The Bolsa Chica Wetlands are an example of the challenge with balancing development and maintaining the natural beauty of the land. This “little pocket” of coastal marshes and mud flats -- part of the historic Mexican land grand called Rancho La Bolsa Chica -- is flanked by Pacific Coast Highway to the west, a residential development on the east, Seapoint St. to the south and Warner Avenue to the north.
While the Bolsa Chica wetlands have avoided mass development, for more than a century, there has been a tug-o-war between conservationists and land developers. The wetlands have been used as a World War II encampment, and dammed off from the tidal flow from the ocean by the Bolsa Chica Gun Club, and threatened by housing development. Today the Bolsa Chica Wetlands are an ecological reserve designated by the California Fish and Game Commission to protect the coastal wetlands and its threatened and endangered wildlife inhabitants.
The trails through the Bolsa Chica wetlands are sunny and dry, so make sure you take sun screen, water, a hat and sturdy shoes.