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PRINTER-FRIENDLY
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QUICK LINKS: Free First Saturday Tour | Tour Costs & Size | Footbridge Lecture Tour | Overlooks Trail Tour | Mesa Tour
Combination Tour | Scouting |
Field Trip Information | Rules to
Protect Wildlife | Map to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
Dept. Fish & Game Tour Requirements
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When is the "best time" to tour Bolsa
Chica? ANYTIME! Please note that The California Department of Fish & Game requires all groups with 25 or more participants to schedule their visit on the Master Event Calendar by calling 714-840-1575. Regardless of class size it is highly recommended that all school groups arrange for a docent-led tour. As increasingly high numbers of schools visit Bolsa Chica, overcrowding has become an issue. The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve has limited parking, and multiple large groups can overwhelm the facilities att eh reserve and negatively impact wildlife.
Year-round wildlife includes saltmarsh plants,
tall egrets and herons, horn snails and crabs, with the
occasional sightings of white pelicans, peregrine falcon, and
northern herrier. The winter months (especially November through
March) offer high concentrations of migratory waterfowl and
shorebirds such as pintails, western grebes, willets and godwits,
sandpipers, and many more. Up to 70 different species may be
counted on a winter day! In the summer months, visitors can
observe up close endangered species such as the California Least
Tern and Belding's Savannah Sparrow; watch stilts and avocets
raising their chicks around the parking lot and loop trail; and
look at stingrays and sea hares in the waters below the walkbridge.
The Bolsa Chica includes over 1400 acres of undeveloped wetlands,
lowlands and lower mesa. This area is rich with history beginning
with the Native Americans who lived atop the mesas to the oil
production in the twentieth century. The Bolsa Chica is also an
important stop for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway,
including some endangered species and threatened species. More than
200 species of birds have been sighted at Bolsa Chica. For educators
who teach graders 1, 3, 4, and 6, a tour of Bolsa Chica helps them
meet the state life science standards required for these grade
levels. For the higher grade levels, a tour of Bolsa Chica can help
teach your students how getting involved in your local community can
promote positive environmental changes that impact all of us. For
scout groups, a tour of Bolsa Chica can help them earn various
badges and achievements. All Amigos de Bolsa Chica tours are led by
docents trained in uniquely designed Bolsa Chica coursework.
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| FREE FIRST SATURDAY TOUR offers an exceptional on-site presentation of the Bolsa Chica Story. On the first Saturday of each month from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., our docents gather at the south lot of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, across the street from the main entrance to Bolsa Chica State Beach. Docents are stationed on or near the footbridge, a truly magnificent entrance to the restored Bolsa Chica wetlands. Tours begin every 15 minutes and five areas of interest are included in the presentation: history, birds, endangered species, ecology and restoration. This free tour is on a first come, first served basis. This is a wonderful opportunity for vacationers, students, small groups and local citizens to visit our valuable resource. |
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| Join us for a FREE bird talk and nature walk at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. You will be led by Amigos docent and birder Greg Leo. The Bolsa Chica provides feeding and nesting habitat for thousands of birds and is considered one of the prime birding sites in Southern California. The variety of bird species changes throughout the year as they migrate during each season. The walk takes place the last Saturday of each month at 9:00 am. We meet at the South Parking Lot across from the entrance to Bolsa Chica State Beach. Carpooling is encouraged as parking at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is limited. |
The cost for the each of the following private scheduled tours is $1/person, $25 minimum. Maximum tour size is 80.
To reserve a docent led tour of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Call (714) 840-1575,
or e-mail:
info@amigosdebolsachica.org
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| The FOOTBRIDGE LECTURE TOUR is similar in nature to our First Saturday Tour program except this is a reserved private tour for one group. Tours are approximately 1 to 1 ¼ hours in length. This tour is popular with school groups, Scouts, birders, and first-time visitors to Bolsa Chica. This tour is also recommended for visitors with special needs and our younger visitors. |
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| The OVERLOOKS TRAIL TOUR starts on the footbridge where visitors observe underwater life, then continues on the renovated Overlooks Trail to see marsh plants and a wide variety of birds. While walking along the trail and back visitors will hear the Bolsa Chica Story and see a fabulous view of the Bolsa Chica lowlands from two raised overlooks along the Trail. The Mesa Trail and a third overlook farther along the trail can be accessed after the scheduled docent-led tour. Tours are approximately 2 hours for a total of 1.6 miles. This tour is popular with bird watchers, Scouts, first-time visitors and and those wishing to see the maturing Bolsa Chica wetlands. Visitors to all Trail Tours must wear comfortable closed-toe shoes, and are encouraged to bring binoculars. |
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| The MESA TOUR offers an opportunity for visitors to hike the Mesa Trail while listening to the Bolsa Chica Story. Overlooking the Bolsa Chica lowlands, Bolsa Chica State Beach and the Pacific Ocean, the Mesa Tour provides a dramatic view of the Outer Bolsa Bay ecosystem and the coastal sage plant communities. The Mesa has been of particular interest to archaeologists. Visitors must park at the north lot of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve on Warner Avenue (near the Warner/PCH intersection), at the site of the Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center. Tours are approximately 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours for a total of 2 miles. All tour participants must be at least 7 years old, and we require a minimum of one adult per ten children. Visitors will walk a short distance along Warner Avenue in single file until they reach the trail. |
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| The COMBINED OVERLOOKS AND MESA TOUR combines the two tours as described above. Allow at least 2 hours for this tour. The tour begins at one parking lot and concludes at the other parking lot, a distance of 1.8 miles by trail. |
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Amigos de Bolsa Chica has a fantastic group of trained docents who
volunteer for the wetlands tour program. In many ways, the Amigos
and Scouting have a lot in common. Both organizations are:
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Staffed primarily by unpaid volunteers
- Always in need of more people and funds ($’s)
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Actively engaged in various community outreach programs
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Share a respect for nature and understanding our role in
maintaining nature today and in the future
(Leave No Trace & the Outdoor Code)
- Most importantly, the shared belief that one person’s efforts and
commitments can make a difference!!!
The Bolsa Chica is a great place to have a Den, Pack or Troop
outing. Hours are from sunrise to sunset. Free public tours are
offered the first Saturday morning of every month and private,
guided group tours throughout the week & weekends are reasonable
priced - $1 per person or a $25 flat fee for groups smaller than 25.
You can’t get a deal like that anywhere else in Orange County.
Contact the Amigos at (714) 840-1575 or or e-mail us at
info@amigosdebolsachica.org.
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Cub & Scout requirements that can be completed on a tour |
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Tiger Cub |
Achievement 5 Let’s Go Outdoors. Page 68 5G. Take a hike with
your den. |
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Wolves Cub |
Requirement 10C, Electives 13A & 13D and a Partial Requirement
for the Cub Scout World Conservation Award. |
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Bear Cub |
Achievement 5 Sharing Your World with Wildlife.
Page 54 5d. Visit a wildlife refuge.
Page 55 5e. Name one animal that has become extinct in the last 100
years. Tell why animals become extinct. Name one animal that is on
the endangered species list. |
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Webelos Cub |
Naturalist Requirements
Page 319 #4. Visit a nature center with your family, Webelos
den, or pack. Tell what you saw.
Page 319 #6. Learn about bird flyways closest to your home. Find
out which birds use these flyways.
Page 319 #8. Watch six wild animals in the wild. Describe the
kind of place where you saw them. Tell what they were doing.
Page 319 #9. Give examples of a producer, consumer, and a
decomposer in the food chain of an ecosystem.
Page 319 #10. Identify a plant, bird, or wild animal that is
found only in your area of the country. Tell why it survives
only in your area.
Page 319 #11. Learn about aquatic ecosystems and wetlands in
your area. Discuss the important role aquatic ecosystems and
wetlands play in supporting lifecycles of wildlife and humans. |
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Cub Scout |
1. Cub Scout Academics: Wildlife Conservation
Page 59 Belt Loop #3. Learn about endangered species. Make a report
to your den that includes a picture, how the species came to be
endangered, and what is being done to save it.
2. Page 59 Academics Pin #1. Visit a wildlife sanctuary, nature
center, or fish hatchery.
3. Page 59 Academics Pin # 7. Visit with a person who works with
wildlife conservation, such as a park ranger, biologist, range
manager, geologist, horticulturist, zookeeper, fishery technician,
or conservation officer.
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Boy Scout |
1. Bird Studies Merit Badge* and Eagle Scout Service Projects. |
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 Safety and
Supervision: For the enjoyment and safety of your group, we
request a MINIMUM of one adult for every 10 children. These
adults are responsible for the safety and discipline of students
and ensuring that students follow the rules. This is not the
role of our tour leaders.
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Special Needs and
Medical Problems: We request that children with special needs
have a MINIMUM of one adult for every 5 children. Please alert
the tour leader of any special allergies or medical problems
before the tour begins. Bring any necessary medications.
- Our Two Rules: Our
two rules (“protect the wildlife” and “listen to and obey your
tour leader”) apply during the entire tour.
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Clothing: This is an
outdoor program. Weather is changeable, so wear appropriate
clothes and shoes for the season.
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Breakfast: Remind
your students to have a good breakfast before the tour. Students
will not have an opportunity to eat until after the tour.
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Cancellation of
Tours: We will cancel the tour in the event of rain and
reschedule with the teacher.
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Because the Bolsa Chica Foundation cares about wetland habitat
and wildlife, everything at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
is protected. Please review our two rules with your students
BEFORE your visit to Bolsa Chica. Teachers, aides and parents
are all responsible for ensuring that children obey the rules at
all times. We want you to have a wonderful experience with
nature! Thank you!
Rule #1: Respect the wildlife in their home
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Use a quiet voice at all times
• Stay on the trails
• Do not pick any plants
• Do not harm any insects
Rule #2: Listen to and obey your tour leader
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Only 1 person talks at a time
• When your tour leader is talking, you listen
• Raise your hand to speak
• Stay behind the tour leader on the trails
• Follow instructions
To reserve a docent led tour of the Bolsa Chica Wetlands,
Call (714) 840-1575,
or e-mail: info@amigosdebolsachica.org |
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