ASCE OC Sustainability: Volunteers Put on their Work Gloves to Help Restore Bolsa Chica’s Native Habitat

On Saturday, April 25th, 15 ASCE OC Volunteers picked up McLeod tools and shovels to clear invasive weeds and plant native plants with the Bolsa Chica Land Trust. Working with heavy-duty tools that the US Forest Service also uses to build trails and fire lines, it didn’t take us long to break a sweat and get a great workout. The ASCE volunteers worked together as a coordinated team and had fun. Restoring this rare coastal OC habitat is important for the endangered and threatened species of wildlife and wildflowers that call Bolsa Chica home. After the restoration work, a retired engineer from the US Army Corps gave an informative 1-hour engineering and water management-focused walking tour of Bolsa Chica. Complete with a hand-out of Bolsa Chica history, graphs of tidal levels, and various current and historical maps of the wetland, ASCE participants got a very good understanding of the engineering features as well as the proposed measures to deal with ongoing maintenance issues. Thanks to all the ASCE volunteers and Bolsa Chica Land Trust for a fantastic day!

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About the Author:

Sam Ali, PE is a retired Senior Civil Engineer previously employed with the Orange County Public Works, where he supervised a team of civil engineers to initiate new projects for the county’s Capital Improvement Program. The team prepared Preliminary Programming Reports for roads, bridges, flood control channels, and bikeways to determine if the project is feasible. He received both his Bachelor's and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from California State University Long Beach. He has been involved with ASCE Orange County for years and has served in multiple roles.