A heartfelt thank you to all of our donors during Long Beach Gives 🧡
We raised more than our goal of $4,000….$4,664 exactly!
Your donations make our field trips, nature walks, water testing, & wetlands advocacy possible!
| The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust endorses Proposition 4, a vital measure that will protect our environment, enhance safe drinking water, prevent devastating wildfires, and safeguard our natural landscapes from the threats posed by climate change. Proposition 4 is a crucial investment in our natural resources and climate resilience, authorizing the state to issue a $10 billion bond aimed at addressing urgent environmental needs. Proposition 4 will help us make significant strides in these key areas: Coastal Protection: With rising sea levels threatening our coastal regions, Proposition 4 allocates $1.2 billion for restoration efforts and the protection of vulnerable shorelines. Water Supply and Flood Management: Nearly $3.8 billion is earmarked to enhance both the quality and quantity of our water, repair vital infrastructure, and mitigate flooding risks. Wildfire Prevention: A dedicated $1.5 billion will focus on improving forest health, protecting our ecosystems, and reinforcing safety measures for communities at risk from wildfires. Parks and Recreational Areas: An investment of $700 million will enhance recreational opportunities, allowing expansion and renovation of our parks while addressing the impacts of climate change. These funding allocations highlight a comprehensive approach to environmental stewardship, with direct benefits to California’s wetlands, including the Los Cerritos Wetlands. We urge you to vote early and to vote yes for Proposition 4. |
| Wednesday, September 25, 2024 | 6:30 p.m. LOCATION: Belmont Heights United Methodist Church (outdoor courtyard) 317 Termino Ave, Long Beach, CA 90814 All are welcome to attend. Special Guest Speakers: Joe Geever and Ben Harris Joe Geever is a water policy expert and former staffer for the Surfrider Foundation. Joe’s expertise includes coastal zone management, marine living resource management, and marine protected areas. Ben Harris is Senior Staff Attorney, Regulatory Affairs and Legal Policy for Los Angeles Waterkeeper. Prior to joining LA Waterkeeper, Ben spent two years as a fellow at the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA School of Law, where he represented clients in their pursuit of environmental advocacy and co-taught the environmental law clinic. Now that the Notice of Preparation of the proposed pumps for the circulation project for Alamitos Bay has been released, we’re taking a deeper dive into what is being proposed, what the process is, and what impact this proposal could have on the plan to restore Los Cerritos Wetlands. Some of the topics our speakers will cover include an overview of the basics about the Clean Water Act (specifically in the context of Alamitos Bay and the San Gabriel River). What is non-source point pollution? Where is the pollution in Alamitos Bay coming from? How are those non-source point pollution regulated? What is the role of the Regional Water Quality Control Board and what is their role in addressing water pollution? What is currently in the works to resolve water quality and water pollution problems in our watershed (for example the Clean Safe Water program). Why is the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust interested in Alamitos Bay pollution abatement issues? How could the pump for circulation proposal impact the potential restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands? How could the current plan, which possibly removes marine life (plants and animals) from Alamitos Bay impact the proposed restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands? Are there creative solutions that deal with the pollution nearer the source while simultaneously maximizing the outcomes of the wetlands restoration? Learn more at our annual member meeting — all are invited to attend. In addition to hearing from our guest speakers, Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust members will be voting on Board of Directors nominations. It should be a great meeting and we hope you will attend. For further details or to RSVP, send an email to Elizabeth. P.S. Perhaps you received our recent newsletter in the mail. If you didn’t, I encourage you to check it out. It’s full of the latest news about what is happening with Los Cerritos Wetlands. |
Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands, We have accomplished amazing things thanks to the vision and tenacity of our early founders. Since that time, over half of Los Cerritos Wetlands is in the public trust, and we have beaten back some really bad and damaging development proposals. We also provide unique, on-the-ground educational experiences for local school children, especially those who reside in the most urban parts of Long Beach, where natural open space is at a premium. We have much to celebrate when it comes to protecting and restoring our local wetlands habitat. I am especially looking forward to the restoration and transfer of more of Los Cerritos Wetlands into the public trust. To learn further details check out the article below. I am happy to report to you that we have wrapped up a summer of fun and educational field trips (in partnership with Long Beach Parks Rec. and Marine) where we hosted kids from 13 urban parks who participate in Long Beach’s Be S.A.F.E. (Summer Activities in a Friendly Environment) program. Local neighborhoods are supported by extended evening hours of free supervision at designated parks by employing neighborhood youth. Some of the enriching activities offered through Be S.A.F.E. include arts and crafts, outdoor games, sports, science activities, computer labs, and fun field trips to places like the Los Cerritos Wetlands. Of course, defending undeveloped, and therefore rare, coastal open space from those who wish to exploit our local wetlands requires community support, and we are so appreciative of all of those who have joined our fight to protect Los Cerritos Wetlands. Supporting the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust helps to ensure the protection, preservation, and restoration of our unique and vital local wetlands habitat. Additionally, with help from supporters such as you, we will continue to educate students in Long Beach and Orange County public schools about wetlands and provide them with tours and lessons to foster a connection to nature and each other and help bring classroom concepts to life. Your donation, large or small, will make a difference and help move the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust closer to our fundraising goal. Please don’t wait. Donate now. Please follow the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust on Facebook and Instagram, visit our website, and forward this email to your friends and family to get the word out. We appreciate your support! Sincerely, Elizabeth Lambe Executive Director Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust P.S. Perhaps you received our recent newsletter in the mail. If you didn’t, I encourage you to check it out. It’s full of the latest news about what is happening with Los Cerritos Wetlands. |
Check out this charming thank-you note from one of our young field trip participants.
By Linda Pemberton The Los Cerritos Wetlands Complex straddles the San Gabriel River and falls within Long Beach and Seal Beach. It was once a thriving 2,400-acre watershed before tidal connections were cut off, power plants were built, oil fields discovered, housing developed, highways built, trash and earthquake rubble dumped, and the river channelized with cement. A mere 500 degraded acres remain. To most, they are unrecognizable as wetlands. When you mention the Los Cerritos Wetlands to people in Long Beach and Seal Beach, many say, “Where?” The good news is that we now have serious and robust efforts to recapture and restore a portion of the rich wetland ecosystem we once had. Two decades ago, in 2001, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust began championing the vision for restoring the wetlands. Their efforts to educate the community and the City on the value of what most could not see has paid off. They were followed in 2006, by the formation of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, a governmental joint-powers organization (Long Beach, Seal Beach, Mountains and Rivers Conservancy, and California Coastal Conservancy). California had lost 90% of its coastal wetlands. Few opportunities remained to restore them. It was time to take action. After years of acquisitions, research, community outreach, planning, permitting, and fundraising, two large wetland areas are staged for major restoration. The results will restore lost natural habitat, protect endangered species, support migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway, and aesthetically change the face of Long Beach. Let’s review how far we have come and where we are going. 2025-2029 The Southern Restoration Project is led by the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority on publicly owned lands. It involves a 103.5-acre area in Seal Beach. It borders the Haynes Cooling Channel just south of the San Gabriel River, the Marina Hill residential community, Gum Grove Park, and Pacific Coast Highway. The restoration project, managed by Tidal Influence, will remediate contaminated soils, restore tidal wetlands, create upland transition zones and habitats, and provide public access. Funding has come from several government agencies, the most recent being a grant of $32 million from the California Coastal Conservancy. Phase 1 restoration focuses on enhancing existing habitat. Construction starts in September 2025 and is estimated to be completed by March 2027. Phase 2 of the restoration will create a full tidal connection throughout the site using the Haynes Cooling Channel when the outdated, once-through-cooling power plants are decommissioned in 2029. 2024-2028 The Northern Restoration Project covers 150 acres in Long Beach that borders Pacific Coast Highway, 2nd Street, Studebaker Road, and the Los Coyotes Channel. John McKeown of Synergy Oil and Gas, Beach Oil Mineral Partners, and the Los Cerritos Wetlands, LLC is leading the restoration project. It includes capping all the oil wells, removing structures and equipment from 100 years of oil operations, and remediating contaminated soils. Tidal channels will be opened to re-establish a coastal salt marsh. The restoration includes a historic office building as a visitor center, a parking lot, and a public trail. To help fund the restoration, a wetlands mitigation bank has been created to sell credits to construction and development projects that impact coastal wetlands. The restoration schedule has moved up dramatically. The original 20-year schedule is now a 4-year schedule. By the end of 2027, all the oil wells will be decommissioned. By 2028, the property will transfer to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority along with a $ 2.2 million endowment fund for management. By the time the 2028 Summer Olympics come to Long Beach, we should see over half of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Complex restored and filled with tidal connections re-establishing wetland ecological processes and all the benefits that come with it. That’s not that far away. Maybe then, people will say with pride, “Los Cerritos Wetlands? Oh, yes. They are amazing!” |
Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands, I’ve got some good news to share with you. Assembly Bill 2522, which would close the loopholes on anticoagulants in California by adding remaining “first generation” anticoagulants to California’s existing rodenticide moratorium, recently passed out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Thanks to all of you who called or wrote to Committee member Senator Lena Gonzalez, urging her to support that bill. Senator Gonzalez is already a well-regarded environmental champion and proved herself that again by voting yes on AB 2522. The majority of Los Cerritos Wetlands is located in her district. Sadly, Senator Janet Nguyen, whose district encompasses the Orange County side of Los Cerritos Wetlands, did not vote for the bill. That means we will have to work harder to educate her on the value of protecting fragile coastal species from harmful poisons. The next step for the bill is for review by the Committee on Appropriations. We will keep you apprised of its status, and likely call on you to help get it over the finish line. In the meantime, please take a moment to thank Senator Gonzalez. In other good news, California’s Habitat Conservation Fund (HCF) was successfully protected from all the budget cutting going on in Sacramento. HCF is the only enduring source of funding for habitat conservation projects in California and has helped preserve thousands of acres of critical open space throughout our great State. HCF has protected more than one million acres of wildlife habitat in California, provided significant funding for parks and conservancies, and enabled the implementation of nature-based solutions to climate change. We are so happy the HCF survived the budget chopping block and want to express our sincere thanks to those who called or wrote key legislators asking they vote to protect it. Thanks for making a difference. Elizabeth Lambe Executive Director Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust |
| The City of Long Beach wants to address water pollution in Alamitos Bay by replacing the massive cooling pumps at the AES power plant with new pumps. Pollution in Alamitos Bay is an ongoing problem that MUST be addressed. But it’s not the only problem. The existing pumps are being shut down because the Clean Water Act requires it. Regulations passed in 2010 mandate phasing out “once-through cooling” State-wide because these systems devastate the marine environment. Small plant and fish organisms, mostly eggs and larvae, are sucked into the pumps (entrainment) and killed by the pressure. Larger organisms, like fish and crabs, are killed on screens before entering the pumps (impingement). The entire Los Cerritos Channel watershed suffers from water pollution that eventually accumulates in Alamitos Bay. That’s a problem that must be resolved. Simultaneously, State and local governments are planning an equally critical effort to restore Los Cerritos Wetlands to better ecosystem health. We support addressing all these goals with a coordinated and economical solution. Water pollution in our Bay is primarily the result of contaminants like bacteria, nutrients, heavy metals, and trash running off our urban environment and ending up in the Bay or ocean. They come from around the Los Cerritos Channel watershed – our homes, gardens, streets, factories, and businesses. Will constructing and running new pumps solve that problem? Will the proposed pumps eliminate the pollutants or simply move the pollution into the San Gabriel River and make it someone else’s problem? Furthermore, with the vast majority of Southern California wetlands lost forever to development and infrastructure, we need those few that remain to be high-quality habitat that protect and sustain fish and other species. Will the proposed pumps remove local fish, biota, and marine vegetation from the wetlands and deposit them in the San Gabriel River with the pollutants? If pumping becomes the solution to water quality problems in Alamitos Bay, how will it impact Los Cerritos Wetlands restoration goals? Maybe most importantly, are there other solutions to tackle water quality problems in Alamitos Bay that also help restore the wetlands? Modern solutions to water pollution include multi-benefit projects that clean up runoff near the source while creating more neighborhood “green space” and recharging groundwater. Examples are bio-swales in parks, parking lots, and streets (you can see one at work at the Colorado Lagoon) as well as other non-point source pollution collection solutions. The official process to learn the answers to these questions and more is finally beginning with the City of Long Beach posting a Notice of Preparation. It triggers the beginning of a thorough environmental review. That is a good thing since understanding the environmental impacts will be critical for public understanding, as well as for various regulatory agencies that must issue permits. We are committed to fully understanding this project and its impacts and have laid out, in our letter to the City, what must be studied. We are grateful to well-respected water advocacy groups, Heal the Bay and LA Waterkeeper, for signing on to our letter and helping on this issue. |
| Join us on a nature walk to the Zedler Marsh area of Los Cerritos Wetlands. On this walk, attendees will explore and learn about an active wetlands restoration site. They will learn about restoration ecology and the types of plant communities (coastal salt marsh, mulefat scrub, coastal sage scrub) being cultivated for the current and future restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands. Our walk begins with a brief orientation about Los Cerritos Wetlands. Tour leaders will discuss some interesting challenges in restoring the Zedler Marsh wetlands area, the restoration techniques they rely on, and the important role of California native plants. Some of the techniques discussed on the tour can be applied to residential landscapes. We encourage participants to use native plants in their yards. There will also be opportunities for birding and other wildlife sightings at Zedler Marsh. WHAT: Salt Marsh Stroll/ Zedler Marsh Tour of Los Cerritos Wetlands WHEN: Saturday, July 6, at 8:00 AM sharp! The parking lot gate will open at 7:45 AM and close at 8:10 AM. No latecomers can be admitted for the tour, and all participants must stay for the entire tour, which will end by 10:00 AM. WHERE: Meet in the driveway/parking area at the corner of 1st Street and PCH in Seal Beach. Close-toed shoes are required, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. To learn more about our wetlands nature walk or to RSVP, please reserve your spot through our Eventbrite page. If you have questions please send me an email. |
Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands, With your help, AB 2552 passed out of the California State Assembly on May 23—thank you to all who wrote and called. Now the bill is headed to its first State Senate committee hearing on June 19. And we need your voices again, especially as this bill has faced stiff opposition from pesticide corporations and other industry advocates. AB 2522 will close the loopholes on anticoagulants in California by adding chlorophacinone and warfarin (the remaining “first generation” anticoagulants) to the existing rodenticide moratorium established by AB 1788 and AB 1322. The bill also adds a buffer zone around wildlife habitat and makes it easier to report violations of these laws. Click here to read an overview of this proposed legislation, provided by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Local State Senator (and Senate Majority Leader), Lena Gonzalez, is a proven champion for the environment and is on the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Please contact Senator Gonzalez and ask her to support AB 2552. Tell her that voting yes on AB 2552 closes the loopholes on anticoagulants and protects local wildlife, including those that live within the Los Cerritos Wetlands. Thanks for making a difference Elizabeth Lambe Executive Director Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust |
It is too crowded to safely host wetlands kayaking trips in the summer in Long Beach. So if you looking to get your summer adventure game on we suggest kayaking the Los Angeles River on trips hosted by our trusted partner, LA River Expeditions. They are the same folks who host the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust kayaking trips with us here in Long Beach. Hope you give them a try! You will enjoy a meaningful kayak adventure paddle through Sepulveda Basin and Elysian Valley! LA River Expedition’s kayak tours not only promise an unforgettable experience but also contribute to significant community initiatives. Your support aids in organizing trash clean-ups and facilitates free kayak tours for underserved community groups. |
