Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

The earliest peoples were the native Indians of California. Archaeologists have found cog stones as the site is believed to have been the home some 9,500 years ago for the Acjachemen and Tongva tribes. Speculation has centered on religious or astronomical use of the stones which have been included in collection of the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Once Spain colonized California, Spanish officials created vast land grants called ranchos. One such grant, Rancho Los Nietos, was given to Manuel Nieto. After Nieto died, the grant was partitioned in 1834 into five Mexican ranchos including Rancho Las Bolsas. Rancho La Bolsa Chica was separated from Rancho Las Bolsas in 1841. The grant was later owned by Abel Stearns. Prior to 1899, there had been a natural ocean entrance to the wetlands where the East Garden Grove Wintersburg Channel, then a small stream, is now located. In 1899, the Bolsa Chica Gun Club was formed by a group of wealthy businessmen from Los Angeles and Pasadena. The duck-hunting club catered to politicians and celebrities such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. They built a Craftsman-style two-story lodge on the lower mesa overlooking the marsh and Pacific Ocean. The Gun Club is responsible for damming off of Bolsa Chica from direct tidal flow with the ocean. In July 1920, the Standard Oil Company entered a lease agreement with the Gun Club Board of Directors that would allow for them to begin oil extraction in between and around the Bolsa Wetlands. This contract specified that the initial bonus of $100,000 and subsequent revenues would be split 50/50 between the Bolsa Chica Gun Club and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust. Upon receipt of this money, it was then to be invested into "good, interest-bearing securities" (Board of Directors Meeting June 11, 1920). In January 1921, in order to protect their newly acquired capital, the Gun Club assembled an investigative committee to complete a legal report that assessed the land title's specifics in respect to protection from outside parties encroaching upon their tide and marshlands for oil drilling. The organization also wished to inquire as to whether they should pursue a specific title that would clearly define their rights in regard to oil drilling. s found in the reserve. They are currently operated by California Resource Corporation In the 1940s, it was feared that Japan would attack California. So the U.S. military constructed two bunkers at Bolsa Chica to defend the coastline. The larger bunker, Battery 128, was . The ceiling was constructed with of solid concrete capable of withstanding a direct hit from naval and air attacks. The bunker was built to accommodate naval guns capable of shooting . The smaller bunker, Battery 242, accommodated naval guns which shot within a . The Bolsa Chica Gun Club was used for worker's quarters during this time. Gun turrets were also mounted on the mesa, but were fired only 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 lowlands. After the war, the Gun club reclaimed most of its land and resumed hunting activities. 's southernmost batteries. In the 1960s, 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 alongside Pacific Coast Highway to create the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. The League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women 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 Hearthside Homes, entered a joint agreement to create the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. The conservancy's mission is to educate the public about the importance of wetlands. The size of Hearthside Homes' development decreased over the years. 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 state of California purchased of Hearthside Homes' holdings. Restoration was completed in 2006 at a cost of $147 million which included opening an inlet to the Pacific Ocean for the first time since being dammed in 1899. An additional of uplands still remains in private ownership and is being considered for development. Ongoing hearings are being held with the California Coastal Commission. In November 2018, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust raised $1,000,000 to secure the Ridge and Goodell properties, totaling , which will be used to preserve, protect and restore the land. In July 2023, the ownership of the Goodell property transferred to the Acjachemen Tongva Land Conservancy. ==Description==