The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority’s (the agency that manages most of the publicly owned portions of Los Cerritos Wetlands) process to comprehensively plan for the restoration of all of Los Cerritos Wetlands has been going on for several years now.
Recently, an important milestone was reached, and that was the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority’s release of their Draft Program Environmental Impact Report (Draft PEIR) for the restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands. Under the California Environmental Quality Act, the purpose of an EIR is to determine the impact of proposed development (or in this case restoration choices) on the environment. An EIR identifies ways to reduce impacts and analyzes alternatives to avoid or minimize significant environmental harm.
Because it is our role and responsibility, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust throughly reviewed the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority’s Draft PEIR. We did the review with the help of wetlands experts and environmental attorneys. As you might expect there is a lot we like about the Draft PEIR, but there are some areas that we find deficient.
1) The Draft PEIR is unclear about the covered actions. We are clear that the purpose of the restoration plan is the long-term restoration of wetlands, habitat and tidal flow, while increasing public access. But what does that mean exactly? The eventual restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands will take 20 years or longer and involve many phases. Which phases of the restoration will require extra review and which do the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority believe are adequately covered by their Draft PEIR. That is one of the things that seems important to clarify.
2) We get it. We really do. It is a tricky thing to try and plan for the restoration of a fragile area that includes sensitive wetlands, privately and publicly owned land, endangered species, tidal flow, sea level rise, oil operations, public access, and so forth. The list of issues that must be considered goes on and on. However we feel that a particularly “solution oriented” restoration alternative really deserves additional consideration, and that is the alternative of a tidal connection below 2nd Street into the central area of Los Cerritos Wetlands (the area adjacent to the Marketplace shopping center that stretches to the San Gabriel River). Of the three areas (Northern, Central and South) the Central seems like the most challenging area to plan for. There is privately owned land, oil operations, nearby infrastructure. . .all of which are under the threat of sea level rise. We’re asking “Why not just hold off on that area and restore it last. . .so that there can be berms that will protect the Marketplace Shopping Center that could be lower in height than the planned 18 foot tall berms?” Maybe the plan can be figured in a way that includes the raising up of 2nd Street (which will have to happen anyway sometime due to sea level rise) so that the public will be able to continue to enjoy easy views of Los Cerritos Wetlands.
3) Lastly, we urge the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority to do a few more studies; for example (1) a wetlands delineation for the restoration area, (2) a deeper hydrology analysis and (3) studies helping us reconcile the fact in some parts of the restoration plan oil wells are treated as if they will remain but oil wells from other companies have been removed. We would like to see information about the number of wells on the various properties, the number sealed off in the last ten years and the number that are idle. We also think the Hitchcock property, located on Loynes Drive and cited by the Coastal Commission as important upland habitat, should be included in the comprehensive wetlands restoration planning.
As I said, we are very happy that comprehensive restoration planning for Los Cerritos Wetlands moves forward, and it is our intention that our comment letter will make the plan better for the wetlands and better for the community. I urge you to share your views and comments with the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority which you can do by emailing Sally Gee who is the Conservancy Project Development Analyst for the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.
P.S. If you are interested in taking a deeper dive into the Draft PEIR and our comment letter I invite you to a Zoom meeting with our consultant, land use planning expert Terry Watt. We are hosting the meeting via Zoom at 7:00PM on Thursday, July 9th. Email me at elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org for details and to rsvp.
Our local wetlands give our community so much. They support fragile and endangered wildlife, provide an outdoor classroom for local students, and offer a chance for all of us to spend time in nature. We host monthly free-of-charge guided nature walks on three different parts of Los Cerritos Wetlands, and I hope you have had a chance to attend one of them. Sadly, our nature walks are currently on hold right now, but stay tuned for one of our upcoming “virtual’ nature walks.
Our vision is a restored and vibrant Los Cerritos Wetlands. With your help we will get there!
Over the years Los Cerritos Wetlands sure has taken it’s share of “hits”. Our wetlands have been drilled upon, filled in, and generally misunderstood and misused. But all of that is changing. Slowly and surely, our wetlands are being brought back to life, and that is because of people like you, people who understand the value of this unique natural resource.
Our supporters have written letters and attended meetings when Los Cerritos Wetlands have been threatened by development proposals ranging from strip malls, to golf courses to luxury development. Supporters have helped restore our wetlands by planting native plants, removing trash, and also removing non-native “invasive plants”. Our success is measured in the slow return of threatened and endangered species like the Belding’s Savanah sparrow. It is also measured by how much of the remaining wetlands is now in the public trust, and that is now close to half, with more on the way.
I am asking that you do one more thing and that is, today, on Giving Tuesday, celebrate our local wetlands by making a contribution to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust. There are many admirable and effective environmental protection groups here in Long Beach and we are proud to partner with them. But only the Land Trust is out there working every day to protect this vulnerable yet valuable eco-system which is a tiny remnant of a vast wetlands complex that has all but disappeared. Your contribution, however much you can afford, makes a difference to the work we do. Not only does your contribution directly impact our ability to effectively advocate for Los Cerritos Wetlands but it demonstrates to decision makers that Los Cerritos Wetlands is important to the community and worthy of their support and protection.
Please don’t delay. Become a member or make a contribution now to protect our wetlands. . . for ourselves, our families, and future generations.
Thanks for celebrating Giving Tuesday with me.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust
A letter from LCWLT’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Lambe
Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands,
I hope you are doing OK and have settled in to some sort of routine as these weeks of self-quarantine continue on. So much of what the Land Trust does during April, which is the month we all celebrate Earth Day, has been cancelled; but not everything, and not forever, and in that we take hope.
I want to share with you a few events that you might be interested in. Most are happening on Earth Day, which is tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020.
Earth Day Tune in and take action
There will be a huge virtual Earth Day event happening online this upcoming Wednesday, April 22nd. Some of the biggest climate change activists and artists from around the world will be joining together to commemorate Earth Day and bring us together in order to do our part to protect the planet. Over the 24 hours of Earth Day (12:01 am ET – 11:59 pm ET on April 22), Earth Day Network will fill the digital landscape with global conversations, calls to action, performances, video teach-ins and more. Tune in to Earth Day Live April 22nd (and 23rd and 24th) to watch, discuss and participate in a livestream featuring stories, performances and opportunities for digital collective action, as millions of people around the world go online for a three-day mobilization to stop the climate emergency.
International Dark Sky Week and Great Films to Explore
Long-time consultant for the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is the amazing Dr. Travis Longcore, who is now associated with the UCLA Institute of the Environment. Dr. Longcore’s research focuses on the effects of artificial night lighting on wildlife, which is a very significant impact on the species of Los Cerritos Wetlands, who live so close to shopping centers, roadways and many other sources of artificial light. He is also very knowledgable on the impacts of roads in and around wetlands. Dr. Longcore and his partner Catherine Rich played a significant role in the Land Trust’s battle to stop the harmful Home Depot Design Center in back in 2008. They helped us again in 2010 in our effort to remediate the harm done to Los Cerritos Wetlands when illegal grading occurred on that triangle shaped piece of property on Loynes Drive between the Belmont Shores Mobile Estates and Studebaker Road. Dr. Longcore will be speaking on the impacts of lighting on the animal world at 10:50AM Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 22nd. Click on the this link at that time, to view his talk.
The “Story of Plastic” is on the Discovery Channel this Wednesday (April 22) at 2:00 P.M. The Story Of Plastic takes a sweeping look at the man-made crisis of plastic pollution and the worldwide effect it has on the health of our planet and the people who inhabit it. More details can be found here. According to our friends over at the Long Beach-based Algalita Foundation, The Story of Plastic documentary is also a phenomenal teaching tool for your classroom, family, and community. (and while you’re at it, why not take a moment to send a note to our local Congressman, Alan Lowenthal, to thank him for introducing the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020, a comprehensive and historic bill aimed at stopping the plastic pollution crisis. We are so lucky to have someone representing us in Congress who can always be counted on to do the right thing when it comes to protecting our environment.)
Patagonia Films newest film, Fishpeople, is now available to view, free-of-charge. I am personally a big fan of Patagonia, their great apparel and their philosophy of using their company’s resources to protect the environment. One of the ways Patagonia does that is through their amazing films (two of which the Land Trust has previously screened here in Long Beach). Fishpeople, Five Lives Transformed by the Sea is their latest film. It is now available to stream for free, and I urge you to check it out. After all, those of us who support protecting and restoring Los Cerritos Wetlands are fish people too. One reason is because coastal wetlands are homes for numerous fish species adapted to estuarine water. And wetlands are a critical part of maintaining healthy marine species’ populations by naturally removing pollutants that would poison the ocean, and providing a huge source of nutrients for marine fish to eat.
I sincerely hope you find the above opportunities inspiring and of interest. Hang in there. We are all in this together and will come through it together on the other end.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Lambe,
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust
P.S. I am working with my colleagues over at Tidal Influence to hopefully set up some virtual tours of Los Cerritos Wetlands since our in-person on-the-ground nature walks have been indefinitely postponed. Stay tuned for further details, but right now we are thinking of virtual tours of interesting places within Los Cerritos Wetlands like Zedler Marsh and the native plant nursery located out there, or Marketplace Marsh, which is full of water right now and teeming with wildlife. Take a walk with us while lounging in your pajamas drinking coffee. We would love that. I’ll be back in touch with further details as soon as I have them. In the meantime if there are spots out in Los Cerritos Wetlands that you think would make a great virtual tour, send them my way . . . I’ll take any and all suggestions. In the meantime stay safe and stay strong!
We are sad to say that we must cancel our upcoming Saturday, April 4th, 2020, Heron Hike out at Los Cerritos Wetlands. It just seems like the safest thing to do at this point, and it complies with the Governor’s and our Mayor’s orders that non-essential services be cancelled. We are exploring safer ways for you to enjoy Los Cerritos Wetlands that maintain social distancing, and I am in discussions about how to do so. We are thinking perhaps of introducing folks, via livestream, to cool areas like Marketplace Marsh (pictured), Zedler Marsh or Calloway Marsh. So stay tuned. It sure wouldn’t surprise me if our nature walks are postponed for beyond April, but we will let you know.
A great spot for getting out in nearby nature is the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach. As of yesterday, when I drove by, the trails were open and hopefully will stay that way as long as walkers are practicing appropriate social distancing, which means staying at least 6 feet away from other people. I also urge you to check out Newport Beach’s Back Bay which has some wonderful wetland areas. Always check appropriate websites before you head out. . . looks like many open-space areas are still open to the public, but that could always change.
We are big fans of Algalita and the the good work they do by bringing attention to the negative impacts of single-use plastic products that are now ubiquitous throughout the planet.
Single use plastic products find their way into our rivers and wetlands, where they can harm wildlife. That’s why the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust supported Long Beach’s ban on single use plastic bags and later styrofoam products when they came before the City Council. Recently, Long Beach went even further and banned the use of single-use plastic straws, which can also be devastating to wildlife. Plastic is everywhere, and it is harming our planet as it is harming us humans who have become far too dependent on this convenient man-made substance.
Algalita will be hosting a screening of the long-awaited documentary, The Story of Plastic, at the Long Beach Art Theatre on Monday, March 2, 2020 at 8:00PM.
This film shows a whole new side of the story of plastic, and it’s going to change the way we talk about plastic. I urge you to make the time to see this film. I’ll be there and hope you will too!
We invite you to spend some time with us and get outside and enjoy our local wetlands. Los Cerritos Wetlands is always so green and fresh this time of year. That’s why I hope you will join us and our partners, biologists and environmental educators from the environmental consulting firm Tidal Influence, on a wonderful nature walk at Los Cerritos Wetlands on Saturday, March 7th. This is the time of year when our local wetlands look their best, so get outside and enjoy some of our natural open space.
Our walk will begin with a brief orientation to our wetlands. We will stroll through heritage coastal sage scrub and historic dredge spoils, while looking for raptors (birds of prey) and a number of other species that nest in the area. As we pass the salt flats, we may see tiger beetles and coyote tracks before hiking up to the Heron Pointe Cultural trail to discuss how tidal circulation shapes our local wetlands.
We will complete our walk by heading back along the access to the parking. Bring binoculars, if you have them; we will observe many different kinds of interesting wildlife.
WHAT: Raptor Ramble on the Hellman Portion of Los Cerritos Wetlands.
WHEN: Saturday, March 7th, 2019, at 8:00 am sharp! 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.
WHERE: Meet in the driveway/parking area at the corner of 1st Street and PCH in Seal Beach.
Close-toed shoes required, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Heavy rain will cancel the walk. If it is just lightly sprinkling, we will proceed.
RSVP by emailing elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org. For more information download a hike flyer or visit our website.
Hope to see you there!
Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust
P.S. As always, directly following our nature walk, you are invited to join the community-based wetlands restoration event that runs from 10:30AM to 12:30PM. Email the folks at Tidal Influence at iwanttohelp@tidalinfluence.com for further details or to sign up.
As an organization, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust has come a long way from that first group of citizens who gathered in someone’s living room to begin the conversation of how they, ordinary people, could work together to advocate for the protection and preservation of rapidly vanishing coastal wetlands. Fast forward to today, when almost half of Los Cerritos Wetlands are safely in the public’s hands, and the conversation is more and more about how best to restore and rehabilitate them.
That is good news, and it is important to take the time to celebrate it.
Of course there is bad news for the environment these days, and much of it is emanating from Washington D.C. These are concerning times for those of us who care about our nation’s parks, wilderness areas, and open spaces. I worry about their safety and their future. However, much can be done to protect the environment at the local level, and with your help, we are persevering here in our cities, where it will be more important than ever to emerge as leaders in climate science and conservation. Despite the current regressive environmental policies at the federal level, we are excited about our progress locally, as plans move forward to transfer more of Los Cerritos Wetlands into the public trust and restore them. We celebrate our innovative programs for the public to experience our wetlands, as well as the expansion of our outdoor education for local school children. We’re also proud that our city has implemented a ban of many polystyrene products, keeping harmful pollution out of our fragile wetlands and coastal ecosystems. These are the local victories that will uplift and sustain us during these challenging times.
The fight to protect and restore Los Cerritos Wetlands will continue into the new year and beyond. We are grateful in the knowledge that we will prevail because of the partnership and support of our members. I urge you to affirm or renew your commitment to the restoration, exploration, and defense of Los Cerritos Wetlands by making a tax deductible donation to the Land Trust today.
Donations of up to $6,000 to Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust will be matched dollar-to-dollar through December 31, 2019.
To donate click here.
Don’t forget. We have two interesting
community events coming up in January.
Wetlands Nature Walk on Saturday, January 4th, 2020
Join us and our partners, educators from the biological consulting company, Tidal Influence, on our Heron Hike to the Marketplace Marsh and back at Los Cerritos Wetlands on Saturday, January 4th.
Our walk begins with a brief orientation to our wetlands. We will discuss the history and ownership of various parcels within Los Cerritos Wetlands. We will then walk towards the levee and discuss the reintroduction of the tides. After that, using oil roads, we will walk to the old bridge on the levee and discuss the San Gabriel River and the future of bringing water back into the land. Then we will view the City-owned lands, including Marketplace Marsh. After that, we will head back to our meeting place, Bring binoculars, if you have them; we will observe many different kinds of interesting wildlife.
Parking lot gate will open at 7:45 am and close at 8:15 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.
Meet in the driveway/parking area at the corner of 1st Street and PCH in Seal Beach. Close-toed shoes required; and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
For more information email Elizabeth or download this hike flyer.
Draft Environmental Impact Report status update meeting for comprehensive restoration planning
The group running the planning effort for the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority’s comprehensive planning process will be hosting a status update meeting on January 23, 2020 at the Recreation Park Community Center at 4900 E. 7th St in Long Beach, CA 90804. The meeting starts at 6:30PM, and I urge you to attend. At the meeting you will learn about the next steps for our local wetlands. Look for additional details in upcoming emails, or for further information contact LCWA@tidalinfluence.com.
Please join the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust for a very special screening and program on Sunday, September 29.
Advance purchase tickets for this event are $10. Tickets bought day of event are $12. To buy tickets click HERE.
“Artifishal” is a film about people, rivers and the fight for the future of wild fish and the environment that supports them. It explores wild salmon’s slide towards extinction, threats posed by fish hatcheries and fish farms, and our continued loss of faith in nature.
Come early and mingle. Directly following the screening, attendees are invited to stay and hear from Colin Kelly, Senior Staff Attorney for Orange County Coastkeeper. He will update us on our own local marine ecosystems and threats due to proposed aquaculture off our local coastline.
Doors open at 10:30 a.m.
Screening of “Artifishal” begins at 11:00 a.m. (duration 75 minutes)
Special guest speaker Colin Kelly, Senior Staff Attorney- Orange County Coastkeeper begins at 12:20 p.m.
Measure W, the Safe Clean Water Program, was passed in 2018. Los Angeles County is currently in the process of implementing the numerous Measure W programs that will help improve and protect water quality.
Click here to send a letter to our Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor to encourage Measure W implementation will address local flood risks and other nature-based priorities.
Don’t forget to attend tonight’s wetlands restoration planning workshop hosted by the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA). There was some confusion about the date and location in my previous email so I want to confirm that the workshop will be at 7:00 p.m. on March 21st (tonight) at the Community Center in Recreation Park at 4900 E. 7th St. in Long Beach.
At the workshop you will be able to give input about the plan to restore Los Cerritos Wetlands, so we hope you will attend and spread the word.
The LCWA’s consulting team, lead by Environmental Science Associates (ESA), will run the workshop where they will review the status of the planning effort and provide an overview of the steps ahead.
This next phase of the planning effort will build on the Final Conceptual Restoration Plan, which will then result in a Program Environmental Impact Report-the next step towards a comprehensive restoration framework for Los Cerritos Wetlands. Previously the LCWA identified existing opportunities and constraints for restoration, public access and interpretation. The LCWA Board of Directors adopted the final Los Cerritos Wetlands Conceptual Restoration Plan in August 2015.
Using information contained in the Final Wetlands Conceptual Restoration Plan, the comprehensive planning process will result in a restoration design for the entire Los Cerritos Wetlands complex. That alternative will be studied, and potential impacts analyzed.
What: Public Scoping Meeting for the Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Plan
Where: Community Center in Recreation Park, 4900 E 7th Street, Long Beach
When: Thursday, March 21st, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority is a joint powers authority composed of the City of Seal Beach, the City of Long Beach, the State Coastal Conservancy and the Lower Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. The ESA consulting team also includes Altman Environmental Consulting and Coastal Restoration Consultants.
Hope to see you at the meeting.
