To keep this rich habitat intact, CCC Corpsmembers are interning with Los Angeles World Airports, which governs LAX, Environmental Services Division. LAWA created the Dunes Habitat Restoration project in 1986. Through this partnership, CCC Corpsmembers get an opportunity to gain field experience and learn first-hand what it takes to help small creatures thrive in the big city.

“Before I joined this internship, restoration just seemed like planting. But really, it’s a bigger picture,” said Pao. “Yes, we do planting. Yes, we do watering. But there’s also surveying that is important – keeping track, of the butterfly count every year.”

Taking a comprehensive approach to conservation, many actions are taking place to restore this critical Los Angeles habitat. Corpsmembers are also engaging in plant survivorship surveys, seed-banking, and invasive species removal.

“The hardest part would have to be invasive removal, removing the ice plant, because it’s in the succulent family. They carry water in the leaves and that makes them heavy,” said Sanchez. “We have to remove all that by hand because tools would just damage the rest of the ecosystem.”

The effort is worth it. By helping the iconic El Segundo Blue Butterfly chart a positive course to recovery, CCC Corpsmembers are strengthening biodiversity and making it possible for residents to reconnect with the native landscapes of Los Angeles.

“It feels a little more rewarding because instead of taking away, you’re adding on to the planet,” Sanchez said. “Eventually this does make a difference in the long run.”

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