Annual Membership Meeting and Celebrating the Coastal Act’s Birthday

Annual Membership Meeting and Celebrating the Coastal Act’s Birthday


You are cordially invited to attend the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust’s Annual Meeting

When: Thursday, October 8 at 6:30 PM
Where: Belmont Heights United Methodist Church
317 Termino Ave, Long Beach, CA 90814


Special Guest Speaker: Mel Nutter


Mel’s journey includes working on the 1972 Proposition 20 campaign, which led to the California Coastal Act of 1976; serving on both the South Coast Regional Coastal Commission and the State Coastal Commission from 1977 to 1985; and leading the Sierra Club Coastal Committee and Amigos de Bolsa Chica.


The success of the Coastal Act and the protection of miles of accessible coastal open space are attributable, in part, to Mel’s lifelong dedication and hard work.


Mel has been a trusted advisor to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust for many years, offering us invaluable legal and strategic counsel.


Attend our meeting to learn about Mel Nutter’s lifelong work to protect
California’s coastal resources


In addition to this presentation, we will also use this occasion to hold our annual Board of Directors election, with five of our sitting Directors seeking renewed terms. Members of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust are vital to our work advocating for rare, local wetlands. However, whether you are a member or not, we hope you will attend this fascinating in-person meeting.


For further details or to RSVP, email Elizabeth.


P.S. A quick thank you to all who donated to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust during Long Beach Gives; we exceeded our goal of $3,000 raising $3,517. These funds will be used to continue to fight for the protection and restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands. We couldn’t do it without you!
Celebrate the Coastal Act’s Birthday with us!

Attend a fun free-of-charge public celebration of the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Act on
Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.


•What: Your Coast. Your Voice: Celebrating 50 Years of Coastal Protection. This event is to honor the grassroots movement of everyday Californians that led to the passage of the Coastal Act in 1976. This landmark law has preserved public access along the shoreline and helped create the State’s $51 billion coastal economy. 


• When: Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Resource fair starting at 12:00 p.m.). The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust will be hosting a table at the event; stop by and say hello!


• Where: Junipero Beach, Long Beach, CA


• Cost: Free (RSVP via Eventbrite)


• Activities: Live DJs, music, inspiring guest speakers, food trucks, and a resource fair.


This event is sponsored by the California Coastal Commission as well as Partners for Parks Long Beach, Surfrider Foundation, Azul and other great groups.

Long Beach Gives, Important Briefing and a Fun Nature Walk

Long Beach Gives, Important Briefing and a Fun Nature Walk

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust is participating in Long Beach Gives.

You can donate now, and we hope you will.

Long Beach Gives is our City’s annual online giving event, providing our supporters an easy way to donate to protect Los Cerritos Wetlands. The program gives Long Beach nonprofits, like the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, the opportunity to gain exposure and build relationships with new donors.

Long Beach Gives seeks to inspire individuals and businesses to come together and support the exemplary work of 200+ local participating nonprofits. Last year’s success helped raise awareness of nonprofits, including the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, and the critical role they play in our community. This year, Long Beach Gives will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2026, with a $2.5 million goal.

Please note that Long Beach Gives early giving is underway, and we hope you will donate to support the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust’s work to protect our local wetlands.


We thank you in advance for participating in Long Beach Gives, either on September 24th or during the early giving period.


Prop 45 will be bad for Los Cerritos Wetlands and bad for all of California’s environment. Join a conference call to learn the details.

Join Power in Nature and members of the 30×30 Southland Coalition for a briefing on Proposition 45. Prop 45 would weaken clean air and clean water protections in California and reduce public input on projects. If voters approve it, this developer-backed proposition will change how the California Environmental Quality Act is applied.

The California Environmental Quality Act has been the State’s premier environmental law for more than 50 years. It requires analysis, mitigation, and disclosure of project impacts, as well as public participation. 

Prop 45 would undermine clean air and clean water protections in California at the same time that the Trump Administration rolls back critical environmental protections nationwide. This initiative will make it easier to build polluting projects – including data centers – and could cost taxpayers $100 million or more per year. Learn more and get your questions answered at this online event.

Everyone is invited to the Thursday, September 24, 2026 Zoom event between 7–8 p.m.

Want to attend? Register here.

I’ll be tuning in and hope you do too!
Upcoming fun and interesting nature walk
at Gum Grove Park.
Lois Shepard
Lois Shepard
photo credit Lois Shepard
photo credit Lois Shepard
You never know what kind of avian residents you will find on our Raptor Ramble nature walk. The images above were taken by wetlands supporter Lois Sheppard on lands on or adjacent to Los Cerritos Wetlands


Join us to learn about the ongoing restoration of the Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands and the important raptor habitat it will enhance.


An ecologist directly involved with the Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Project will lead our walk. The tour will start with an overview of the restoration project’s progress and then take a hike through Gum Grove Park, where we may see monarch butterflies, raptors, or other avian species in the eucalyptus trees. We will walk to a high point along the trail, where we can view the restoration project and the “los cerritos,” or little hills of the region. Next, we will explore the Heron Pointe cultural trail, where we will learn about tribal cultural history and, if we are lucky, come across an endangered least Bell’s vireo in the bioswale. This is a new, limited-time tour, so come check it out!


Bring binoculars if you have them; we will observe many kinds of interesting wildlife. 


WHAT: Nature walk at Gum Grove Park in the Los Cerritos Wetlands.


WHEN: Saturday, October 3, at 8:00 AM. All participants must stay for the entire tour, which will end by 10:00 AM.


WHERE: Meet in the Gum Grove Park parking lot, where Avalon Drive dead-ends. There will be signs.


Closed-toe shoes are required for the walk, and kids under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information or to RSVP, click on this link.
Sign up now for a fun wetlands kayaking trip. Two trips are scheduled for October. Fall is a great time to check out Steamshovel Slough, and space is limited, so sign up today!

Sign up now for a fun wetlands kayaking trip. Two trips are scheduled for October. Fall is a great time to check out Steamshovel Slough, and space is limited, so sign up today!

There is nothing more fun than autumn kayaking in the Steamshovel Slough area of Los Cerritos Wetlands. It is such a fresh and invigorating experience, and I encourage you to give it a try! No experience needed!


We offer these kayak trips at a very affordable price of $40 per trip (so you can get to know this important part of the Los Cerritos Wetlands). For that fee, you receive a kayak, paddle, life vest, excellent guidance from LA River Expeditions, and a trained naturalist who provides interesting information during the tour.


We must schedule our kayak trips for when the tide is high enough to get into the pristine and lovely Steamshovel Slough. Thus, our fall kayaking trips will be from 9:30 to 11:30 AM on Sunday, October 4th and 25th.


So don’t delay, reserve your kayaking spot today! You will have a blast and learn about our local wetlands and their future!


P.S. For a sense of what it’s like to tour Steamshovel Slough with us, check out this great video! Everyone learns a lot and has a great time!
Our friends at Orange County Coastkeeper are having a fun oyster-themed event on August 29th in Sunset Beach.

Our friends at Orange County Coastkeeper are having a fun oyster-themed event on August 29th in Sunset Beach.

It’s a family-friendly celebration of all things oyster

Oysters are essential to maintaining healthy waterways, resilient coastlines, and thriving ecosystems. Yet they rarely get the spotlight they deserve. That’s why OC Coastkeeper is launching its inaugural Oysterpalooza!


Shells for Shorelines is an oyster recycling program that takes donated oyster shells from restaurants and reuses them to grow native oyster populations in Southern California. Repurposing oyster shells is a long-standing restoration practice rooted in Indigenous coastal stewardship.


Since 2024, our local community has recycled more than 23,000 pounds of oyster shells from local restaurants and restored over 1,800 native oysters in Long Beach’s Alamitos Bay, Huntington Harbor, Seal Beach, and Newport Bay.


Why Restore Native Oysters? Oyster reefs are disappearing at an alarming rate. In California they have declined by 85% due to a combination of factors, including over-harvesting, habitat destruction, and water quality degradation. Oysters are a cornerstone of healthy coastal ecosystems. They aren’t just a tasty treat but tiny titans of the ocean.


There will be small-business-centered crafts for sale, and oysters too. And science experts will speak about oyster and marine restoration throughout Orange County.


I’ll be there, and I hope you will too. For further details, click here.
Attend the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority Anniversary Celebration. All are welcome!

Attend the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority Anniversary Celebration. All are welcome!

Join the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (LCWA) as they celebrate 20 years of restoration, stewardship, education, and conservation at the Los Cerritos Wetlands!


What: 20th Anniversary Wetlands Discovery Day


When: Saturday, July 18, 2026
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
at Zedler Marsh, Los Cerritos Wetlands,
 6990 E. 2nd Street, Long Beach, CA 90803 (Guests should arrive at 6990 E. 2nd Street and follow event signage and staff directions for parking.)


The celebration will begin at 10:00 am with a special ceremony recognizing the LCWA’s 20-year anniversary and honoring the volunteers and partners whose contributions have helped make wetland restoration a success.


Following the ceremony, attendees are invited to explore the wetlands through a variety of fun, educational, and family-friendly activities. Community partners will host interactive booths and hands-on activities, including:• Sea turtle scouting with the Aquarium of the Pacific
• A nature-based restoration activity
• An interactive wetlands walk featuring stations staffed by experts who will share information about the wetlands, local wildlife, and native plant communities
• Educational exhibits from community partners such as the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, Algalita, and more. 


Food will be provided to attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. 


Whether you have volunteered with the LCWA or are discovering it for the first time, we invite you to join in celebrating two decades of conservation and community partnership.


For more information and to RSVP, visit the Eventbrite page here. 


Sincerely,


Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust 
Our wetlands kayaking trips will resume in October. In the meantime, check out the kayak trips offered by our partners, LA River Expeditions, on the Los Angeles River

Our wetlands kayaking trips will resume in October. In the meantime, check out the kayak trips offered by our partners, LA River Expeditions, on the Los Angeles River

We are able to host community kayak trips to Los Cerritos Wetlands thanks to our partnership with LA River Expeditions. However, we must pause our kayak trips during the summer months (don’t worry, we’ll be back at it in the fall), so I encourage you to feed your inner adventurer by signing up for a fun paddle on the Los Angeles River led by LA River Expeditions.


Sign up for a mellow kayaking experience of the Sepúlveda Basin. Details and reservation information can be found here.


Or sign up to shoot down some mini rapids on the LA River (with careful supervision from your tour guides) by signing up here.


Either way, you are sure to have a great time and leave with some interesting stories to share with family and friends.


LA River Expeditions has a 5-star rating on TripAdvisor (which is really rare), where you can read reviews and see photos taken by trip participants.


You should also spend time browsing the LA River Expeditions website, where you’ll find a wealth of helpful information and even more entertaining photos.
Annual Membership Meeting and Celebrating the Coastal Act’s Birthday

Alert: Prop 45 has been introduced by the Chamber of Commerce, which represents oil companies, developers, investor‑owned utilities, and other industrial interests. Prop 45 will weaken protections for clean air, clean water, public health, and wildlife.

On the ballot this November is Prop. 45, an extremely concerning ballot measure.


Prop 45 guts air, water, and health protections for polluting projects. It shifts power from public agencies to developers, and nearly eliminates the courts’ ability to prevent toxic contamination of our air and water. These changes could apply to everything from data centers and freeway expansions to dams, landfill gas facilities, and waste conversion projects. If a project pollutes our air and water, taxpayers will have to pay to clean it up. 


Prop 45 forces cities, counties, and the state to absorb the long-term costs of pollution, infrastructure damage, public health impacts, and climate risks. Corporations save money; the public pays more.


Prop 45 leaves California vulnerable to the federal government’s extreme environmental rollbacks. Federal environmental laws that protect clean air, clean water, and wildlife are being dismantled. Prop 45 removes our state’s strongest backstop to the federal rollback.


Prop 45 is being bankrolled by special interests and corporations. The measure is heavily funded by corporate PACs, for-profit utilities, and industrial interests. These entities are protecting corporate profits, not everyday Californians.


Prop 45 gives corporations the right to sue cities that try to stop or fix polluting projects. It allows developers to sue public agencies for denying polluting projects or imposing conditions that protect communities – such as requiring a data center to reduce its water use.


Take a moment to read the letter of opposition to Prop 45 (signed by just about every environmental group in California, including the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust.


Then sign up to get involved; it will take all of us to push back on this destruction ballot measure. Don’t let corporations and special interests win; sign up today for updates and more.
Happy Endangered Species Day. Your support helps protect the threatened species in the Los Cerritos Wetlands. Meet two of them.

Happy Endangered Species Day. Your support helps protect the threatened species in the Los Cerritos Wetlands. Meet two of them.

Photo: Eric Zahn

Lewis’ Evening Primrose (Camissoniopsis lewisii).


Los Cerritos Wetlands is home to a handful of plants considered to be “special status” by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. That means they are animals and plants facing significant risks such as habitat loss or decline.


Through funding from the Warne Family Endowment Fund, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust supported the mapping of rare plants throughout the 103.5-acre Southern Los Cerritos Wetlands Restoration Project area.


As part of this investigation, three different special status plant species were documented, including an annual wildflower called Lewis’ Evening Primrose (Camissoniopsis lewisii). The small yellow-flowered plant is commonly found in dune habitats, but in the Los Cerritos Wetlands, it covers approximately 3.76 acres on two sandy deposits composed of fill material. This sand likely came from a nearby shoreline dredging project and was placed in the wetlands sometime around the mid-19th century.


Dunes are one of the rarest coastal plant communities in southern California, so a plan to conserve this wayward population of Lewis’ Evening Primrose is an important objective for the restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands. We will keep you updated as we traverse this primrose’s path to conservation. 
Belding’s Savannah Sparrow


One of the wetlands’ most iconic endangered residents is the Belding’s Savannah sparrow, a small songbird found only in coastal marshes of Southern California and northern Baja California. Unlike migratory sparrows, Belding’s Savannah sparrows live year-round in salt marshes and depend heavily on dense pickleweed vegetation for nesting and shelter. Scientists have found that the species is especially vulnerable to habitat fragmentation because isolated marshes often cannot sustain stable populations over time.


The Los Cerritos Wetlands provides important nesting habitat for these birds. Current restoration efforts for the wetlands emphasize preserving healthy pickleweed stands, as they are essential to the birds’ survival.


Perhaps you might consider celebrating Endangered Species Day by making a contribution to our advocacy and public education efforts to protect and restore Los Cerritos Wetlands. You can donate using Zelle at elizabeth@lcwlandtrust.org. Or make a donation through other means on our website.


But more than anything else, we thank you for being part of our effort to improve and restore this rare landscape. No matter how you support us, I am certain we couldn’t do it without you.


Sincerely,


Elizabeth Lambe
Executive Director
Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust
Hear from a Coastal Hero : Mel Nutter and Sea & Sage Audubon

Hear from a Coastal Hero : Mel Nutter and Sea & Sage Audubon

Mel Nutter has been a dedicated coastal advocate for over 50 years.

Kudos to the Sea and Sage Chapter of the Audubon Society for awarding Mel Nutter their Fern Zimmerman Conservation Award for Mel’s lifelong work to protect California’s coastal resources. For many years, Mel has been a trusted advisor to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, providing us with invaluable legal and strategic advice. To help all of us get to know this coastal hero, Sea and Sage Audubon will host Mel at its May conservation lecture at 7 PM on May 26th, where he will share his experiences about his coastal advocacy journey. 


Mel’s journey includes working on the 1972 Proposition 20 campaign that led to the California Coastal Act of 1976; serving on both the South Coast Regional Coastal Commission and the State Coastal Commission between 1977 and 1985; and leading the Sierra Club Coastal Committee and the Amigos de Bolsa Chica. The success of the Coastal Act and the protection of miles of accessible coastal open space are attributable in part to Mel’s lifetime of dedication and hard work. 


Advance registration is required for this online “virtual” meeting. When you register, you will receive immediate confirmation by email.
Hope to see you there, it is a unique and wonderful piece of coastal open space.
Our next nature walk is on June 6th. It will be of the Zedler Marsh area, a unique area that has been remarkably restored.

Our next nature walk is on June 6th. It will be of the Zedler Marsh area, a unique area that has been remarkably restored.

Attend a screening of the film Ocean, free of charge, on Tuesday at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Learn about restoration ecology at Zedler Marsh, a restoration site located within Los Cerritos Wetlands. Explore the different types of plant communities (coastal salt marsh, mulefat scrub, coastal sage scrub) being cultivated for the current and future restoration of the wetlands.


Our walk will begin with a brief orientation about the Los Cerritos Wetlands. Tour leaders will discuss the interesting challenges in restoring the Zedler Marsh wetlands, the restoration techniques they rely on, and the important role of California native plants. There will be opportunities for birding and other wildlife sightings at Zedler Marsh.


What: Salt Marsh Stroll nature walk at Los Cerritos Wetlands.


When: Saturday, June 6th, 2026, at 8:00 AM. The parking lot gate will open at 7:45 AM and close at 8:10 AM. No latecomers will be admitted to the tour, and all participants must stay for the entire tour, which will conclude by 10:00 AM.


Where: Meet in the driveway/parking area at the corner of 1st Street and PCH in Seal Beach. There will be signs. Do NOT use a map program like Google Maps to guide you; you will end up in the wrong location.


Closed-toe shoes are required for the walk, and adults must accompany kids under 16. Reserve your spot via our Eventbrite page, and feel free to email Elizabeth with any questions.


Hope to see you there, it is a unique and wonderful piece of coastal open space.