Cars speed past Talbert Marsh along Pacific Coast Highway, as erosion creeps at about six inches a year toward the road.
Workers with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and OC Habitats hope to reverse the loss by installing coconut fiber logs, woven mats, and native plants to secure the shoreline.
On the southern edge of the marsh, the shoreline is creeping toward a line of telephone poles that feed electricity to the lights on PCH, said John Villa, Executive Director of HBWC.
Elena Montesinos, an intern with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy, moves part of a living shoreline into place at the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers and volunteers with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and OC Habitats work to restore the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Birds look for lunch in the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and OC Habitats were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Volunteer Sierra Miller checks out a crab at the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and OC Habitats were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers and volunteers with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and OC Habitats work to restore the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A worker sinks into the mud at the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and OC Habitats were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A Pacific Coast Highway bridge goes over the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and OC Habitats were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers and volunteers with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy and OC Habitats work to restore the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Elena Montesinos, an intern with the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy, moves part of a living shoreline into place at the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, CA on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. Workers were installing a living shoreline to reduce erosion, removing trash, and planting native species. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
