"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain
is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as
fountains
of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life."
- John Muir
The homeowners were given Cease and Desist and Restoration Orders. The http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jun/29/local/me-dunes29
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In an area that was once part of a large 3,000 acre wetland that was called the Santa Ana River Marsh, lays the Newport Dune Restoration Project . Within this area the landscape has transformed from a natural area to a residential area. And overtime there has been the formation of dunes in front of these expensive beachfront homes. During the night of April 17 and morning of April 18 2005 the homeowners hired a bulldozer to remove these dunes that were blocking their view of the ocean. This was an illegal action under the California Coastal Act.
Dunes are considered to be an Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area, under the aforementioned act. Under the orders the homeowners were required to hire a restoration crew, the Los Cerritos Wetland Stewards (LCWS), along with a restoration biologist, to restore the dunes to a native dune habitat. Dunes of this nature have been disappearing form California's coast for a long time. These rare habitats are used by species that are on the endangered species list, such as: the California least tern and the dune tiger beatle. The restoration of these dunes is imperative to the health of California's beaches. If you are interested in being one of those volunteers, please email us at: 
Directions to Newport Dune Restoration Project:
