Bird/Nature Walk at Los Cerritos Wetlands, Orange County side
Meet in the parking lot of Gum Grove Park (Avalon Street entrance) which is a long narrow park that runs along the Los Cerritos Wetlands. It is an easy walk and a great way to see the birds and butterflies amid splashes of colorful flowers. We are sure to see swallows, hawks, kingbirds, and colorful warblers. Hooded orioles, several species of raptors, owls, and a number of other species are known to nest in the area. As we walk along, we observe how wildlife uses the park and the property that the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority hopes to acquire later this year.
- What: Summer Walk and Nature/Bird Walk
- When: Saturday, August 14th, 8:00 a.m.
- Where: Gum Grove Park, off Pacific Coast Highway at the border of Seal Beach and Long Beach. Meet at the Avalon Street entrance.
Join us as our walk leaders share their knowledge and passion for the wildlife of the wetlands and as they help you envision a day when the tidal flow is restored to the historic wetlands at the mouth of the San Gabriel River. It's not hard to imagine a fully restored wetlands looking like Upper Newport Back Bay. If you have questions, please contact eldoradoaudubon@yahoo.com
Land swap, illegal grading, tank farm removal, Second + PCH. . . and now new proposals for a farmers market. . . even perhaps a senior facility on some of the wetlands. It's always something!
View of Steamshovel Slough from across the Los Cerritos Wetlands photo: Courtesy of Cindy Crawford caopenspace.org.
Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands,
It really shouldn't come as a surprise, given the rarity of coastal open space in Southern California, that thereare so many threats to our local wetlands. Every time we learn of a new one, it is a bit of a shock. But that doesn't stop us from rising to the challenge and making sure we stand up for protection and preservation of our local wetlands. After all, we owe it to future generations to pass down this local treasure. The Los Cerritos Wetlands is a remnant of what was once a vast wetland ecosystem that stretched from Palos Verdes to Huntington Beach and all of it that is left should be restored as a public natural resource.
Join us at our meeting this Tuesday to learn the latest about all threats above, what the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is doing to push back against these threats and what you can do to help.
- What:Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust General Meeting
- Where: Belmont Shores MobileEstates Community Center, located on Loynes between Studebaker and PCH.
- When: 7:00 PM, Tuesday,July27th.
- Special Guest Speaker: Mel Nutter,Former Coastal Commission Chair and attorney for the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust.
- Why: To learn the latest about the Los Cerritos Wetlands and what you can do to protect them.
Join us for an informal meeting where we will share information and let you know what we will be working on over the next few months to ensure that Los Cerritos Wetlandswill beprotected and preserved....forour community, for the wildlife and for the next generation.
For more information or to RSVP you can email me at ejlambe@verizon.net.
Hope to see you on Tuesday!
Elizabeth Lambe
ejlambe@verizion.net
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust
Interesting article about the effects of night time noise and light on sensitive habitat areas.
There has been a lot of talk in the community about all the traffic that the proposed Second + PCH development will cause. Wow! Lots and lots and lots of traffic . . . admitted by the developer to be unmitigable. But let's not forget the impact this development will have on the fragile creatures that depend on the Los Cerritos Wetlands for food and shelter. Not only will they be harmed by the increased traffic and further pollutants that will find their way into local waterways, but the noise and light will also hurt them. Especially at night.
Did you know that migratory birds also fly at night, and can be disoriented by brightly lit structures, circling them until they become exhausted, or collide with buildings or each other? Surveys over 25 years at a single TV broadcasting tower in Florida recorded more than 42,000 casualties involving 189 species. Locally, in Huntington Beach we have had our own "wall of death". A residential development near the the Bolsa Chica wetlands where a glass wall, designed to separate the residents from the wildlife, disoriented the birds. They flew into it and it killed them. To read more about the problems this giant, reflective glass structure caused for birds and wildlife click here. We could likely see the same thing here if Second + PCH ever gets built since our local wetland birds fly to and from Alamitos Bay. That's going to be harder for them to do with giant 12, 8 and 6 story buildings in their way and should at least be studied in the DEIR.
To read the article about this issue which appeared in the magazine New Scientist, shared with me by respected local biologist Travis Longcore, click here.
The Second + PCH developers finally released their poll. Ha, ha, ha! When you pick through all the biased questions, you can find information that seriously challenges their claim of "overwhelming community support".
Remember how we have been asking those Second + PCH guys to back up their claims about how popular their traffic generating behemoth is? Well surprise, surprise. Yes, people would be happy if there was something attractive built at the corner of 2nd and PCH, but not if it was housed within a super tall building located within a complex that created tons of traffic. How do I know that? 'Cause it's in the poll. The top three reasons (according to the poll) that most folks would oppose Second + PCH is if it created a lot of traffic, contained a 12-story building, and was not as attractive as promised. Respondents were also concerned that it may open the door to more development near the ocean. Guess what! The proposed project does all this! So why do the developers go around telling everyone how popular their project is? 'Cause it sure isn't.
Check out the images below to get a picture of the height and width of the proposed Second + PCH development project
Click on images for a larger pop-up window
Elizabeth Lambe
ejlambe@verizion.net
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust
