Volunteers Remove Invasive Vegetation From Dunes Near LAX

More than 100 volunteers on Saturday helped remove invasive vegetation from coastal dunes near the western end of Los Angeles International Airport in Playa del Rey as part of larger dune restoration project in the area.

The removal work is part of an ongoing effort by the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports to restore the dunes back to their natural state. Officials said the project is the first major restoration effort of the 48-acre site since the dunes were rezoned as a nature preserve in 1994.

"Restoration of the LAX Dunes is part of LAWA’s overall effort to achieve sustainability at LAX," LAWA spokesman Marshall Lowe said in a news release. "The project will also fulfill a desire by the community to be involved with beautifying the site, restoring native habitat, and correcting human actions that have degraded this coastal dunes ecosystem."

Overall, the project will encompass 307 acres of coastal dunes that sit between LAX and the beach.

The project, overseen by the LAWA Environmental Services Division and the California Coastal Commission, partners with other local agencies as well as volunteers from private companies such as Boeing.

Saturday's vegetation removal day saw volunteers from the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Boeing, the California Native Plant Society and employees from LAWA.