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.
Wear: A blue shirt!
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.
BLUE Trailer from BLUE The Film
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.
Proposition 68 will be on the ballot June 5th and it’s passage is critical to the restoration and acquisition of local wetlands. With so few wetlands left in Southern California it is important we protect those that remain, and Prop 68 will help achieve that important goal.
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.
