Going natural

Bryce Alderton

What began as an excursion with her school’s environmental club has

turned into a five-year love affair.

Cal State Long Beach student Barbara McCoy began venturing out to the

Bolsa Chica Wetlands with Eco-Terra, Long Beach City College’s

environmental club.

“The club had volunteer projects out there so everyone went out there

and decided that they loved it,” McCoy said.

She now flocks to the wetlands the third Saturday of each month to do

everything from clearing out invasive European plants and planting

California species to picking up trash along trails and building wooden

rails, all part of her dedication to the 12-member Bolsa Chica Stewards

group.

The goal of the Stewards is to return the native coastal sage to the

wetlands.

In addition to the four different types of sage, the Stewards also

plant poppies, coast sunflowers, monkey flowers, which are trumpet-shaped

and colored red and yellow, St. Anne’s Lace and toyon cherry and coastal

oak trees.

“I like going outside and playing in the dirt,” McCoy said. “It’s neat

seeing how the plants have taken over.”

She said Sage bushes have grown as tall as six feet at one habitat

that sits a mile south of Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway and is

dotted with eucalyptus and palm trees.

“Seeing all the bushes in bloom and telling what type of sage it is is

fun,” McCoy said.

Bird-watching has become one of McCoy’s hobbies after taking an

ornithology class last fall at Cal State Long Beach, and Bolsa Chica’s

bird population suits her just fine.

“They have a lot of birds out there so now I’ll take my binoculars

each time I go out there,” McCoy said.

The 23-year-old Lakewood resident is in her final year at Cal State

Long Beach and will graduate in May with a degree in marine biology. She

wants eventually to get a PhD. in marine biology as well.

“I’m an animal person but I’m into plants for all the flowers,” McCoy

said. “I like to go out in the spring and see all the bushes in bloom so

I can tell what type of sage it is.”

Her dedication paid off when she and fellow Steward Marabeth Madsen

were recognized for their dedicated leadership for the Steward program at

the fifth annual Kennedy-Kopin Bolsa Chica Conservation Award ceremony

New Year’s Day at the wetlands.

* BRYCE ALDERTON is the news assistant. He can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at bryce.alderton@latimes.com