Program areas at Friends of Ballona Wetlands
Education: the Friends of Ballona Wetlands' los angelescounty-based education and restoration programs, collectivelycalled "explore Ballona", have since 1994 provided hands-oneducational experiences to an ethnically, culturally, andeconomically diverse population of approximately 9,000 residentseach year at Ballona's salt marsh, dunes and freshwater marsh, andin various community settings. "explore Ballona" offers educationand service learning opportunities to pre-k-12, college,community, and corporate groups, changing community members fromuninformed residents to active stewards of the county's lastremaining viable coastal wetland and watershed.
Science: Friends of Ballona Wetlands' scientific program monitors the avian diversity of the Wetlands, performs annual butterfly counts, and monitors our restoration efforts to inform adaptive management and track success. We also lead the swallow nest box program at the freshwater marsh, and we encourage the community to create bio diversity in their own backyards through our "grow native!" Program.
Restoration: since 1990 as part of our restoration projects, over100,000 school and community volunteers have removed over 600 tonsof garbage and non-native plants from the Ballona Wetlands, aswell as renovation of several outdoor learning areas such as thefield office/restoration center, the viewing platform, also builtduring the 1990's by a pack of boy scouts on the berm created forthe old los angeles pacific railway electric trolley "red carline" trestle, and the representational village of the nativetongva people.