Community volunteers will have an opportunity to help improve the endangered species habitat at the national wildlife refuge at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station on this Saturday, Oct. 15.
The event runs from 8 a.m. to noon and celebrates National Public Lands Day, the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands Americans enjoy.
Volunteers will take part in activities designed to enhance the refuge, including invasive weed removal and the planting of native flowers and shrubs.
The project will provide improved habitat for the endangered Belding’s savannah sparrow and other refuge residents.
The U. S. Navy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the volunteer group Friends of the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge are sponsoring the event. It is made possible by grants from the Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program and the National Environmental Education Foundation.
Reservations are required by Thursday, Oct. 13 and can be made by calling (562) 598-1024. A name and phone number for each participant must be provided.
Participants are advised to bring picture ID, hats, sunblock, walking shoes (no sandals), and gardening tools, including gloves. Gardening tools and gloves will also be made available on-site. All ages are welcome.
Due to security requirements at the weapons station, no cameras will be permitted.
Participants will meet at the station’s Westminster Gate, located on Westminster Avenue one block east of the Seal Beach Boulevard intersection.
Commencing operations in 1944 as a U.S. Naval Ammunition and Net Depot, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach is the Pacific Fleet’s premier ordnance loading installation.
The base services over 50 United States Navy warships annually. In 1972 approximately 920 of the facility’s 5,000 acres were designated as a National Wildlife Refuge – the only such protected habitat within a five-county area surrounding the Los Angeles basin.
For additional questions or access to attend this event please contact Gregg Smith, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Public Affairs Officer, at (562) 626-7215.
