Friendly reminder that we are waiting for Governor Newson to make a decision about AB 1788, which would limit the use of 2nd generation anti-coagulant rodenticides. This very sensible bill, which passed the state legislature a few weeks ago will protect important predators that keep in balance the Los Cerritos Wetlands and open spaces throughout California.
2nd generation rodenticides are bad because they make their way up the food chain and kill raptors, mountain lions, bobcats etc. when those predators consume poisoned rats, mice and other rodents. AB 1788 being signed into law would help the raptors of Los Cerritos Wetlands, since they too are at risk from eating rodents that have been poisoned or killed by rodenticides.
Help Governor Newsom do the right thing and by sending him a note asking him to sign SB 1788 into law.
You can also contact the Governor on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts which is another way to communicate with him if you prefer.
It won’t take more than a few minutes and the charismatic raptors of Los Cerritos Wetlands and beyond will thank you.
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It was quite an eventful week this past week up in Sacramento. There were two bills that we, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, were interested in. One passed and is at the Governor’s office, hopefully to be signed by him within the month. The other bill failed, likely turned into a two-year bill, hopefully to be reconsidered for next year.
AB 1788, which would limit the use of 2nd generation anti-coagulant rodenticides, passed both the Senate and then the Assembly in the final days of the legislative session. This is already better news than last year where the bill failed to get out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Governor now has 30 days to sign the bill into law. This very sensible bill, with exemptions should strong rodenticides be needed in special situations, will protect important predators that keep in balance the Los Cerritos Wetlands and open spaces throughout California.
2nd generation rodenticides are bad because they make their way up the food chain and kill raptors, mountain lions, bobcats etc. when those predators consume poisoned rats, mice and other rodents. AB 1788 being signed into law would help the raptors of Los Cerritos Wetlands, since they too are at risk from eating rodents that have been poisoned or killed by rodenticides.
Kudos to Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, Senator Lena Gonzalez, and Senator Tom Umberg for voting in favor of AB 1788 (sad that local Assemblymember Tyler Diep voted no). These rodenticides have been wreaking havoc on the mountain lions of the Santa Monica Mountains (including the famous mountain lion of Griffith Park), not to mention the many, many owls, hawks, and eagles that have been harmed by their consuming of mice and other rodents who carry this harmful rodenticide in them and then are consumed. I’ll spare you the terrible photos of charismatic predators which have been killed that way, but it is not pretty and needs to stop. I know from personal research how very heavily the pesticide industry lobbied against this bill this year and last. Let’s hope Governor Gavin Newsom does the right thing and puts his signature on the bill.
Please do two things.
1) Send a quick note of thanks to Patrick O’Donnell, Lena Gonzalez and Tom Umberg.
2)Send a note to Governor Newsom telling him to sign SB 1788 into law.
Of course, in these modern times, all of these legislators also have Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts which is another way to reach them, and thank them, if you prefer.It won’t take more than a few minutes and the charismatic raptors of Los Cerritos Wetlands and beyond will thank you.
SB 54 Another bill (that didn’t move forward to the Governor’s desk), was a really groundbreaking bill that would have transformed how we deal with single-use plastics in California. SB 54 would have required that packaging and products be reduced (single-use items swapped out for reusable), composted or recycled. The long term goal would be a 75% reduction of the waste generated from single-use packaging and products offered for sale or sold in the state, through source reduction, recycling, or composting by 2030. This would have addressed the plastic pollution and trash crises at both ends–both before a product is ever created or purchased, and after a single-use item is ready for disposal.
It’s too bad it didn’t pass, since we are drowning in plastic, as it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, ends up in the stomachs of sea birds, and even in the fish we eat. On the other hand, it was truly a groundbreaking bill, with lots of special interest opposition and it may well take another year (or more) to get it over the finish line. Cheers again to Patrick O’Donnell, Tom Umberg and SB 54 Coauthor Lena Gonzalez for voting yes. These can’t be easy votes, but their votes in favor of SB 54 bring to mind that moving saying “you must not think of yourself or of your family, not even of your generation. Make your decisions on behalf of the seven generations coming, so that they may enjoy what you have today.”I am grateful to have such forward thinking legislators representing me in Sacramento and I hope you are too.
Sincerely,Elizabeth Lambe, Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust |
It’s Coastal Clean Up MONTH! Traditionally, the California Coastal Commission hosts a Coastal Cleanup day in September. It’s a wonderful day where organizations up and down California’s coast sponsor cleanups from San Diego to Eureka. Thousands of people turn out to clean up their local beaches, parks and streams.
When you clean up your neighborhood, local park and street you are helping to protect our coast and local wetlands. Trash travels through storm drains, creeks, and rivers to become beach and ocean pollution.
This year, for safety reasons, there are no large, centrally organized cleanup sites. Instead, cleanups will be self-guided and close to home. You are urged to practice physical distancing, and strictly follow local ordinances. The Coastal Commission’s How-To Guide includes additional safety tips.
Cleanups are happening every Saturday in September. If Saturdays don’t work for you, don’t let that stop you! You can clean up any day, any time. What a great way to spend time with your family (or whoever is in your “bubble”) and make the world a better place.
If possible, you are asked to report your cleanup by recording data on the CleanSwell app or by completing this form. (You can also use that form to enter the Most Unusual Item Contest.) All cleanups in September will be included as part of Coastal Cleanup Month.
After your cleanup, take a 5 minute survey and you will get a coupon for free chips and guacamole from Rubio’s and be entered into a prize drawing.
Thank you for staying safe, cleaning your local beach or park, and protecting the coast!
#CoastalCleanup #ProtectYourHappyPlace |
Long Beach Gives is just around the corner and we are proud to be a part of it! The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is proud to be a part of Long Beach Gives which is a 24-hour online giving day. This annual fundraising event is a fun and easy way for Long Beach (and surrounding cities) to give together. It facilitates having donors and nonprofits come together to improve the quality of life and create positive change for Long Beach. The goal ofLong Beach Gives is to inspire individuals and businesses in our community to make a difference in the exemplary work of the 150+ local, participating nonprofits. And this year that includes the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust. We are honored and excited to be involved.
Last year was the first year of Long Beach Gives and the outpouring of support helped surpass the initial goal by over 300% in raising over $822,000 for 93 local organizations. Long Beach Gives is returning on Thursday, September 24, 2020 with a one million dollar goal!
We, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, are committed to raising $8,000 through Long Beach Gives,which will support our work educating the public about the value of wetlands and advocating for their protection. The first day you can donate to us via Long Beach Gives is September 17th. However, in the meantime we are looking for folks who want to help us raise funds towards our goal by becoming a peer-to-peer fundraiser.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Fundraisers are members of the community, board members, or businesses who raise funds on behalf of causes they care about. They create custom fundraising pages on the Long Beach Gives website and share their personal fundraising appeal to their network of friends and family. Last year, these individuals, families, and groups of supporters helped to raise over $822,000 to lift up their neighbors and celebrate causes they believe in. If you might be interested in helping us raise funds via the Peer-to-Peer fundraising (it’s easier than you think) or just need more information, send an email to Bridget and she can walk you through it and answer any questions you may have. |
The amount of plastic flowing into the sea is set to triple by 2040.
As plastics continue to flood into our oceans, the list of marine species affected by plastic debris expands. Tens of thousands of individual marine organisms suffer from entanglement or ingestion of plastics that permeate the marine environment-from zooplankton and fish, to sea turtles, marine mammals and seabirds. Some of those sea birds and fish rely on Los Cerritos Wetlands for shelter and sustenance.
Plastics never go away. Instead, they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, which act as magnets for harmful pollutants. When eaten by fish, some of those chemical-laden microplastics can work their way up the food chain and into the fish we eat.
You can do something about this problem and you should do it today.
Contact local Assemblymember, Patrick O’Donnell (who is a great friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands) and ask him to vote for the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act (Senate Bill 54). This bill will establish state targets to reduce single-use plastic and packaging waste by 75 percent by 2032. This is exactly the kind of bold change we need to help save our environment from being swept up in a tide of dangerous plastic pollution — and it can start in California.
Here’s a great recap by Surfrider Foundation about the problems with plastics our ocean and what SB 54 will do to help address the problem.
I hope you will check it out and then take a moment to call Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell’s office, today, at (916) 319-2070 and ask him to support SB 54.
Tell whoever answers the phone that you are a constituent of Patrick O’Donnell’s (check here to see if you are) and are calling to urge him to vote YES on SB 54. He should vote yes because SB 54 would curb single-use plastic pollution in California. That’s all you need to say!
If you get an answering machine, leave a message. Call even if it is after work hours. Every call is counted.
If you don’t feel comfortable calling you can instead email Assemblymember O’Donnell and express your support for SB 54.
California must take robust steps NOW to reduce single-use packaging and plastic consumption and increase recycling. Thank you for your help.
There is a very interesting item on this Tuesday’s City Council agenda, and that is the issue of Community Choice Energy. Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), also known as Community Choice Energy (CCE), is an alternative to the incumbent investor owned utility energy supply system. Instead, local entities in California and other States pool together the buying power of individual customers within a defined jurisdiction in order to secure alternative energy supply contracts.
Community Choice (passed into law in California in 2002) gives cities the choice of purchasing energy from a variety of providers, including those who produce renewable energy. According to the Sierra Club there are 47 California communities served mainly by community choice aggregation (CCA). In Southern California, one of those aggregators is the Clean Power Alliance, which contracts power directly from renewable resources like wind and solar farms for several cities, including Oxnard, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, and West Hollywood. Aggregation allows cities to pool demand to reduce prices and make clear their long-term interest in renewable electricity generation. In this program, regional investor-owned utility Southern California Edison still operates the region’s transmission lines and delivers the clean electricity to residents and businesses.
Newer CCEs in California increasingly focus transition to local renewable energy sources rather than grid power. This could be good for Long Beach for a number of reasons.
1) Could give Long Beach the opportunity to purchase power from ‘greener” sources than those we have historically obtained energy from. Ratepayers would have to option to purchase 100%, 50% or 2/3rd clean energy.
2) Could make Long Beach more resilient against the problems that can beset large power providers that require a lot of infrastructure and transmission lines to deliver energy. That is because, with CCE, our energy would come from a variety of sources. For example, it would give Long Beach the option to have community solar programs that could relieve the power grid.
3) Could drive down the costs of power since energy sources would complete with each other. As well as speed up the creation of clean renewable energy that with time will reduce cost.
The threats associated with climate change are very serious, currently much of California is on fire due to extremely hot weather, Greenland’s ice sheets are melting and ocean temperatures are warming, which is acidifying our ocean. Expected sea level rise will have a significant impact on Los Cerritos Wetlands. Community Choice seems like a practical way to help move us off of fossil fuels and on to renewables. I’m planning to tune in to the City Council meeting on Tuesday to learn more, and I hope you will too.
AB 1788
AB 1788 would ban 2nd generation anticoagulant rat poisons in California. The banning of these poisons would protect raptors throughout California, including the raptors of Los Cerritos Wetlands. The sad chain of events is that hawks, eagles, owls and other animals eat poisoned rodents, thus the poison gets in their system and they sicken and die. An easy way to break that chain is to outlaw these very dangerous rodenticides.
This ban on these products, after passing several committees in the State Senate is headed to a full floor vote this week. Therefore I need you to contact either State Senator, Lena Gonzalez, (who represents most of Long Beach) or State Senator Tom Umberg, (who represents the eastern parts of Long Beach as well as Seal Beach and Los Alamitos), as soon as possible. After all, local voters in the district are the most potent force there is. If you don’t know which representative is yours, you can find that information here.
All you need to say is that you are a voter in their district and you support AB 1788 to ban 2nd generation anticoagulant rodent poisons because wildlife, pets and children are important to you! Here is a list of supporting groups of AB 1788, some interesting facts about the problem and how AB 1788 is the solution. As you can see, we are in good company.
Legislature Bill AB 1788 has already passed several hurdles -1) Three Assembly Committees and the full Assembly last year2) Three Senate Committees. It passed the critical 3rd Senate committee just on Thursday!
Let’s help get AB 1788 past this important hurdle by sending a quick email to either Senator Lena Gonzalez or Senator Tom Umberg. They are both good people who support Los Cerritos Wetlands. Please take this simple action to help protect the charismatic raptors that call Los Cerritos Wetlands their home.
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.
