Planning Commission votes for a proposed development near Los Cerritos Wetlands

Planning Commission votes for a proposed development near Los Cerritos Wetlands


On Thursday, April 20th, the Long Beach Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of a new development proposed on the corner of Studebaker and PCH (currently Congressional Place).


The current two-story building (over one level of parking) will be demolished and replaced with a 6-story residential building with 281 units and 3,000 square feet of retail space. Due to California’s low-income housing laws, the development is allowed more height than a market rate development would receive under the new SEASP regulations. That is because the new development will contain 13 low-income units that qualify for additional stories and other benefits. For the record, we don’t deny that California needs more affordable housing. However, this development (likely the first of many in the area) will be denser, higher, and more traffic-generating than the current structure on the property. We worry about how all of that will impact nearby fragile wetlands.


We reviewed the development carefully and while there are some important and good things about the project (bird-safe lighting and native plant landscaping for example) we are still scratching our heads about a couple of things and shared our concerns with the City in the form of this letter.


We appreciate our good dialog with the project proponents and plan to continue to engage with them about our concerns about the project. Stay tuned, as we learn further details we will share them with you.

Join Us for a Heron Hike on May 6th

Join Us for a Heron Hike on May 6th

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 Street and PCH in Seal Beach. There will be signs.


RSVP for the walk through our Eventbrite page and if you have any questions feel free to send an email.


Important things to know are that close-toed shoes are required to attend the walk, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.


Also on February 4th, from 10:30 AM-12:30 PM, you are invited to join community-based wetlands restoration. Los Cerritos Wetlands are being restored and made beautiful because of hard-working folks who volunteer their time to remove invasive plants and other weeds and plant in their place “habitat friendly” native plants. It’s fun, fulfilling and it requires no special skills or experience–just enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. Your contribution of time and effort is vital to the success of the restoration and would be greatly appreciated! For more information or to RSVP email iwanttohelp@tidalinfluence.com.
Spring Kayak Tours are here!

Spring Kayak Tours are here!

A limited number of springtime kayak trips to Los Cerritos Wetlands are available. Sign up now!

You are invited to join us for a refreshing kayak trip to Steamshovel Slough, an amazing watery portion of Los Cerritos Wetlands. The Kayak trips will be on March 18th & 19th and April 1st & 2nd. Kayak trips will start in the morning and will wrap up by noon.

Sign up here to reserve your spot!

Steamshovel Slough is one of the most pristine salt marshes in Southern California.
Kayaking with us will give you a glimpse into the future of a restored Los Cerritos Wetlands.

The kayak trips are about 2 miles out and back and will launch from Mother’s Beach.

It will be a unique and fascinating experience and we hope you will join us. It’s a chance to check out Steamshovel Slough which, at this point, can only be viewed via kayak.

Rules for kayaking: You must be able to swim. You must be in decent shape to handle about 2 hours of kayaking (with some breaks). It is recommended that you have been kayaking before, but novice kayakers are welcome to join us. Wear proper attire for kayaking; you will get splashed (no jeans and tennis shoes). If you are 12 years of age (or older) you are welcome to join us as long as you meet the above requirements and are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Logistics: Meet at Mother’s Beach near the children’s playground. Street and metered parking is available but can fill up on weekends, so plan on arriving early so you have enough time to park. 

The cost to kayak with us is $40 (an amazing deal!) to help cover the rental expenses of kayaks, paddles, life-vests, and for the tour leaders guiding the trip. Tour leaders will be experienced kayakers from LA River Expeditions and local educator Katy Dressendorfer.

Please reserve your kayaking spot with us soon since there is limited availability and we will likely sell out.

Hope to see you out on the water with us! You will have an awesome time. Please email me if you have any questions.

Elizabeth Lambe

Executive Director

Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust

P.S. Check out this great video of last year’s kayak trip. And then sign up to join us!


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Important Wetlands Restoration Meeting on March 23rd

Important Wetlands Restoration Meeting on March 23rd


Photo by Jason Lustig

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA) will be hosting its third public meeting to discuss the Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Project and the related environmental analysis document.


The meeting will be via Zoom on Thursday, March 23, 2023, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.


Click here to access this virtual meeting.


The Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Project (Project) is in the planning stages of restoring tidal wetlands on 103.5 acres of the Los Cerritos Wetlands located in Seal Beach, California. The Project will facilitate the restoration of a range of wetland types extending from subtidal habitat to upland transition habitat. The restoration design considers factors such as historical ecology, natural ecosystem processes, tribal cultural resources, public access, resiliency to sea level rise, and current biotic and abiotic conditions of the site.


As the lead agency under California Environmental Quality Act, the LCWA will release an Initial Study–Negative Declaration (IS/ND) analyzing the project’s potential impacts in early March. The IS/ND will be available for 30 days for the public to provide comments on the proposal.


The upcoming March 23rd meeting will include a presentation of the restoration design and a discussion of the IS/ND. Also, the LCWA and their consultant team members will give a brief summary of the previous public meeting and share information on the next steps. There will be opportunities throughout the session to ask questions.


We, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, have been involved in the restoration planning process every step of the way and have regularly provided comments and feedback. These LCWA-hosted meetings are a great way to get the latest news about the restoration process. We hope you will attend and share information about this meeting with friends, neighbors, and anyone else you think would be interested.


Check out the LCWA website for additional information


Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust