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

King tides are coming. Take a photo. Help protect the coast.

The California Coastal Commission needs your help to photograph extreme high tides on January 21 & 22, this Saturday and Sunday.

It’s been a tough few weeks with record rain, high surf, and flooding. While many are still dealing with the resulting damage, the forecast looks like the weather will calm down just in time for the next King Tides on January 21 and 22. While the photos you take this weekend may not look as dramatic as the previous storm waves, they represent the everyday water level of our near future. By taking pictures of the high tide and uploading them you are helping the Coastal Commission plan for the impacts of sea level rise on our communities in the future. And it’s fun and easy!

Can you imagine a storm of the magnitude we just experienced coinciding with base water levels two feet higher, or coinciding with that amount of sea level rise plus a king tide? While acknowledging the hardship and damage that occurred, we can be grateful that the past month’s waves did not coincide with a king tide.

You can find local King Tide times, learn how to upload your photos, browse previous King Tide photos, and find resources for educators on the California King Tides Project website. If you’ve been stuck inside for the last month, this weekend is a great time to get outside!

The California King Tides Project is only successful with your participation. Thank you for being helpful!

Join Us for a Nature Walk on February 4th

Come check out the Los Cerritos Wetlands on Saturday, February 4th. This guided outdoor walking tour is led by environmental educators from Tidal Influence, a local environmental firm that is actively working to restore the wetlands. With all of the recent rain, there should be lots of water throughout the marsh and lots of interesting plants and animals to learn about along the way. We will likely come across Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, and other water-loving wildlife.

This 2-mile urban hike travels through the City of Long Beach’s wetlands and on property held by the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority. The guides will discuss the history of land acquisitions in Los Cerritos Wetlands and show us some marsh habitats that few people get to see. Participants will get a behind-the-scenes look at how valuable wetland habitat persists among oil operations at Los Cerritos Wetlands.
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WHERE: Meet in the driveway/parking area at the corner of 1st St and PCH in Seal Beach. Close-toed shoes required, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. There are no bathrooms along the route so please plan accordingly.
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WHEN: Saturday, Feb 4th, at 8:00 am sharp! The parking lot gate will open at 7:45 AM and close at 8:10 AM. No latecomers can be admitted, and all participants must stay for the entire walk, which will end by 10:00 AM.
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Questions about this event or other events? Email elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org
RSVP via our Eventbrite link or send us an email.

Happy Holidays to You and Thank You for Supporting the LCWLT

Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands,

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

Our commitment to the defense of our local coastal wetlands. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust works every day to protect and preserve this vulnerable plot of urban nature, a remnant of a once-vast ecosystem. We have and will continue to defend Los Cerritos Wetlands from harmful development and encroachment.

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

We are committed to continuing our nature walks into 2023 and keeping them accessible to all. Over the years, thanks to our free-of-charge monthly nature walks, (which we have been hosting for over ten years!) the public has directly experienced and learned about our fragile local wetlands.

We help future generations develop an appreciation for the natural world. Los Cerritos Wetlands serves as an outdoor classroom for students throughout Long Beach. We are proud that we have helped a generation of kids feel connected to nature through our hands-on ecological education programs.

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

Help us move forward into 2023 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 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 Facebook and on Instagram. And share our posts when you can! Not only do we hope that more and more people will know about and understand the value of wetlands, but our social media growth shows decision-makers that Los Cerritos Wetlands matter to the community. By following us you will be the first to know about breaking news regarding Los Cerritos Wetlands.

Our First Walk of the New Year is on January 7th

Join us to trek for Sea Turtles in the San Gabrial River on Saturday, January 7th. Not only will you observe sea turtles but also interesting wildlife like egrets and perhaps a great blue heron or two.Environmental educators from Tidal Influence will lead attendees on a wonderful walk along the levy of the San Gabriel River, which bisects Los Cerritos Wetlands. Attendees will walk through Los Cerritos Wetlands to a spot along the San Gabriel River where the sea turtles love to hang out.For part of our tour, we will view and discuss the Zedler marsh ecosystem while keeping an eye out for local wildlife. Much of our walk will take us through the Signal Hill Petroleum oil operations, where walk attendees will learn about the history of oil extraction and its impact on the wetlands.We will stroll past Calloway marsh, take the PCH bridge over to the western levee, and walk past both privately and publicly owned wetlands on our way back to our meeting spot.

WHAT: Turtle Trek at Los Cerritos Wetlands.

WHEN: Saturday, January 7th, 2022, at 8:00 AM sharp!

The parking lot gate will open at 7:45 am and close at 8:10 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. Kids are welcome, but they must be closely supervised and able to walk for 2 hours without needing to turn back. Closed-toe shoes are required!

WHERE: Meet in the driveway/parking area at the corner of 1st Street and PCH in Seal Beach. Please wear close-toed shoes, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.RSVP via our Eventbrite link or send us an email.

Join us for a fun holiday gathering December 10th

We are hosting a fun holiday gathering on
Saturday, December 10th from 9 am to noon at the Zedler Marsh area of Los Cerritos Wetlands.

Dear Friend of Los Cerritos Wetlands,

Join us for a holiday celebration where you can check out some of the impressive restoration of Zedler Marsh out at Los Cerritos Wetlands.
Due to the sensitive habitat of Zedler Marsh, this area is usually off-limits to the public so this is a truly unique opportunity.

As part of the celebration, at 10:30 a.m. attendees will gather to hear the latest about the Pacific Green Sea Turtles who reside in the San Gabriel River from Cassandra Davis, who manages volunteer programs for the Aquarium of the Pacific

“Ms. Davis works directly with volunteers, scientists, and communities to connect them with ocean science. Her areas of expertise include the resident population of green sea turtles found locally in the San Gabriel River and surrounding wetlands and the Aquarium’s volunteer-driven green sea turtle monitoring program. Davis received her master of science degree with a focus on marine science and education in museums, aquariums, and zoos from Oregon State University.“

You will also be able to tour the trail at Zedler Marsh and check the fantastic native plant nursery out on the site. Guided tours of Zedler Marsh will be at 9:30 a.m. and again at 11:30 a.m. Tours will be led by educators from the ecological consulting company Tidal Influence.

I hope you will join us for this fun and informative gathering.

What: Holiday party, sea turtle update, and tours of Zedler Marsh

When: Saturday, December 10th from 9 a.m. to noon

Where: Zedler Marsh at Los Cerritos Wetlands

We urge participants to park at 1st and PCH in Seal Beach by 9:00 a.m. and a staff member will guide you to Zedler Marsh through the wetlands. Alternatively, If you can’t make it by 9 am you have the option of parking in the same area and then walking or biking to Zedler Marsh along the San Gabriel River bike path (be vigilant for fast-moving bikes!).

There is limited space for cars to park at Zedler Marsh but we do have parking for those who are disabled or have mobility issues. Just let us know and we will make arrangements for you.

Please wear closed-toe shoes and rain cancels the event.

RSVP on Eventbrite

Hope to see you there!

Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust

Rising Tide Newsletter Winter 2022

Additional protection as development proposals proceed under the new zoning for the lands in and around Los Cerritos Wetlands

One of the good things about the new zoning (known as SEASP) for the lands in and around Los Cerritos Wetlands was the creation of a wetlands mitigation fund. Developers proposing to re-develop land near Los Cerritos Wetlands must pay into that fund to help mitigate the indirect impacts that their higher, denser developments will bring to the area. These impacts will be generated by the increased population around this unique and highly sensitive natural wetlands resource.

The Sensitive Coastal Resource Fee will be $.25 per gross square foot for new (where there is a net increase in square footage) development. Which amounts to a total dollar figure of $670,000. The impact fee applies to approximately 2,547 units and 307,071 gross square feet of non-residential uses.

The fee is derived from calculations focused on the estimated cost of the assumed “impact area,” which would be development adjacent to the Los Cerritos Wetlands, in the amount of 8 acres.

This is an innovative and forward-thinking aspect of the new zoning and we were happy to see it included in the original authorizing vote for SEASP. On Tuesday the City Council voted to put the fee into place. While we wish the amount available for protecting our local wetlands was more, we recognize that the City had to balance legal, conservation, and other issues to come up with the fee amount. And you can be sure we will be working with the City to add to or improve this new mitigation fee ordinance where possible. Click here to see the agenda item that was before the City Council on Tuesday night and here to read our letter of concern.

Remembering a special person

I was very sad to hear about the passing of Timothy Anderson, former Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust Executive Director. He might even have been the very first one. I never met Tim in person but I heard many interesting stories about him and, as is so common these days, got to know him through his postings on Facebook.

He was truly beloved by so many people both here in Long Beach and also in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, where he retired.

Below are how Tim’s brother Carey Anderson described Tim from a Facebook account of his memorial service.

My brother was a hoot. He loved most everyone, designed and built great and beautiful boats, and loved sailing, nature, birds, and libraries. Tim used to tell me “ libraries should be open 24 hours and have free coffee”, and requested that he be buried with his most valuable possession, his Library Card! He loved the Morehouse Parish Library, one of the librarians came and spoke at the service. Tim finished the 8th grade and took off from home seeking adventure and understanding and he never stopped learning and acquiring new skills. He could build computers, and 3D print tools he designed, use his laser printer and cutter, build a curved Oak stair rail, and designed some great boats. He built me the world’s most beautiful sailing canoe, no brag, just fact.

You gotta give a shout-out and a thank you to all who work to preserve the natural world and wild spaces of our planet and Tim Anderson was one of those people. Please send a thought and a prayer to all who loved Tim and let’s keep on working together to protect and preserve local important natural areas like Los Cerritos Wetlands.

Join us for a walk on December 3rd

Come check out the Los Cerritos Wetlands on Saturday, December 3rd. This guided outdoor walking tour is led by environmental educators from Tidal Influence, a local environmental firm that is actively working to restore the wetlands. Our Raptor Ramble nature walk will begin with a brief orientation to the Los Cerritos Wetlands, followed by a stroll through heritage coastal sage scrub and historic dredge spoils while looking for raptors (birds of prey) and other birds that nest in the area. As we pass the salt flats, we may see tiger beetles and coyote tracks while hiking up to the Heron Pointe Cultural trail.
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WHERE: Meet in the driveway/parking area at the corner of 1st St and PCH in Seal Beach. Close-toed shoes required, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. There are no bathrooms along the route so please plan accordingly.
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WHEN: Saturday, December 3rd, at 8:00 am sharp! The parking lot gate will open at 7:45 AM and close at 8:10 AM. No latecomers can be admitted, and all participants must stay for the entire walk, which will end by 10:00 AM.
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Reserve your spot via our Eventbrite page. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions.

Hope to see you there!

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