Newport Banning Land Trust Needs Volunteers
The Newport Banning Land Trust just launched the second phase of its community-based Restoration Program with development of a nursery to grow native plants from seeds collected from Newport Banning Ranch.
The Restoration Program was initiated on Earth Day in April 2014 with seed collection and has continued on a monthly basis.
The clippings and some of the seeds collected by volunteers during Phase One of the Restoration Program have been planted in trays adjacent to the NBLT office. The trays are now being transformed into a ‘proper’ nursery with assistance from a group of graduate students from Cal Poly Pomona who are designing and developing the final stages of the native plant nursery as a project for their Ecosystematic Design class.
The Restoration Program aims to support the settlement agreement between the California Coastal Commission and Newport Banning Ranch to develop a restoration plan for 18.45 acres on the Newport Banning Ranch site. NBLT will ultimately be the steward of the restored land that will total over 230 acres.
Volunteers are needed to help plant seeds collected from the Newport Banning Ranch site in the native plant nursery. Dates for future Restoration Program meetings are May 1, June, 4, July 27, and August 25. Volunteers meet each month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at 1010 17th Street, Costa Mesa.
For more information contact Robyn Vettraino at robyn@newportbanninglandtrust.org or call (949) 683-4645.
Celebrate Earth Day at Upper Newport Bay
The Newport Bay Conservancy in partnership with OC Parks presents the 25th annual Earth Day At The Bay on April 25 at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center at 2301 University Drive (corner of Irvine Avenue) in Newport Beach from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The festival will include booths emphasizing water quality and recycling. Rain barrels will be available for pickup (prior purchase required, $10 after rebate) through Rain Barrels Intl. Orange County Health Care Agency Water Quality Laboratory, The Irvine Ranch Water District, and Orange County Used Oil Recycling Program will also be in attendance.
Many booths will feature family friendly activities including arts and craft, science discovery, and face painting. There will be a Scavenger Hunt with small prizes for all participants and entry in larger prize drawings. The day will be filled with live music from Danny Maika.
Inside the Ray Watson Theater, the Newport Beach Film Festival will highlight seven submissions for this year’s short environmental films beginning at 11 a.m. and repeating at 1 p.m. Watch the creative ways three friends set out to eliminate discarded fishnets in Net Positiva, learn about Mussel Man, Bernard Friedman, farming mussels on the only open-ocean farm on the West coast and a scientist who uses artwork to make his research more accessible to the general public in Trash, Manufactured.
The entire event is free and open to the public, but bring some money to support an opportunity drawing featuring great prizes from local merchants. All proceeds benefit the Newport Bay Conservancy. Food will be available for purchase from Tamarindo food truck (an organic, locally grown, sustainable family food enterprise), the Burnt Truck and Front Porch Pops.
The Newport Bay Conservancy is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of the Upper Newport Bay, the largest remaining estuary in southern California.
For more information, visit newportbay.org.
