Defend Ballona Wetlands

It’s been 20 years since the State of California acquired more than 600 acres of fragile coastal lands on the Los Angelesles coast: now the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve. Maybe you’ll want to watch an award-winning film to celebrate.

The Last Stand: Heroes at Ballona Wetlands - Santa Monica Daily Press With all the grim news in the world these days, and I’m not even including pathological prevaricator George Santos still being a member of Congress, I’m pleased to write about a cause that is uplifting. The Ethos Film Festival runs from November 10 through November 17 at different venues in Sant...

Of importance to our community:

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“We welcome the ruling,” said Marcia Hanscom, a community organizer for Defend Ballona Wetlands. “It gives the mosaic of habitats at the ecological reserve a reprieve from facing utter destruction and upheaval by state officials who — shockingly — favor sending bulldozers and other heavy equipment into these fragile wetlands.”

She fears that dozens of struggling species, and much of their habitat, would be sacrificed by restoration-related excavation, and the addition of 10 miles of bike paths.

Judge orders halt to Ballona Wetlands restoration project A judge ordered the state to suspend any project activity and prepare a 'legally adequate' environmental impact report 'if it chooses to proceed.'

Attorney Hall noted, “One of the things that disturbs me most is that it was not going to be realistically possible for them (the state) to achieve what they said that they were going to do—i.e. relocate or trap animals to ensure that they didn’t perish—while they’re bulldozing and grading this land, in order to create artificial habitats.”

In the Los Angeles Daily News, the CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife pushes back against what the Court ruled. Judge Chalfant will surely set them straight on what his ruling actually said when attorneys go back to Court for the judgment next month.

It's hard to believe that they didn't understand the ruling - which concludes that the environmental review was flawed- with incorrect flood risk standards being used andinsufficient assurances that wildlife populations would not be harmed. Plus, the ruling includes an injunction that does not allow any alteration of the land unless a NEW and LEGAL environmental review is completed.

Note: The project that CDFW has apparently dug its heels into sticking with and the design that they put forth would have placed much of Playa del Rey, Del Rey, Marina del Rey and possibly Venice - and the surrounding roadways - at increased risk of flooding.

With sea level rising, this plan to bring more ocean water in not only would decimate wildlife populations that do not do survive in saltwater (like our beloved Chorus Frogs!) - but it is insane to lower soil elevations that place the local communities at greater risk to flooding.

Court ruling halts controversial Ballona Wetlands restoration project Environmental activists win case against proposed restoration plan that would bulldoze areas of the wetlands and relocate over 2 million cubic yards of soil