4th Annual El Segundo Blue Butterfly Educational Tour
201 Paseo De La Playa
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
USA
Dates: Saturday June 24 and Sunday June 25
Time: 10 AM
Place: Mira Mar Park in Torrance
Conducted by Marina Biologist Ann Dalkey
Ann Dalkey has lived in Redondo Beach for over 30 years.
As a marine biologist for the City of Los Angeles’ Environmental Monitoring Division, Ann noticed during monitoring cruises along the coast that the coast line in the South Bay was predominantly concrete in contrast to the much greener looking coast line north of Santa Monica.
As a regular visitor to the Esplanade, she also noticed that the beach bluffs were covered with iceplant, a native plant from South America.
As an ecologist, Ann realized that improvements were needed that could both benefit people that visit the Esplanade as well provide better conditions for our native flora and fauna.
These observations led her to initiate development of the ad-hoc steering committee of the Beach Bluffs Restoration Project in 2001.
This group’s effort led to the development of native habitat restoration at several sites throughout the South Bay along with stimulating Redondo Beach’s ultimately successful application to improve the hardscape infrastructure along the Esplanade.
Background and qualifications:
Stewardship Associate in Research at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy 2006-2016 (retiring May 31, 2016) where she oversaw the scientific activities including applied, educational, and academic studies for promoting better understanding of the natural processes within the preserve, developed citizen science monitoring programs for wildlife and cactus wren monitoring, and worked closely with the Stewardship staff in research, monitoring, and habitat restoration efforts.
Southern California Academy of Sciences, member of the Board of Directors, 2009 – 2016
Co-chair of the Beach Bluffs Restoration Project, 2001 – 2009, an ad hoc steering committee with the common vision to restore native habitat to the beach bluffs of Santa Monica Bay from Malaga Cove to Ballona Creek.
Marine Biologist, City of Los Angeles’ Environmental Monitoring Division, 1984 – 2006 where she conducted routine marine monitoring ranging from field sampling, laboratory analyses, and data reporting, while also publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals, participating in regional marine surveys, representing the organization at meetings and conferences, and finally supervising the marine biology staff, boat crew, and microbiology laboratory during the last five years of employment.
Marine Biologist, Orange County Sanitation Districts, 1974 – 1984. Duties were similar to those conducted at the City of Los Angeles regarding conducting routine marine monitoring that also included involvement in the process control, metals, and organics laboratories.
Officer of the Southern California Association of Marine Invertebrate Taxonomists, 1982 – 2002, now a life-time member.
B. S. in Marine Biology and M. S. in Biology from California State University, Long Beach
Ann joined the Land Conservancy staff in June, 2006.