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Ormond Beach. About Ormond BeachThis “biological hot spot” was once a 1,000-acre system of coastal dunes, lagoons and salt and freshwater marshes. But only a quarter of this rich habitat exists today and what remains is flanked by a paper mill, a sewage treatment facility and a power plant. With an estimated 95 percent of southern California’s coastline already lost to development, scientists believe Ormond Beach represents one of the state’s best coastal wetland restoration opportunities. Since 2004, The Nature Conservancy has purchased 277 acres here, with a goal of restoring and connecting 750 acres to the wetlands at nearby Mugu Lagoon. The Conservancy is working with local partners and committed Oxnard citizens, including Harris and Walter Fuller, Ormond’s bird guardian, to protect and restore the rare remaining coastal wetlands of Ormond Beach. Learn more |
Jean Harris at Ormond Beach.
Photo © Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times
Champion of Ormond Beach
Ormond Beach belongs to the birds. Sandpipers scuttle at the edges of lapping waves and great blue herons strike poses in shallow inland pools. In spring, sand dunes harbor tiny treasures — eggs of the endangered snowy plover and California least tern. More than 200 species of migratory birds find sanctuary here as they traverse the Pacific Flyway.
The hero of Ormond Beach is a self-described “grandma in tennis shoes,” Jean Harris of Oxnard, who has championed this rare landscape for more than 30 years.
“To bring about change for the common good, you need perseverance and you have to gather more people. You can’t do it alone,” she explains. Years ago, Jean and a fellow retired schoolteacher, Roma Armbrust, set out to educate local decision-makers about what Jean calls the “neglected jewel in their backyard.”
“We organized tours for hundreds of people over the years — elected officials, business leaders, active citizens. I knew if we took people for a walk on Ormond Beach, and they saw the birds flying, it would sell them on the importance of saving and restoring the wetlands.”
The strategy worked. Jean and Roma helped defeat several development proposals over the years. In 2004 The Nature Conservancy and local partners teamed up to protect and restore 750 acres of wetlands at Ormond Beach and connect them to neighboring wetlands, including 1,500 acres at Mugu Lagoon. The result will be southern California’s largest coastal wetlands.
In 2003 Roma passed away, but not before celebrating dramatic progress toward the protection of her beloved Ormond Beach. Jean has teamed up with a local group, Saviers Road Design Team, to advocate for a gateway park. She envisions an educational center, outlook towers and boardwalks that will protect habitat while allowing current and future generations to enjoy and be inspired by Ormond Beach.
“It’s the realization of my dream,” she says. “The greatest payoff is seeing this laboratory of a wetland in action. It’s seeing the birds, watching the tides, looking at the waters. Just seeing nature as it was and should be.”
Learn more about the Conservancy's Los Angeles-Ventura project and our work in Ormond Beach.
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