Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust | Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust (LCWLT)

Special Conference- Extinction: Solutions for Species on the Brink

I have a unique invitation to share with you. It is to a conference hosted by the Newkirk Center for Science and Society at the University of California at Irvine, and you are invited to attend, free of charge. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust will be participating in the conference, Extinction: Solutions for Species on the Brink, with our colleagues from Tidal Influence. We will be talking about the increased number of Belding’s Savannah Sparrows at Los Cerritos Wetlands, thanks to conservation efforts and improving their habitat. There are just a few thousand pairs of these little birds left in the world, so helping to improve their numbers is critical. Why are there so few Belding’s? Well, it turns out they like living in the same habitat that we do, close to the beach and only in temperate areas. Much of the Belding’s habitat has been lost forever to development and infrastructure here in Southern California. That’s why it’s so important to protect what remains, which is in open spaces like Los Cerritos Wetlands, Bolsa Chica Wetlands, and Banning Ranch.

The conference sounds really interesting. I’ll be attending and hope youwill too. Details and how to register are below.

Extinction: Solutions for Species on the Brink
A free virtual conference hosted by the
University of California, Irvine
February 9^th and 10^th from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm PST

Here is a great opportunity to learn and engage in the extinction crisis, both local and global. Experts and advocates will address threats to ecosystems and biodiversity, and the eﬀorts being made, demanded, and imagined in order to protect and restore species in decline. The program presents a series of distinctively different approaches to species conservation and management from conservation action leaders and scientists. The Keynote speaker is former US Senator Tom Udall.
To register for this free conference, and for a full agenda, please visit the conference webpage.

Conference themes include:
Framing the Magnitude of the Threats and Unmet Challenges
Solutions: Saving Them in the Wild
Solutions: Achieving 30 by 30
COVID-19 – Opportunities to Save Species
Ex-situ Conservation: The Role of Zoos and Reserves in Reducing Extinctions
Experimenting with Technology to Stop or Reverse Extinction
The Imperative for Action
Conference speakers include:
Tom Udall, Former US Senator, New Mexico
John Baker, Chief Program Officer, Managing Director, WildAid
Suzanne Case, Chairperson, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
Kathy MacKinnon, Chair, IUCN’s World Commission of Protected Areas
Jennifer Norris, Deputy Secretary of Biodiversity and Habitat, California Natural Resources Agency
Carl Safina, Founding President, Ecologist and Author, The Safina Center
Ronald Swaisgood, Brown Endowed Director of Recovery Ecology, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research
Charles R. “Chipper” Wichman, Jr., President, National Tropical Botanical Garden Lindsay Young, Executive Director, Pacific Rim Conservation
Dan Silver, Executive Director, Endangered Habitats League

Elizabeth Lambe,
Executive Director

P.S. If you don’t already, I urge you to follow us on our Facebook page! Not only do we hope that more and more people will know about, love, and understand the value of our wetlands, our growth also shows decision-makers that Los Cerritos Wetlands matter to the community. By following us on Facebook you will be the first to know when we re-start our monthly wetlands nature walks (or be able to participate in community-based wetlands habitat restoration).

Thank You and Happy Holidays!

Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands,

We thank you for your support and ask that you continue to support the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust. Why support the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust this holiday season?

We are vigilant in our defense of local coastal wetlands. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is the leading organization working on the ground every day to protect this vulnerable plot of urban nature, a remnant of a once-vast ecosystem.

Slowly and surely, our wetlands are being brought back to life. We are proudly participating in an ambitious habitat restoration program to create and rehabilitate invaluable acreage of tidal salt marsh.

We are committed to restarting our nature walks in 2021. . . and keeping them accessible to all. Over the years, thanks to our free monthly nature walks, thousands of people have experienced and learned about our local wetlands. With COVID-19 hopefully soon behind us, we look forward to restarting our nature walks as soon as they are allowed, and it is safe.

We help future generations develop an appreciation for the natural world. Using Los Cerritos Wetlands as an outdoor classroom, we have helped a generation of kids feel connected to nature through our school-age ecological education programs. Due to COVID 19, we have moved those programs online. While it’s not the same as an on-the-ground field trip experience, we are proud we are able to continue to provide important education about the value of wetlands.

We simply couldn’t do it without you!
The success of our mission to explore, restore, and defend our local wetlands is owed in huge part to members and supporters like you. We’re so grateful for the partnership of our members for allowing us to persevere.

You can help us move forward into 2021 by renewing your membership or becoming a member today. Your tax-deductible gift, at whichever level is comfortable for you, makes a huge difference in our ability to run successful advocacy, outreach, and education programs.

We hope that you will celebrate the wetlands with us this year, and choose to support the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust. Please join us in our commitment to explore, restore, and defend our local wetlands today!

Wishing you a happy and safe holiday season,

Elizabeth Lambe,
Executive Director
and all of us at the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust

P.S. If you don’t already, I urge you to follow us on our Facebook page! Not only do we hope that more and more people will know about, love, and understand the value of our wetlands, our growth also shows decision-makers that Los Cerritos Wetlands matter to the community. By following us on Facebook you will be the first to know when we re-start our monthly wetlands nature walks (or be able to participate in community-based wetlands habitat restoration). 2021 is sure to be a better year than 2020 and a sign of that will be our resumption of these great community events.

LCWLT Virtual Holiday Gathering

Dr. Joy Zedler, Aldo Leopold Chair of Restoration Ecology at the University of Wisconsin, is known for her passion and expertise about wetlands restoration.

As a San Diego State University (SDSU) faculty member (1968-1998) and researcher at Tijuana Estuary, she followed in the footsteps of activist Mike McCoy, who prevented the Tijuana River Estuary from being developed into a marina. Dr. Zedler founded SDSU’s Pacific Estuarine Research Laboratory, which trained dozens of students and field hands in ecological restoration. Their collective work on the restoration of the Tijuana Estuary has guided those working to bring back degraded wetlands, and it has been a source of information and inspiration in efforts to restore Southern California wetlands.

Zedler Marsh, part of Los Cerritos Wetlands, is named in her honor as recognition of the important work she has done to guide the restoration of urban wetlands areas. Dr. Zedler also edited the well-known Handbook for Restoring Tidal Wetlands, which has been invaluable in the effort to restore Los Cerritos Wetlands.

Recently, Dr. Zedler gifted the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust with 100 copies of her newest book, Mud and Mudflats: Essential to the planet. It features science-based information, and it reprints more than three dozen drawings by Donovan McIntire that he created for Dr. Zedler’s 1992 book about the Tijuana Estuary. We are donating most of these books to local schools for whom we have hosted educational field trips to Los Cerritos Wetlands for the past 5 years. An important aspect of our work is to educate the community, particularly those who live in the most urban portions of Long Beach, about wetlands and the value of protecting them. Dr. Zedler’s important work and her books help us achieve that goal.

We are honored that Dr. Joy Zedler will be our keynote speaker at our virtual holiday gathering on Monday, December 21st, 2020, at 6 PM. We hope you will join us.

Dr. Zedler will be briefing attendees about her new book, Mud and mudflats: Essential to the planet, while discussing the need to protect and restore tidal mudflats. Recent research by others has strengthened an early argument that mudflats are critically important ecosystems, despite their small area. Find out how Long Beach mud likely contributes to global ecosystem services!

For information about how to join the meeting and to rsvp, send an email to elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org.

Giving Tuesday, Holiday Event with Dr. Joy Zedler and Important Meeting this Thursday

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. Sadly, our guided nature walks are currently on hold right now, but stay tuned. We hope that in 2021 we can start them again.

Over the years Los Cerritos Wetlands has been exploited, degraded and generally misused. But that is now changing. Slowly and surely, Los Cerritos Wetlands are coming 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 housing. Our community has helped to restore wetlands by planting native plants, removing trash, and 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–currently 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 Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is out there working every day to protect this vulnerable yet valuable eco-system which is a remaining remnant of a once 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.

Thank you for supporting the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust by participating in Giving Tuesday with me.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust

P.S. I know times are tough right now. If you can’t afford to donate please consider supporting our local wetlands by signing up for AmazonSmile. By signing up, when you shop on the AmazonSmile website, a percentage of your purchase is automatically donated to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust. We hope you take a look and then sign up for the program. We appreciate your support!

Save the date. Virtual holiday community meeting featuring Dr. Joy Zedler.

Featuring special guest, Dr. Joy Zedler!

We are glad that our traditional end-of-the-year gathering will happen, but this year we will be gathering “virtually” on Monday December 21st 2020, at 6:00PM, via Zoom.

We are beyond excited that Dr. Joy Zedler, distinguished ecologist and groundbreaking researcher on the restoration of Southern California Wetlands, will be our keynote speaker.

Dr. Zedler will be briefing Land Trust members and supporters on the details of her new book for students (Mud and mudflats: Essential for the planet) while discussing the need to protect and restore tidal mudflats. Recent research by others has strengthened an early argument that mudflats are critically important ecosystems, despite their small area. Find out how Long Beach mud likely contributes to global ecosystem services!

To rsvp or for details about how to attend the meeting on December 21st or to obtain a copy of Dr. Zedlers book send an email to Elizabeth.

Wetlands restoration vote will be Thursday, December 3rd

The vote to certify the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority’s (LCWA)’s Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) will be on Thursday, December 3rd. Those who have been following the years of planning for restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands will remember the many community meetings, public feedback, and expert analysis that led to this moment.

A certified environmental impact report for Los Cerritos Wetlands will provide guidelines for a someday fully restored wetlands. Certification of the PEIR will be followed by a public process to complete an optimized restoration plan. The Final PEIR and optimized restoration plan will enable the LCWA to move forward restoration projects. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust have publicized and attended all public meetings, submitted many comment letters (aka feedback), and have worked very hard with the LCWA to improve their final plan. We are supportive of the certification of the PEIR, and we plan to say so at Thursday’s meeting. Of course, that doesn’t mean the end of our watchdogging and advocacy. A PEIR is a broad overview document from which restoration projects will spin off, each requiring its own review in order to determine impacts and benefits. Given how important wetlands are and how so few of them remain, public input and oversight will be critical.

What: Public meeting of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA)
When: Thursday, December 3rd, 2020, at 12:30PM
Attend: Click this Zoom meeting link or attend by phone at 1-669-900-9128
Meeting ID: 823 9641 3191 Passcode: 953048
Why: To participate in the LCWA’S upcoming board meeting and discussion about the certification of the LCWA’s Final Program Environmental Impact Report.

Happy Thanksgiving and Mark Your Calendar

We hope you have a happy Thanksgiving and are able to celebrate the holiday even though these times require we be socially distant and thoughtful in our interactions with other people.

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is thankful for you and your care and concern for our local wetlands. As an organization we have 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 Los Cerritos Wetlands. Fast forward to today where almost half our 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’s important to take the time to celebrate it.

With appreciation for your support and vision of a fully restored Los Cerritos Wetlands,

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority’s review of their Environmental Impact Report will be Thursday, December 3rd.

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority’s (LCWA) meeting to review and likely certify the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR), as part of the plan to restore Los Cerritos Wetlands, has been rescheduled for Thursday, December 3rd at 12:30PM. Those of you who have been following the restoration planning for Los Cerritos Wetlands will likely remember the many community meetings, public feedback, and expert analysis that led to this moment.

We, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust have been involved in the restoration planning process every step of the way. We have publicized and attended all public meetings, submitted many comment letters (aka feedback), and have worked very closely with the LCWA to improve their final plan. After some serious discussion, we are supportive of the certification of the PEIR, and we plan to say so at the December 3rd meeting. Of course, that doesn’t mean the end of our watchdogging and advocacy. A PEIR is designed to be a broad overview document from which restoration projects will spin off, each of those projects requiring its own review in order to determine impacts and benefits. That’s how the system works, and given how important wetlands are and how so few of them remain, public input and oversight will be critical.

What: Public Meeting of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA)
When: Thursday, December 3rd, 2020, at 12:30PM
Attend: Click this Zoom meeting link or attend by phone at 1-669-900-9128
Meeting ID: 862 8490 3707 Passcode: 504516
Why: To participate in the meeting and discussion about the certification of the LCWA’s Final Program Environmental Impact Report.

Check out the LCWA’s proposed resolution certifying the Final Program Environmental Impact Report and adopting Findings and Facts, a Statement of Overriding Considerations, and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act.

I’ll be attending this meeting and hope you will too.

Environmental Review for Los Cerritos Wetlands Heads to Vote

The vote to certify the Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) as part of the plan to restore Los Cerritos Wetlands is coming up fast. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA) is expected to hear about and then vote to certify the document on Thursday, November 5th at their quarterly meeting. Those of you who have been following the many years of planning for restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands will likely remember the many community meetings, public feedback, and expert analysis that lead to this moment.

The LCWA is required have a certified environmental impact report for Los Cerritos Wetlands because it is part of the roadmap (even if it takes a long time) to a final and fully restored wetlands. Certification of the PEIR will be followed by a public process to complete an optimized restoration plan. Together, the Final PEIR and optimized restoration plan will enable the LCWA to consider restoration projects and seek funding for restoration activities. A certified plan allows potential funders (both governmental and private) to have specific information about how their donations will be implemented.

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust has been involved in the process every step of the way. We have publicized and attended all public meetings, submitted many comment letters (aka feedback), and have worked very closely with the LCWA to improve their final plan. After some serious discussion, we are supportive of the certification of the PEIR, and we plan to say so at Thursday’s meeting. Of course, that doesn’t mean the end of our watchdogging and advocacy. A PEIR is designed to be a broad overview document from which restoration projects will spin off, each of those projects requiring its own in-depth review in order to determine impacts and benefits. That’s just how the system works, and given how important wetlands are and how so few of them remain, public input and oversight will be critical.

What: Public meeting of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA)
When: Thursday, November 5th a 12:30PM
Attend: Click this Zoom meeting link or attend by phone at 1-669-900-9128
Meeting ID: 823 9641 3191 Passcode: 953048
Why: To participate in the meeting and discussion about the certification of the LCWA’s Final Program Environmental Impact Report.

The LCWA, as lead agency, is required under the California Environmental Quality Act to make written findings concerning each alternative and each significant environmental impact identified in the Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration PEIR. The Findings and Statement of Overriding Considerations for that document is available here.

If you would like even more information check out the LCWA’s website about the project.

It will be a big day for the furtherance of restoration within Los Cerritos Wetlands. As always not everyone will agree, but we are pleased with this outcome and the role we played to make it better.

Good Outcome for the Wetlands. We are committed to making it better.

Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands,

Outcome of Friday’s Coastal Commission vote on new zoning for the lands in and around Los Cerritos Wetlands was basically a good one.

The plan approved by the Coastal Commission included 16 recommendations by their staff that significantly improves protections for the wetlands and other habitat areas.

While we are happy with the overall outcome we are disappointed that Commissioners did not include our 3 additional recommendations which were 1) tie increased building heights to even more robust wetlands buffers, especially at the Marketplace property since it directly abuts sensitive wetlands; 2) tie increased building heights directly to benefits for wetlands and environmentally sensitive habitat areas; 3) make lighting standards as wetlands friendly as possible, based on science, to protect sensitive wetlands creatures.

We will continue to advocate for those additional improvements but are happy, overall, with the outcome of Thursday’s Coastal Commission vote.

The new rules for the Southeast Area Specific Plan (SEASP) are now better for wetlands, and we will work to make them even better, and that is a good thing.

We are glad that there will be new zoning for the area so everyone will understand the rules.

Watch our testimony on our new You Tube Channel here.

Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust

Wetlands Field Trips

Coastal Commission Meeting About SEASP Coming Up Fast

Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands,

I can hardly believe it, after years and years of community meetings and discussions, new zoning for the lands in and around Los Cerritos Wetlands will have its final hearing this Thursday, October 8th, before the California Coastal Commission. It’s an important vote since the outcome will shape the future of Southeast Long Beach for years to come.

We, for the most part, support the final plan as long as the Coastal Commission agrees with their staff and accepts the 16 additional recommendations.

Beyond that there are just a few more things we would tweak:

1) If the heights of the buildings in the proposed South East Area Specific Plan (SEASP) area are going to go up (and they are) then there need to be large and robust buffers between the new buildings and the wetlands. In fact, buffers should be a prerequisite for any increased development height, but especially in the Marketplace shopping area since that area is right up against fragile wetlands. It is really the only site within the SEASP planning area where expanded buffers could recoup some of the wetlands/sensitive habitat loss due to development.

And of course, the Marketplace, and other spots in South East Long Beach do warrant revitalization. But unlike the other sites, only Marketplace directly abuts the wetlands. So while there will be new development, it should be configured is such a way that protects and expands the wetland footprint. Roads, utilities and shoreline protection devices should be located outside of the buffers and located on the development site where there is room.

2) Building heights above 3 stories should only be granted if additional wetland and Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA) protections are provided. Incentives should directly protect wetlands and ESHA through wider buffers, voluntary purchase of wetland mitigation bank credits and purchase of wetlands to be conveyed to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority.

3) Lighting for buildings near wetlands should meet the highest of standards for protection of wildlife. SEASP currently incorrectly calculates the illumination from moonlight. This sets the wrong standard for illumination at the edge of habitat and needs to be fixed. Also, new development located on properties that contain or are located within 100 feet of wetlands, ESHA, or sensitive coastal habitat areas should be designed to achieve the minimum degree of illumination necessary for public safety, minimize light trespass, and limit the illumination of open space and sensitive coastal habitat areas to the maximum extent feasible. At the edge of habitat, the lighting from development should be downward directed, shielded, energy efficient, dark sky-compatible, and incorporate state-of-the-art improvements in lighting technology when replaced. Replacement bulbs or fixtures must be upgraded to incorporate best available technology, and programmable timing devices shall be utilized to turn off unnecessary lights where possible.

If you agree with us, please send a note to the Coastal Commission and tell them so. To make it as easy as possible, the note is even pre-written (although feel free to customize your note in any way you wish).

Lastly, please plan to attend (virtually) the Coastal Commission meeting on Thursday, October 8th, if you can. The Coastal Commission is famous for being one of the most powerful regulatory agencies in California. It’s fascinating to watch them in action. Our item appears to be on halfway through their agenda that day. It’s easy to sign up to testify (and I hope you will).

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust

Upcoming Special Briefing

As you likely know, we are busy preparing for the upcoming Coastal Commission hearing, which is scheduled for October 8th, when the new zoning (SEASP) proposed for the lands in and around Los Cerritos Wetlands will be heard.

In order to prepare for the Coastal Commission hearing we are hosting one more community briefing, this one featuring Dave Hubbard from Coastal Restoration Consultants.

Coastal Restoration Consultants is a consulting company that specializes in planning, managing and implementing large-scale ecological restoration projects.

For the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, Coastal Restoration Consultants reviewed the Sea Level Rise Modeling Study for the SEASP Area and Biological Support for the SEASP, Specifically Mapping of Areas Meeting the Criteria for Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA) within the 1,475-Acre SEASP Area.

It’s sounds complicated but it really isn’t. ESHA are lands within the Coastal Zone that merit a higher level of protection from development and other impacts. Therefore, it is important that those fragile and important areas within Los Cerritos Wetlands that deserve that extra protection be fully identified, mapped out, and accounted for.

Climate driven changes, including sea level rise, increased flooding, and storm surge that can inundate the wetlands are an important consideration when planning for the future of Los Cerritos Wetlands. Therefore it is vital that decision makers have the latest, most up- to-date information on the potential impacts of sea level rise and these other climate change driven events.

I am delighted to share with you that Mr. Hubbard will be providing an overview, virtually, to Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust supporters. He will talk about Coastal Restoration Consultants’ research and what they recommend we advocate for to improve the final SEASP.

Mr. Hubbard, co-principal of Coastal Restoration Consultants has an impressive background and has been planning, implementing and monitoring restoration projects for wetlands and other native habitats since 1996. These projects have supported a range of goals ranging from re-establishment of hydrology and native vegetation, improvements in native biodiversity, ecosystem services, rare species habitat, water quality, and invasive species control.

Coastal Restoration Consultants’ research is fascinating and I think you will enjoy learning about it.

What: Special briefing featuring Dave Hubbard of Coastal Restoration Consultants.
When: Monday, October 5th at 7:00PM
Why: To learn more about what is being proposed within the zoning update, especially in the areas of ESHA and sea level rise.

Email me to rsvp and for information about how to join the October 5th briefing.

Also at the meeting will be Terry Watt, our planning and land use advisor, who will help
answer any questions you may have.

Hope to see you on Monday, October 5th, for our interesting community briefing, and then also on October 8th at the Coastal Commission meeting. I’ll send details about how to attend the Coastal Commission hearing in my next email.

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