June 6: BLUE The Film Screening

June 6: BLUE The Film Screening

BLUE Trailer from BLUE The Film

On Wednesday, June 6th, our partner in marine conservation, Algalita Foundation, is participating in the nationwide screening of the film BLUE.

The local screening will be at the Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26 & IMAX Long Beach Towne Center. BLUE looks like a truly inspirational film and the website has some great (and easy to accomplish) tips anyone can do to protect our ocean.

Even if you can’t attend the screening I urge you to check out the website, watch the trailer and learn about the simple things you can do to protect our ocean and the planet. If we all do a little bit, together we can make a difference.

June 5: VOTE YES on Proposition 68!

Proposition 68 will be on the ballot June 5th and it’s passage is critical to the restoration and acquisition of local wetlands. With so few wetlands left in Southern California it is important we protect those that remain, and Prop 68 will help achieve that important goal.

Prop 68 invests in safeguarding our water supplies and preparing for future challenges and natural disasters. Prop 68 is a $4 billion investment in the coming years to protect California’s unique natural resources and ensure every Californian has access to clean drinking water and safe parks.

Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust has joined a broad, bipartisan coalition of conservation groups, park advocates, water experts, and business organizations committed to supporting Yes On 68 California and protecting our state’s water and parks for years to come. Notable supporters include Governor Jerry Brown, The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land and our fellow local wetlands advocacy group, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust.

 

June 2: Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Open House

June 2: Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Open House

The City of Long Beach is developing its first-ever Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), and they need your input. Climate change impacts all of us and will forever shape our local wetlands. However, did you know that wetlands are also important mitigators of the effects of sea level rise? Robust and healthy wetlands help communities be resilient to impacts that could arise from climate change. Let’s all do our part to make Long Beach as resilient to climate change as possible. Attend the meeting or visit http://www.lbds.info/climateactionlb to learn more.

June 2: View the amazing sea turtles of Los Cerritos Wetlands.

June 2: View the amazing sea turtles of Los Cerritos Wetlands.


Video of our local sea turtles provided by the Aquarium of the Pacific. See the turtles for yourself on Saturday, June 2nd.

On Saturday, June 2nd, you are invited to join us for a free 2-hour guided wetlands nature walk, led by naturalists from the environmental consulting group Tidal Influence. We will look for wildlife sightings, learn about our rich ecosystems, reflect on history, and see current restoration activities.

Our walk begins with a brief orientation to our wetlands. We will discuss their history and see an important portion of them, including the Pumpkin Patch property, as we walk along the San Gabriel River to view the sea turtles. On our return, we will stop at Zedler Marsh, where there is a nursery for wetlands plants and where restoration is in process. We will then walk on the levee back to our meeting place. Bring binoculars, if you have them; besides the turtles, we will observe many different kinds of interesting wildlife.

Meet and park in the driveway at the intersection of 1st street and PCH in Seal Beach. Our walk starts at 8:00 a.m., and the parking lot gate closes at 8:15 a.m. No latecomers can be admitted. Events are family friendly, but strollers are not permitted, and all participants need to be able to walk a couple of miles (slowly) without having to turn back. Close-toed shoes are required, and please bring sunscreen and water. Rain cancels. For more information or to rsvp send an email to elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org.

P.S. After our nature walk, you are invited to join in and help the community-based restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands, which takes place from 10:30 am -12:30 pm the first Saturday of every month. Participants are eligible to win prizes such as a T-shirt or tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Meet at the same place we meet for our nature walks. For further information about the restoration activities email iwanttohelp@tidalinfluence.com.

June is Breakwater Awareness Month

Thursday, June 21st at 6:30PM Meeting to discuss the Status of the Breakwater Feasibility Study at MADE by Millworks, 240 Pine Avenue, Long Beach, California 90802:

At the meeting you will learn the latest news about the breakwater and hear from City Staff as well as the Army Corps of Engineers who are heading up the study. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust supports the responsible re-configuring of the breakwater in order to improve local wetlands habitat.

9th Annual Paddle Out for Clean Waves on June 2nd at 11:00AM at Granada Beach:

Bring something that floats, and paddle out about 40 yards from shore to commemorate our lost waves and celebrate that some day they will return. Come with your friends and family and show your support for bringing waves back to Long Beach. This event is co-hosted by Long Beach Surfrider and Assembly member Patrick O’Donnell.

 

May 5: Los Cerritos Wetlands nature walk of Marketplace Marsh

May 5: Los Cerritos Wetlands nature walk of Marketplace Marsh

Marketplace Marsh is an amazing watery feature of Los Cerritos Wetlands. Check it out for yourself. It’s springtime so there should be water within Marketplace Marsh, as well as lots of interesting plants and animals to learn about along the way. Our tour is led by our partners, biologists and environmental educators from Tidal Influence who will lead participants on a walking tour that will take us to Marketplace Marsh on the City of Long Beach’s wetlands and over to the San Gabriel River on property held by the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority.

During this 2-mile urban hike, you will learn about the history of land acquisitions in Los Cerritos Wetlands, and leaders will show us some freshwater marsh habitats that few people have ever viewed.We will likely come across great blue herons, as well as egrets and other water-loving wildlife. Participants will get a behind-the-scenes look at how wetlands and oil operations co-exist at Los Cerritos Wetlands.

WHAT: Nature walk of the Marketplace Marsh at Los Cerritos Wetlands.

WHEN: Saturday, May 5th, 2018, at 8:00AM. Parking lot gate will open at 7:45AM and close at 8:10AM. No late-comers can be admitted for the tour, and all participants must stay for the entire tour, which will end by 10:00AM.

Close-toed shoes are required to attend the walk, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information or to rsvp, email elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org.

Polystyrene is on its way out in Long Beach, and that is good news!

The City Council voted to ban most polystyrene products within the City of Long Beach. Polystyrene is most frequently found in take-out containers or thick styrofoam drink cups. It breaks down into super small pieces that fragile species can mistake for food, lasts a really long time, and clutters up our local beaches and wetlands. A study authored by Algalita Marine Research and Education found roughly 4 million bits of styrofoam in just a 2 mile stretch of Long Beach coastline. Polystyrene is a threat to Los Cerritos Wetlands, which is why we voted to endorse the ban and sent in this letter of support to help eliminate this undeniably harmful product.

Three cheers for our allies: Surfrider Foundation-Long Beach Chapter, The Sierra Club, Algalita Marine Research, Don’t Waste Long Beach, and other environmental groups, who worked so hard to bring this issue to the City Council and advocate for it passage.

Three cheers for the City Council who, after a lively and in-depth discussion, voted unanimously to finalize the ban on polystyrene within the City of Long Beach, with extra protections for helping small businesses make the transition to an ocean friendly, foam-free way of working. And extra loud cheers for the three City Council sponsors of the measure, Lena Gonzales, Jeannine Pearce and Roberto Uranga.

Here’s to a cleaner, safer future for our children, our children’s children and the fragile blue planet that we call home.

LCWLT Supports Proposition 68!

Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is a formal endorser of Proposition 68, the California Clean Water and Safe Parks Act. In endorsing we join other local wetlands protection groups like the Bolsa Chica Land Trust and Banning Ranch Conservancy as well as impressive statewide and national environmental protection organizations like the Sierra Club and Audubon Society.

We support Proposition 68 because of the myriad of good things it will do for California open space and our local wetlands.

California faces growing challenges to our water supplies and natural resources due to a changing climate that has put us and our environment in jeopardy as we face increasingly intense wildfires, droughts, and floods. But there is much that we can do to prepare California’s natural resources, and local wetlands, for the future. Now is the time to invest in clean water, safe parks and natural areas, to protect our economy and public health, and to safeguard California’s unique resources for the next generation.

Prop 68 will help California deal with droughts and wildfires that could become more frequent and severe. It takes a smart, efficient approach, recycling more water locally, and making local water systems more effective with proven cost-saving solutions.

Prop 68 will also keep toxic pollutants out of our water supplies, clean up groundwater, and protect land around the rivers, lakes, and streams that are the sources of our drinking water.

      • $540 million to ensuring safe drinking water
      • $180 million to increase water supplies with groundwater cleanup and water recycling
      • $550 million to protect local communities from flooding
      • $367 million to protect and restore our rivers, lakes, and streams

We encourage you to learn more about this comprehensive and meaningful investment in California’s natural resources and join us in voting for Proposition 68.

Vote to support the ban on polystyrene in Long Beach

Vote to support the ban on polystyrene in Long Beach

At Tuesday night’s meeting, we hope the City Council will finalize a ban on most polystyrene products within the City of Long Beach. Polystyrene is most frequently found in take-out containers or thick styrofoam drink cups. It breaks down into super small pieces that fragile species can mistake as food, lasts a really long time, and clutters up our local beaches and wetlands.

A study authored by Algalita Marine Research and Education found roughly 4 million bits of styrofoam in just a 2 mile stretch of Long Beach coastline. Polystyrene is a threat to Los Cerritos Wetlands, which is why we voted to endorse the ban and send in this letter of support to help eliminate this undeniably harmful product.

Therefore we hope you will join us and our allies: Surfrider Foundation – Long Beach Chapter, The Sierra Club, Algalita Marine Research, Don’t Waste Long Beach, and other environmental groups, in support of the Long Beach City Council’s vote on the drafted ordinance.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. Sign Up to ATTEND City Council’s April 17th Meeting
2. Wear Green Shirts to show your support at the City Council meeting
3. Call or Email your Councilmember about your support for the item.

For more information, contact Cory Allen at 562-570-6919 or cory.allen@longbeach.gov

Green Generation Mixer & Sustainability Project Showcase

Green Generation Mixer & Sustainability Project Showcase

Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) is hosting its seventh annual Green Generation Mixer and Sustainability Project Showcase as part of Earth Week on April 19th at Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden.

RSVP via Eventbrite

It will be a fun and a fascinating event where you can check out interesting projects, created by students and faculty, that explore a wide variety of sustainability topics and solutions such as solar energy, research related to public policy or business issues, and artwork.

According to CSULB’s sustainability coordinator, The Green Generation Mixer is unique because it highlights academic projects from so many different and seemingly unrelated disciplines. The unifying theme is “sustainability,” both concepts and solutions, and will feature more than 50 sustainability-related student projects from departments and student organizations such as those pertaining to geography, food science, fine art and fashion merchandising.

We are excited to be a part of the event along with our fellow local community organizations and green businesses.

The event will also include a performance of Global Water Dances by Vannia Ibarguen Dance Arts, as well as live entertainment and sustainable food and beverages.

The Green Generation Mixer will be held from 4:00PM to 7:00PM. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP via Eventbrite. Paid parking is required, which is available in Lot 16, adjacent lots, or in student spaces by purchasing a permit from one of the gray permit machines in the parking lots.