Ocean Trails by Heather Lebus What began as a revegetation project for a nature preserve created on the ocean bluffs of California's Palos Verdes peninsula has blossomed into a lengthy, multi-phase development effort-- entitled Ocean Trails-- that will keep its design team busy for years to come. The Dudek & Associates team was asked to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that restores 90 acres of Coastal Sage Scrub, and which preserves the habitat of the infamous Coastal California Gnatcatcher. "My assignment," Michael Sweesy, RLA, remarks, "was to take the HCP plan and develop more detailed revegetation plans and an implementation plan for each of four designated areas." He explains, "We had to enhance existing habitat through weed removal. The connecting east-west blufftop corridor had been trashed from years of agricultural use, so in order to maintain coastal access, existing trails had to be stabilized and enhanced. The remainder will be restored as coastal sage scrub." "Our strategy for upland planting was to do it in the winter months while it's cool and moist so plants can get growing," Sweesy explains. "We want them to grow roots quickly before the summer months, and then let them dry and stress out and do all of the things they're evolved to do; next winter, those that survived will really take off," he adds. But sometimes it's hard to convince people, especially clients, that those parched, drooping leaves and brittle looking branches are actually nature's way of shutting the plant down so that it conserves its energy for survival during hotter and drier conditions. This project definitely impacted the gnatcatcher habitat, but this is a story of cohabitation-- not displacement. They provided alternative habitat areas for gnatcatchers to shift into once construction was underway by creating habitat in a nearby preserve through a program of planting and weed removal. Two gnatcatcher nests have been successful in restored habitat so far. Currently, the Ocean Trails Golf Course is under construction; the team is aiming for an early summer opening. But, in the meantime, the response from the city and the public has been proof positive of the entire development's significance. For Sweesy, that interest reaffirms his own belief in the importance of restoration. "Clearly, the owner has taken his environmental responsibility very seriously. We are creating 90 acres of Coastal Sage Scrub that will provide a great resource for the Gnatcatcher. By providing this additional habitat, we will increase the stability of that endangered gnatcatcher population. As a Landscape Architect, it's a great feeling for me to be a part of this." lasn