California Resources Corporation
Islands Grissom, White, Chaffee, and Freeman
Long Beach, California, United States
Certified through 2024
Project Name
Project Type
THUMS Islands Wildlife Habitat Landscaping Project
Landscaped
About the Program
The California Resources Corporation (CRC)-owned THUMS Islands are four man-made islands located in Long Beach Harbor, California. The Islands Grissom, White, Chaffee and Freeman were built between 1965 and 1968 to support local oil extraction. Stone, rock and sand were drawn from Catalina Island and dredged from the ocean floor to create the islands, which are each about 10 acres in size. Since 2004, the CRC team has worked with native landscapers to establish a garden on each island. These gardens include plants representative of the coastal sage scrub communities native to the region. With the implementation and rigorous monitoring of the native habitat gardens, the team strives to sustain these areas by involving CRC employees, community members, conservation organizations and government agencies in the long-term, active management of the land to improve wildlife habitat, provide a picturesque workplace, and raise environmental awareness.
Practices and Impacts
The California Resources Corporation (CRC)-owned THUMS Islands are four man-made islands located in Long Beach Harbor, California. The Islands Grissom, White, Chaffee and Freeman were built between 1965 and 1968 to support local oil extraction. Stone, rock and sand were drawn from Catalina Island and dredged from the ocean floor to create the islands, which are each about 10 acres in size. Since 2004, the CRC team has worked with native landscapers to establish a garden on each island. These gardens include plants representative of the coastal sage scrub communities native to the region. With the implementation and rigorous monitoring of the native habitat gardens, the team strives to sustain these areas by involving CRC employees, community members, conservation organizations and government agencies in the long-term, active management of the land to improve wildlife habitat, provide a picturesque workplace, and raise environmental awareness.
Practices and Impacts
- The gardens are planted with a variety of native species including purple sage, coastal sagebrush, and California brittlebush.
- The team monitors the gardens to detect any bare spots in the plant beds, and native plantings are conducted as needed to fill in these bare areas.
