An occasional feature of BLM California's News.bytes

Spotlight on Partners: California Conservation Corps

Starting in 1996, BLM Arcata and the California Conservation Corps (CCC) have been partnering to remove invasive European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria) from the Manila Dunes Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and also the South spit of Humboldt Bay since 2002. The CCC provides a development program to its young labor force by helping them acquire job skills in environmental conservation, fire protection, and emergency response. (text continues below)

California Conservation Corps crew members pull invasive plants at Manila Dunes in Northern California

The Manila Dunes Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) and the South Spit Cooperative Management Area are home to two federally endangered plants, beach layia (Layia carnosa) and Humboldt Bay wallflower (Erysimum menziesii ssp eurekense). It is also home to the threatened western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus). The manual removal of the European beachgrass has increased appropriate and available habitat for these federally endangered species as well as previously displaced native species. (more below)

Manila Dunes in 1997, before European beachgrass removal..

...and in 2000, after the CCC worked on removing European beachgrass.

The CCC has matched BLM efforts with approximately $260,500 dollars of in-kind labor which equates to approximately 17,000 hours over the past 11 years. This collaborative effort has led to the restoration of 112 acres of native habitat and has given hundreds of CCC members the chance to experience being part of a multi-year restoration project along the California coast. The CCC has also participated in countless other trail improvement projects, invasive plant removal projects, and native plant reintroduction projects on public lands throughout the Arcata resource area.

More information: California Conservation Corps (State of California website)

CCC crew members remove invasive pampas grass from lands managed by BLM-California

A CCC crew member cuts back brush along a trail

- J. Fontana, plus photos by J. Dearing and J. Pickering, BLM-California

BLM-California News.bytes, issue 345