On March 19th, 2012 the Friends of Colorado Lagoon  were awarded a competitive grant from the San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy for $500,000 to revegetate the Western Arm of the Colorado Lagoon. In addition to restoring the salt marsh and adjacent habitat, FOCL will develop interpretive signage, improve the surrounding trails, and conduct monitoring of the project. The awarded funding comes from Proposition 84 and in coordination with the City of Long Beach, this new project will begin after the current dredging project, which is expected to be completed by August of this year.

FOCL is very grateful to the RMC for this funding as it is an integral piece of the restoration puzzle. This recent award adds to FOCL’s history of receiving competitive grant funds for community-based habitat restoration of the Colorado Lagoon. In 2008, FOCL was awarded $29,800 from the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project and $73,400 from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program to restore the Lagoon’s eastern shoreline.

FOCL works with many community partners and local schools to raise awareness and provide education for our valuable coastal habitats while offering opportunities for the general public to help restore Colorado Lagoon.  Involvement from local citizens will make FOCL’s efforts most successful. Those interested in participating should contact FOCL’s education program.