The Bixby Marshland that is maintained by the LA County Sanitation District in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Brittlebush growing at the Bixby Marshland in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Bixby Marshland that is maintained by the LA County Sanitation District is home to a variety of wildlife in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Bixby Marshland that is maintained by the LA County Sanitation District in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
A beach strawberry plant growing at the Bixby Marshland in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Bixby Marshland is home to a variety of wildlife in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Bixby Marshland that is maintained by the LA County Sanitation District is home to a variety of wildlife in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
A rectangular pavilion used for educational events at the Bixby Marshland in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Bixby Marshland is home to a variety of wildlife in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Bixby Marshland that is maintained by the LA County Sanitation District is home to a variety of wildlife in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Bixby Marshland is home to a variety of wildlife in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
The Bixby Marshland is home to a variety of wildlife in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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The Bixby Marshland that is maintained by the LA County Sanitation District in Carson on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Just east of the Harbor Freeway, in the middle of an industrial area of Carson, lies a 17-acre haven for birds, ducks, plants and other wildlife.
The Bixby Marsh is a wetland that’s home to 110 different plant species, 69 bird species and other animals, including more than 40% of federally listed endangered and threatened species, according to a fact sheet about the marsh.
The marsh was once threatened by development and other challenges. But now, thanks to ongoing efforts by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, the wetland is thriving — an urban refuge for wildlife and nature lovers.
“It’s a nice refuge outside of the city,” said Genesis Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. “It’s a wetland right in the middle of an urban area. It’s like a secret.”
But the marshland is not just a refuge for the local community and wildlife — but also a water filtration system for the area. When water flows into the marshland, the environment naturally cleans the water of sediments before it flows out to the local Wilmington Drain.
To find a native wetland in California is rare. More than 95% of the state’s marshlands, in fact, been destroyed because of development. Bixby Marsh would likely be a part of that statistic if it weren’t for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts.
The marsh used to be a part of a large, ancient wetland known as the Bixby Slough that flowed into the San Pedro Bay, often becoming a deep lake during the wet seasons, filling up to 45 feet deep – until the Port of Los Angeles was developed, destroying much of the marshland. Now, the once 200-acre marshland has been diminished to only 17.
For decades, the Bixby Marsh declined, with non-native plants overcrowding the area, killing off the native plants and creating an inhospitable environment for the wildlife that called the wetland home. And in the mid-1970s, the Wilmington Drain was installed to reduce flooding at the nearby A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility and surrounding areas — but that cut off the water supply to the marsh.
The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, however, stepped in at this time to pump water into the marshland. In the early 2000s, they took it one step further, completely revitalizing the marsh by removing non-native plants, monitoring the health of the environment, and even creating a walking path and environmental program for the community.
“Native vegetation provides a high-quality habitat for resident and migratory wildlife that have evolved alongside these plant communities,” said Malika Jones, supervising engineer at the A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility. “And the non-natives were actually starting to proliferate to where they were crowding out the native plants and vegetation.”
The non-native plants were then recycled into either compost or used to construct gazebos and benches along the Bixby Marsh walking path.
“We also get a biologist to come and do routine monitoring every four years,” Jones said, “and they’ll essentially assess the area and see how it’s developed since the restoration.”
The sanitation districts continues maintaining the marshland, weeding, ensuring adequate water supply and removing non-native plants.
“The biggest challenge is just staying on top of the maintenance and ensuring that we’re removing a large amount of non-native species so they don’t proliferate and overtake the native species,” Jones said. “We will get new non-natives because we’re in an urban environment where there are non-natives planted elsewhere so maybe the birds bring seeds up here or you might get a transfer of non-natives to this area from other animal droppings or seeds carried by the wind.”
They agency also works to ensure the safety of birds during nesting season, Jones said, creating a “buffer zone” where the area cannot be disturbed while the birds are nesting.
The Bixby Marsh, 20800 Madrona Ave., is open to the public from 8 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of every month, and visitors can participate in a guided tour with a marshland expert, walk around on their own, participate in bird watching groups or even just sit in a gazebo and read.
Tours can also be scheduled anytime by appointment by calling 562-908-4288, ext. 2300. The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts are also looking for volunteers who would be willing to learn about the marshland and provide tours to the community.
“We are looking to build an active service group,” a Bixby Marsh brochure says, “who contribute their time and talents to making Bixby Marshland an educational and fun place to visit.”
More information about the Bixby Marsh can be found at lacsd.org/bixby.