Land trust taps former mayor

A local environmental group welcomed new members to its governing body and tapped a former mayor to take the helm.

The Bolsa Chica Land Trust, a group dedicated to preserving, restoring and acquiring land in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, elected former Huntington Beach Mayor Connie Boardman on July 15 as president of its board of directors.

"I was very happy. Bolsa Chica has been one of my passions for 20 years," she said.

Boardman has served on the Land Trust's board for nearly 15 years and is the chairwoman of Cerritos College's biological sciences department, where she is a biology professor. She took over the position from outgoing President Paul Arms.

The Land Trust is continuing its efforts to acquire land in Bolsa Chica under private ownership, including the Goodell and Shea properties and another five-acre piece of land recently approved for a 22-home development called the Ridge properties, Boardman said.

Carrie Thomas was also elected vice president of the Land Trust. Thomas is a former planning commissioner and has served on a number of community boards, including the Huntington Beach Environmental Board, and is a docent for Bolsa Chica's Miracles of the Marsh program.

The Land Trust also welcomed new board members Jennifer Thomas and Roberta Armstrong.

— Britney Barnes