IN THE PIPELINE:

We moved here to Huntington Beach 10 years ago to the day, and I’m back where I was that very first afternoon — on the loop trail at the Bolsa Chica wetlands.

We came here with the kids to pass the time waiting for the movers to arrive at our house and ever since then, it’s been my favorite place in town. In fact, I start most mornings with a walk around the loop a couple times, and I can think of no better place to clear my head and think about current projects at hand (often times, this column).

When I think of everything that has changed in Huntington Beach in the last 10 years, inside I have to give thanks for this little undisturbed haven (though it’s not totally unchanged — it actually became a better place in 2006 when the tidal inlet opened after the wetlands became restored). The tireless, exemplary work being done by the Amigos de Bolsa Chica ( www.amigosdebolsachica.org) has ensured that this place where I’m walking now is the way it is, and so I’ll always be thankful to them (as I’d hope anyone who enjoys the wetlands is).

Like many who take their morning strolls here, I also enjoy taking photos of the spectacular wildlife that on some days is so prevalent, it’s hard to believe you’re not in some man-made enclosure where the animals are trucked in. Certain days their siren calls become like music being played over the tranquil, shimmery water. Some of my favorite mornings to walk here are when the fog is so thick, you don’t see other walkers until they’re perhaps 15 feet in front of you. I don’t know why, there’s just something about the peace of being enveloped in a cool mist.

On this particular morning, I pass a couple I see often, taking their morning constitutional. Typically, we exchange a quick smile and greeting. But on my 10th anniversary here, we stop and talk for a bit. They’re Wally and Shirley Benton (hope I got that last name right!), who moved here several years ago from the Los Angeles area — and they seem to like walking here as much as I do. Wally, a retired architect, recalls the very first “In The Pipeline” 92 weeks ago — a piece on the Westfair Shopping Center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. I knew I liked these people.

Finishing my walk this beautiful morning, I encounter a group of adults on the boardwalk. They’re all wearing Bolsa Chica Land Trust shirts, and I stop to talk with them. Linda Wolfe (and the others) begin explaining to me that they’re waiting for some school buses to arrive. It’s all part of a program called “Miracles of the Marsh” that was started seven years ago by the Bolsa Chica Land Trust. Wolfe, who has been in charge of the program for the seven years, along with Flossie Horgan, Laurel Telfer, Marinka Horack and others have created something really special that more than 8,000 kids have gotten to enjoy (and that another 2,000 will experience this year).

“Miracles of the Marsh” is a 2-½ hour trek through the wetlands, led by docents of the Land Trust. Third-grade students are taken on a walk to the mesa where they get to learn abut the environment through a four-topic program which covers water preservation, animals, the history and the plants of Bolsa Chica. The program fits right in with the science requirements for the state of California, and the Land Trust even pays (through grants) for the busses that transport the kids to the wetlands (they also supply workbooks for the kids to help them get acquainted with the area).

Many former teachers are involved with this incredible program, which no doubt has played a huge part in helping kids (particularly inner city kids who may not have had the opportunity) to learn about this precious part of the landscape.

The program runs from January to June and the Land Trust is always looking for interested individuals to join their docent team.

For more information call Flossie Horgan at (714) 846-1001 or visit www.bolsachicalandtrust.org.

I don’t know what Huntington Beach will be like in the next 10 years.

All I know is, I hope this path is still here for me and others who appreciate the beauty and solitude of the wetlands, where those birds, all these beautiful birds, much such sweet music.

On another note, I’ll be signing my new book, “Vanishing Orange County,” and others at the Author’s Festival Day book signing from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Central Library. Hope to see you there.

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 15 books, including the new “Vanishing Orange County.” Write him at chris@chrisepting.com.