Our team transformed a former golf course near San Diego into a natural wildlife habitat to meet mitigation requirements for infrastructure and safety improvements at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Camp Pendleton. The Moosa Creek Riparian Restoration Project restored the property’s overall ecosystem, supports endangered species and other wildlife habitat needs, and provides long-term environmental benefits.
MCAS Camp Pendleton sought to offset the habitat loss of two federally endangered bird species — the least Bell’s vireo and southwestern willow flycatcher — due to necessary infrastructure and safety improvements at the station. The restoration site was designed to expand habitat near the birds’ current environment and provide a mosaic of habitats to support regional wildlife.
Our professionals needed to acquire multiple permits and approvals before the project could begin. Crews initiated site cleanup in June 2021 and broke ground in January 2022. The project involved regrading and recontouring the 67-acre property and the removal of existing amenities and infrastructure, such as golf cart pathways and bridges, parking lots, tennis and bocce ball courts, and abandoned wells and structures.
The project is considered soil-neutral, which means the restoration project focused on reusing materials throughout the site to create the mosaic of habitat. Workers reactivated the flood plain previously altered by the golf course by cutting a new, high-flow stream channel and reestablishing habitat conditions for native grasses, shrubs, trees and other vegetation to restore the area’s overall ecosystem and provide long-term environmental benefits.
The restored areas are managed and monitored by our team, with oversight by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The property is protected in perpetuity by deed restriction to make certain everything is growing as it should, checked for invasive species, and being repopulated by birds.
While the Moosa Creek Riparian Restoration Project is considered a conservation site and not open to the public, San Diego County acquired remaining portions of the golf course and plans are underway for trails, playgrounds and other activities.