Santa Susana Field Laboratory

About the Program
The Boeing Company Santa Susana Field Laboratory is located across 2,850 acres in southern California, 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The site was formerly used as a rocket engine and energy test center, with the conclusion of testing in 2006. In 2017, Boeing entered a voluntary conservation easement agreement with the North American Land Trust to ensure permanent protection of the area as wildlife habitat. The team promotes the expansion and restoration of native vegetation on-site and in adjacent areas, providing high-value habitat for native populations including vegetation and wildlife.

Practices and Impacts

• Nine hundred acres of habitat is utilized for the benefit of native wildlife. The team maintains a stormwater filtration system to support native pollinator species and conducts regular wildlife surveys to evaluate site ecological value. Data from surveys is used to produce public outreach material to encourage citizen science and community involvement in support of future restoration efforts on site.
• The team began a remediation project in 2006 on 69 acres of chaparral and scrubland to monitor and protect the area from disturbances. Team members monitor vegetation in the habitat monthly to identify, map and protect native plant species listed on the federally endangered list. To date, several endangered species have proliferated on-site due to site conservation efforts. For example, Braunton's milkvetch has increased in population from 10 individual plants in 1999 to 33,500 individual plants in 2024.
• The site conducts annual bat surveys to determine bat presence and proximity to remediation activities. Data is utilized to update the conservation easement on the property.
• Boeing hosts public Earth Day nature walks at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory to educate community members on conservation, habitat restoration and biological resources on-site. The event occurs once every year on Earth Day and reaches approximately 250 people.
• Nature awareness training is required for contractors working on-site to provide an additional safeguard to ensure that protected species and habitats are adequately managed and avoided. The training is offered monthly and reaches 100 learners annually.
• Over 12 acres of forest habitat are actively managed to support native wildlife through planting of native tree species, monthly monitoring using survey techniques and removal of invasive species using manual removal techniques.
• Team members enhance 1,394 acres of land for the benefit of native pollinator species. Since 2018, a 40% increase in bee species has been observed in pollinator seeded areas. This project has been awarded Wildlife Habitat Council gold status certification.
• Since 2014, the site actively monitors mountain lion populations using trail cameras and GPS collars, sharing data with the National Park Service to contribute to the mountain lion genealogy and tracking research programs to protect the species. Team members also provide potable water to replace water that is routinely extracted for water quality sampling.