IN AFTERMATH OF ENVIRONMENTAL VICTORY COMES … BOREDOM?
By Dave Wielenga
The most-striking revelation to emerge from Thursday night’s meeting among environmental crusaders who last month finally saw the acquisition of 100 acres of the Los Cerritos Wetlands? Fighting for preservation of a delicate ecosystem is a lot more exciting than planning its restoration.
For more than 20 years, activists had brought soulful passion, indefatigable dedication and occasional wackiness to their battle for one of the few remaining swaths of Southern California’s once-vast coastal wetlands.
But on the first day of the rest of their lives—that is, the first meeting since those 100 acres of wetlands on the former Hellman Ranch were finally transferred into public hands—the victors brought little of that energy into the Mary Wilson Library in Seal Beach. The entire evening took 45 minutes—only half as long as scheduled.
Attendees listened quietly while Belinda Faustino of the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy—a state agency dedicated to preserving open space and habitat in Los Angeles and Orange counties—delivered a just-the-facts update and forecast. They stared dutifully as corroborating maps and statistics were PowerPointed onto an adjacent screen. And when Faustino wrapped up her half-hour address by opening the floor to questions, they obligingly wracked their brains … but after 15 minutes, nobody could think of anything else to ask.
That’s because there was little hard information in Faustino’s presentation and few solid answers to the audience’s questions—and that’s because most of what lies ahead for these 100 acres is proscribed by procedure and contingent on budget allocations. In the early going, especially, neither is especially exciting or dependable.
According to Faustino, a stewardship program must be established, a management plan devised and a restoration approach determined.
At the outset, the project will rely on a $225,000 grant from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority has also authorized hiring of a consultant or consultant team to develop a Site Restoration and Recreational Improvements Conceptual Plan for 200 acres of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Complex. The subject lands are the 67 acre Phase 1/Bryant property, the 100 acre Phase 2/Hellman property and the 33 acre City of Long Beach Marketplace Marsh (i.e. land swap) property.
The LCWA will be issuing a Request for Proposals to conduct this work, and the selected team will be responsible for collecting the needed data, producing the Plan and engaging agencies and members of the public throughout the planning process. The total budget for this activity is $450,000—comprised of a previously awarded $225,000 grant for Phase 1 restoration, and the $225,000 grant for Phase 2 restoration as identified above.
But no specifics are expected before the end of summer.
4 Comments
Of course, most of the fun and excitement is in the “struggle”, but that doesn’t mean nobody cares any longer since the Hellman acquisition bridge has been crossed.
“According to Faustino, a stewardship program must be established, a management plan devised and a restoration approach determined.”
Has Belinda Faustino ever heard of Eric Zahn and Taylor Parker?
This meeting was organized over the holidays by the City of Seal Beach to inform the citizens that this purchase was made. It was not anything more than an opportunity for people to get information on the acquisition.
Nobody working to conserve Los Cerritos Wetlands is close to feeling bored right now. In fact the fun has just begun!! Come out to our first Hellman Ranch Wetlands Clean-up on January 29th 12-3pm and see how much work we have to do now that the 100 acres is NOT PRIVATELY OWNED.
I didn’t see you at the meeting, Eric. I was there and it was exactly as I described it. Please don’t think I’m making any predictions about how people will respond to calls for participation and action down the line. I was merely making a comparison between meetings I attended when the fight for acquisition of wetlands has been in question and the first one I attended after wetlands acquistion was assured. Big difference—as was probably inevitable. But I will be attending other meetings and cleanups in the future, and whatever happens at them, I will report it.
Hiring a consultant always means paying far too much. Most consultants are at heart car salesmen with degrees. They’d be overall better served hiring an advisor from the garden section of Home Depot.
Am I to believe there are NO engineers working for the city who can be saddled with this responsibility, allowing them to earn their pay for a year? The money saved could be used to actualize a better, more thorough outcome. They don’t need to throw away money to a “consultant.” They aren’t trying to rebuild disneyland.
Just secure the toxic goo from the ’50′s from bursting out from it’s agitated lair, and provide an inviting place for migratory birds to park their tired feathery asses for a few weeks, and the job is done. The city can’t afford “consultants.” Hire someone in-house, or hire cheaply, and creatively. Stop throwing away money.