The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is a proud endorser of Measure W, the Safe Clean Water Parcel Tax.
Measure W will modernize Los Angeles County’s 100-year-old water system in order to better protect public health and our environment, and to maximize a cleaner, locally controlled water supply.
The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust supports Measure W for the following reasons.
Measure W reduces harmful pollution that regularly flows into our local wetlands.
Each year, many marine mammals, seabirds, and fish die, either from mistakenly eating plastic garbage and other toxins, or ensnaring themselves. Annually, over 4000 tons of trash and plastic gets cleaned from our beaches. Stormwater picks up chemicals from pesticides, fertilizers, plastics, metals from our cars, pet waste, and other contaminants as it flows over the streets and other developed areas into our rivers, streams, and the ocean, threatening public health and marine life. That’s why beach closures follow nearly every heavy rain.
Measure W will enhance and redesign existing green spaces (and create new ones), so that we can recharge our groundwater and capture runoff through diversion structures, infiltration chambers, and pre-treatment systems. Developing new projects and updating our current infrastructure system, specifically for stormwater, will improve our ability to cope with the changing climate, increasing demand, and other pressures.
Measure W helps make our community more resilient against the impacts of extreme weather. Droughts, followed by historic rain, are here to stay. Therefore, a smarter water system will prepare our region for the effects of a changing climate. As extreme weather becomes the new normal, we need to decrease our reliance on imported water that we pay to bring into L.A. County.
Measure W will capture valuable rainwater before it runs into our rivers and ocean.
Every year, L.A. County loses over 100 billion gallons of water, enough to meet the annual needs of more than 2 million people. Because so much of our region is paved over, too much precious rainfall is lost to the ocean before we can capture it for use. When we experience heavy rains, our system captures only a fraction of rainfall.
For the reasons above and more, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust endorses Measure W, and we hope you agree. I urget you to learn more about Measure W and read the ballot language. Then please share with your friends and neighbors the importance of voting for Measure W to support clean water– for our local wetlands, for our community and for our future.
This summer, the Los Cerritos Wetlands and the Land Trust made headlines. See the Long Beach Business Journal’s coverage of recent Coastal Commission actions here.
Additional coverage of the Coastal Commission hearing from the Press Telegram can be found here.
Additional local coverage of the deal as it developed is linked here.
OurWaterLA is a diverse coalition of community leaders and organizations from across Los Angeles County united to create a strong water future for Los Angeles. Their goal is to secure clean, safe, affordable and reliable water for drinking, recreation and commerce, now and for the future. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is proud to be a member of the coalition, and we are particularly excited about the opportunities to protect local wetlands as well as the important component of stormwater run- off capture. Capturing and using or storing stormwater runoff when it rains can help communities increase water supply reliability, and keep polluted runoff out of sensitive wetlands.
Join the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust in supporting clean water in Los Angeles, sign up to be a supporter of OurWaterLA, and help spread the word. The coalition is supporting a ballot measure to help fund the Safe, Clean Water Program, and we urge you to email our local County Supervisor, Janice Hahn and tell her you support the measure. Also, if you can, please attend the meeting below, where the vote will be held.
Who: Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust supporters and anyone you know who supports clean water.
What: A press conference at 8:30AM, followed by a Board of Supervisors vote to put the measure on the ballot. Email acabrera@laane.org for futher details or to rsvp.
Where: Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W Temple St., Los Angeles CA 90012
When: 8:30am-12pm, July 17th
Why: We need as much support as possible at the County Board of Supervisors’ vote on the Safe, Clean Water Program to decide a) whether to put a property tax on the ballot to raise $300M for stormwater projects, and b) what the program for spending this money will look like, including job and equity standards as well as environmental protections.
It’s summer time which is a great time to get outside and enjoy our local wetlands. Join us and our partners, biologists and environmental educators from the environmental consulting firm Tidal Influence, on a wonderful hike at Los Cerritos Wetlands on Saturday, July 7th. We are skipping our August nature walk because of the heat, so this is your best opportunity until September to get outside and enjoy some of our local 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, July 7th, 2018, at 8:00 am sharp! Parking lot gate will open at 7:45 am and close at 8:10 am. No late-comers 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 required, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
RSVP: Email Elizabeth at elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org
The City of Long Beach hosted their first Climate Adaption and Action Plan on Saturday, June 2nd.
It was an interesting event with lots of participation from many different Long Beach residents and community members. Of course Long Beach will be hard hit with the consequences of climate change. . .from it’s impact on our local wetlands to harm done to important infrastructure to how “heat islands” will endanger the most vulnerable amongst us. It’s good news that the City of Long Beach is preparing for climate change and you should do your part and participate. To that end, Long Beach has prepared a climate change survey that I urge you to fill out in order to share with the City your views and concerns.
Thankfully, our local wetlands can help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Wetlands absorb water from high tides, which lessens the consequences of flooding. Wetlands provide food and shelter to fragile species who are already stressed by having to go longer distances to search for food, as well as lessened or displaced food sources. Also thankfully, as comprehensive restoration planning moves forward for Los Cerritos Wetlands, how to plan for and make wetlands resilient to climate change will be part of the conversation. For further details check out the Opportunities and Constraints Report of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Conceptual Restoration Plan.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
