Grants Database

The grant to Friends of Ballona Wetlands will sustain and enhance the group’s Watershed Protection Project which includes on the ground restoration efforts in conjunction with educational tours designed to inspire environmental stewardship and efforts to advocate for environmental justice. The group has a large cadre of volunteers that are integral to the group’s restoration efforts at Ballona Wetlands, and they assist with habitat restoration and removal of non-native species. Many of the restoration worksites are the dunes and uplands immediately adjacent to the wetlands which serve as crucial buffer zones that protect wetland habitats and waters. The planting of native species in these areas helps to remove excess nutrients from stormwater runoff before water leaches from the soil into the wetlands. The funding will support ongoing student education and training projects throughout the Greater Los Angeles area including hosting regular restoration events at the wetlands and encouraging participants to bring their families and neighbors to the group’s activities. Friends of Ballona Wetlands is a member of the Wetlands Principles Restoration Coalition, and this grant will also allow them to work collaboratively with other local water quality advocacy groups to capture polluted urban runoff upstream via green infrastructure in order to offset pollutant loading to the lower watershed and wetland.