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. |
