Each morning, I look out onto the Ballona Wetlands and see the magic your support makes possible: students arriving wide-eyed with wonder, interns and volunteers restoring habitat, and our staff ready to teach and protect this rare place.

For 47 years, Friends of Ballona Wetlands has carried forward Ruth Lansford’s vision to save Los Angeles’ last coastal wetland. Together, we built a living classroom, a refuge for wildlife, and a community where people and nature connect.

As you flip through these pages, you’ll see what your support made possible this year.

• More than 5,000 students experienced nature through our Explore Ballona!® program, many for the first time

• 3,006 volunteers restored native habitat and cleaned Ballona Creek, creating healthier homes for local wildlife

• 19 volunteer docents led guided tours every week, helping our community connect more deeply with the wetlands

The Ballona Wetlands depend on people like you. As invasive species, pollution, and climate change pose growing challenges, your support helps us meet them with hope and determination. When you give monthly, you become part of the team that keeps the Ballona Wetlands thriving all year long. Your steady support helps us plan ahead, expand our education programs, and deepen our restoration efforts.

Start your monthly gift or make a year-end donation today. Together, we will keep Ballona’s story alive for generations to come.

With gratitude,

Scott Culbertson
Executive Director

PS: We hope you’ll visit Ballona soon to see the impacts of your generosity.

What weighs less than a quarter, sings a kitten-like call across the sagebrush, and is making a remarkable comeback at Ballona? If you guessed the Coastal subspecies of California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica), you’re right!

This Federally Threatened songbird has been documented nesting in the native coastal sage scrub habitat above the Ballona Freshwater Marsh since 2022, but 2025 brought the most exciting news yet. Our surveys documented a record five nesting pairs, the highest number since monitoring began, showing that this sensitive species is expanding into new territories and successfully raising young right here at Ballona.

We observed several pairs carrying food to their nestlings and later feeding fledglings as families foraged together along the slopes. One especially determined pair even raised two successful broods in a single season, a rare achievement for this species.

Their success tells a bigger story. The California Gnatcatcher’s return signals that Ballona’s coastal sage scrub habitat is recovering, providing enough cover, insects, and quiet refuge to support this California Species of Special Concern. Protecting these spaces from disturbance is vital for sustaining their population and the many other species that depend on this ecosystem.

From the buzzy meow of gnatcatcher calls to the flash of fledglings darting through bush sunflower (Encelia californica) and purple sage (Salvia leucophylla), these moments are only possible because of people like you—volunteers and supporters who make habitat restoration and sensitive wildlife species monitoring possible.

Almost 15 years ago, we entered a new stage of our restoration work: surveys confirmed that the federally endangered El Segundo Blue (ESB) butterfly was present in our restoration areas at Ballona. This momentous occasion marked the culmination of many years, thousands of volunteer hours, and tons of iceplant and other invasive species being removed to make way for the plants native to our coastal dunes. Since this time, great care has gone into expanding ESB habitat to new areas, with thousands of native plants carefully cultivated, including hundreds of seacliff buckwheats (Eriogonum parvifolium), which provide new habitat for the ESB and Ballona’s other native critters.

This past spring, I reflected on our progress. Our FBW team, including a lively group of college interns and our two fellows from the California Climate Action Corps (CCAC), worked together watering the newest patch of seacliff buckwheat. The air was filled with their focused energy, punctuated by laughter and discussion, and the buzzing of hummingbirds. “Looks like we missed one,” Sam, one of our CCAC fellows, called out, pointing to a tiny buckwheat seedling that hadn’t been watered. “We need these little guys to thrive!” Mina, our other CCAC fellow, redirected an intern to water the missed plant.

Later, as we were wrapping up the morning’s work, everyone gathered for a quick debrief. The interns, tired and flushed from carrying heavy watering cans in the warm morning sun, shared observations and debated field identifications, while the CCAC fellows discussed the broader implications of the restoration. I smiled, watching the collaboration unfold.

The Ballona Wetlands are not just being restored. We are cultivating a new generation of environmental stewards, their hands dirty with Ballona’s sandy soil, and their minds set on a future where even the tiniest butterfly has a thriving place to call home.

“I really enjoy, in a way, representing an organization that has that dedication and this enlightened approach.”

– Geoff Shawcross

Some volunteers bring energy. Some bring heart. Geoff Shawcross brings both, and we are proud to honor him as this year’s Volunteer of the Year.

Geoff joined us as a docent in August 2024, looking for a new meaningful way to give back. He quickly began leading tours at both the Freshwater Marsh and Saltwater Marsh. In 2025 alone, he guided 35 tours, welcoming hundreds of visitors and becoming our most active docent.

But Geoff’s impact goes far beyond tours. He helped at every public event this year, greeting guests at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh Anniversary, leading tours during Migration Celebration, and engaging visitors on the observation platform during Celebration of the Blues. Whenever there was a chance to welcome people into nature, Geoff was there!

Geoff brought that same enthusiasm to the Let’s Take It Outside tours with AARP California, infusing every experience with warmth and curiosity. One participant shared, “Geoff provided an excellent presentation on the history of the wetlands and Friends of Ballona. The high point of the event!”

When asked what he enjoys most about being a docent, Geoff told us, “So many people will say ‘I had no idea there was something this beautiful, this wild and natural, right here in the middle of the city.’ And sharing that with them never gets old.”

Thank you, Geoff, for sharing your passion, your time, and your heart. Volunteers like you help our community fall in love with Ballona!

We’ve been leading public tours in the Ballona Wetlands since 1979, but this year was exceptional! We hosted a record number of tours and introduced new opportunities for people to explore and connect with this special place.

Every other month, we partnered with AARP California to offer Freshwater Marsh tours through their Let’s Take It Outside program. These three-stop tours include: mobility aid accessible Ballona Discovery Park, the Riparian Corridor, and the Ballona Freshwater Marsh. Along the way, participants often shared memories and personal stories. One said, “I have lived here for years and never knew this place existed,” while others reminisced about working at Hughes Aircraft or growing up nearby. This partnership opened the door for so many wonderful connections and we’re excited to continue in the new year.

We also launched a new tour, Sandy Shores and More, led by Dr. John Dorsey, Loyola Marymount University Professor Emeritus. This tour introduces participants to the local ecosystem of the Del Rey Lagoon and nearby beaches. With Dr. Dorsey’s deep scientific knowledge and decades of experience studying local ecology, visitors gain a new appreciation for the shoreline habitats that surround Ballona.

And starting December 2024, we began offering Birding With Pride, a docent-suggested idea to engage the LGBTQ+ community in outdoor recreation. We’ve hosted five tours so far, each filled with joy, discovery, and shared enthusiasm for birding.

We can’t wait to welcome you on a free public tour with the Friends of Ballona Wetlands in 2026. There’s always something new to see, learn, and experience on the trails, and we’d love for you to be part of it.

More than 5,000 students from all over Los Angeles participated in field trips through our Explore Ballona!® Education Program this year. No matter their grade level or background, each visit makes an impact that reaches far beyond the boundaries of the Ballona Wetlands.

Students leave with a deeper interest in science and a growing confidence in their own knowledge, which can impact test scores and future ambitions. Many take what they learn back home, excited to grow native plants and encourage the wildlife they saw at Ballona to visit their own homes. The student thank you letters say it best:

We look forward to welcoming these students back in the years to come for future field trips and at volunteer events. With their enthusiasm and curiosity, we know the Ballona Wetlands will be in good hands.

On my first day at Explore Ballona!® Nature Camp as the new Environmental Education Coordinator, I felt as nervous as the campers. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as the day progressed, I quickly learned new approaches to help campers understand their camp activities.

Working with dozens of campers and hundreds of students since my first day has shown me that teaching is a learning process on both sides: as campers and students learn, so do the educators. From the questions asked by inquisitive students to shared observations of wildlife that spark mutual curiosity, I find myself seeing everything in a new light. I am excited to continue growing alongside our eager campers and students.