New Wetland Restoration Project Starts at Point Mugu Naval Air Station

View of the spectacular wetlands of Mugu Lagoon 

in Point Mugu Naval Air Station.

CIR is excited to announce a new project with the U.S. Navy, this time it will be on the mainland!  CIR is currently growing plants for a restoration project at Point Mugu Naval Air Station.  We will install up to 5,000 native plants in buffer areas between roads and wetlands.  This will provide habitat for native animals and will provide soil stabilization, which will help protect the wetlands from erosion.

CIR will work in partnership with Naval Base Ventura County and Tetra Tech, Inc. on this project.  The plants will come from seed collected at the Mugu Lagoon, and most will be grown at the new CIR nursery in Camarillo.  This is the third project CIR has with the U.S. Navy, the other two being our restoration work on San Nicolas Island and our invasive plant removal projects on San Clemente Island. Volunteers will have many opportunities to participate in this project, including helping grow the plants over the next several months and installing them in the spring.

Kelle Green, CIR Nursery Manager, and CIR volunteer, 

Helen Fitting, transplanting wetland plants to be later
installed at Point Mugu in 2016.

Mugu Lagoon is Ventura County’s largest wetland and wildlife sanctuary and provides habitat for more than 250 bird species, as well as many species of migratory birds.  The lagoon is also one of the few breeding grounds in the county for harbor seals and other pinnipeds.  Stewardship of the lagoon is a high priority for the U.S. Navy, who has protected the area for nearly 70 years.  Many rare wetland species are found at the Mugu wetlands, and many plant species reach their northern or southern limits at the Lagoon.

Access to the base is extremely restricted, and this project will present a special opportunity for volunteers to visit the area, which is closed to the general public.  In fact, CIR will need to apply for navy passes for participants to gain access onto the base and the restoration site.  However, no passes are needed to help us grow the plants at our new Camarillo nursery!  CIR is grateful to our partners in the Navy and at Tetra Tech for this opportunity to help restore the Mugu Lagoon ecosystem.  We look forward to working  with our partners and our volunteers!