 by Sen. Gaylord Nelson, who spearheaded a nationwide

grass-roots demonstration to raise awareness about the importance of

protecting the world’s land, rivers, lakes and air.

Today, more than 5,000 environmental groups and about 200 million

people in 184 countries take part in Earth Day celebrations.

On the Saturday before Earth Day, Bolsa Chica Land Trust

volunteers stood on the mesa with a series of 6-foot signs that

spelled out “Save This Mesa.” Others gathered along the Pacific Coast

Highway with arrows pointing to the sign and banners urging onlookers

to join the organization in its quest to preserve the Bolsa Chica.

Another sequence of signs along the highway en route to the mesa

read, “It’s absolutely cool. It’s positively nifty. Save Bolsa Chica

Mesa now. Thanks to Proposition 50. Happy Earth Day; Bolsa Chica Land

Trust.”

Meanwhile, the Bolsa Chica Stewards, a group that has met every

month for seven years to restore vegetation on the mesa, were busy

weeding, watering and planting native plants such as coast

sunflowers, monkey flowers and lupine.

“We’re trying to get the mesa back to the way it used to be,” said

Eileen Murphy, founding member of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.

People driving by honked and waved to show support for the Land

Trust, said Flossie Horgan, the organization’s executive director.

“It’s always good for normal folks like us who do this to have

community support,” she added.

This weekend, the Bolsa Chica Conservancy and Golden West College

will bring Earth Day back to Surf City, with another series of events

to honor the environment and those who work to preserve it.

The Bolsa Chica Conservancy is organizing a least tern viewing

event at the mesa on Saturday, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 1

p.m.

The Bolsa Chica is home to six species of terns, including the

California least tern, an endangered species. Terns, a migratory

species, return to Huntington Beach every spring.

Volunteers will be stationed at different areas in the Bolsa Chica

on Saturday to provide the public with information on the least terns

and other endangered species.

Exhibits on endangered species, environmental protection and

international wildlife will be set up by the California Department of

Fish and Game and the Safari Club.

Volunteers are also invited to help remove ice plant at the sand

dunes to create habitat for birds with limited nesting areas.

The snowy plovers need open sandy areas to nest, but ice plant, a

hearty plant that dominates other species, is rampant all over the

Bolsa Chica, said Laura Bandy, the wetland research director for the

conservancy.

“We hope that when we’re done, this is going to look like prize

real estate for the little plovers,” Bandy said.

Those who wish to help with sand dune restoration will assemble at

9 a.m. at the tide gates midway between the two parking lots on

Pacific Coast Highway. Those interested in the least tern viewing

should meet at the Reserve Parking lot one mile south of Warner

Avenue, directly across from Bolsa Chica State Beach.

Golden West College will also be sponsoring its second annual

Earth Day Expo at the Pier Plaza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

The expo will consist of earth-friendly exhibitors and vendors, as

well as crafts, a giant bounce house and other kids’ activities.

There will be a showcase on alternative energy complete with electric

motorcycles and hybrid cars.

At 11:30 a.m., Jim Trout of the State Land Commission will present

an environmental appreciation award to former Mayor Shirley Dettloff.

Finally, the city of Huntington Beach and Simple Green will be

sponsoring an Earth Day Beach Cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon. Saturday.

Free parking will be available at the Pacific Coast Highway lot at

5th Street and at the Promenade parking structure.