Azusa Rock

About the Program
The Azusa Rock Project is a quarry owned by Vulcan Materials Company in southern California. This quarry sits only 23 miles northeast of Los Angeles and only six miles southeast of the Azusa Wilderness Project. This site hosts almost 16 acres of coastal sage/shrub and chaparral habitat that was reclaimed to match the surrounding habitat in the Angeles National Forest, with an additional eight acres of restored habitat in Fish Creek. The site also includes barn owl nest boxes and pollinator nesting boxes to attract native barn owls and an array of native pollinator species to the site.  

Practices and Impacts

• Barn owl nesting boxes were added to the site in 2012 to provide additional nesting opportunities for a species that relies so heavily on artificial nesting structures. Unfortunately, no barn owls have been observed using these boxes, but there has been evidence of other native owl species in the area. This project will continue to be monitored in hopes that barn owls will one day nest again on-site. 
• The pollinator enhancement project was established in 2019, where bee hotels have been added to the site to provide additional habitat for native pollinator species. Four of the five boxes installed have been occupied by native pollinators, with a total of 42 different species noted.
• The Monitoring Wildlife training program is an educational opportunity for staff members who wouldn't normally get to interact with these projects. Staff are taught the conservation importance of these projects and how they can contribute to the monitoring efforts of both of these projects.