For our Earth Day event, Friends of Ballona Wetlands will recruit at least 100 volunteers for direct climate action at the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve. Volunteers will split into groups of ~20, and disperse to five of our habitat restoration areas where they will work for 2.5 hours removing non-native invasive plants. These short-lived annual weeds are a primary fuel for wildfire, and removing them not only improves habitat quality, but directly lessens the potential for devastating wildfire in a highly urbanized area. Before work begins, volunteers will get an introduction to the climate action problem we are addressing as well as a safety talk, and volunteers will get hands-on experience in identifying native and non-native plants. Volunteers will work for two hours, and we’ll end with a short conclusion emphasizing the importance of climate action and how volunteers can stay involved with our work. We anticipate at least 100 volunteers will clear more than 1,000 lbs of invasive species from 1.5 acres of land, which will help protect surrounding homes and habitat from the risk of wildfire.