Endangered wetlands offer vital wildlife habitat and, often, a reason to fight about coastal development

Between Southern California’s popular beaches and much-traversed mountain trails lies an unsung natural landscape, teeming with its own special wildlife.

As you head outdoors to celebrate Earth Day weekend — or to simply connect with nature and leave behind the anxieties of urban life — one option is our area’s often overlooked coastal wetlands.

In Orange and Los Angeles counties, more than 90 percent of the estuaries, lagoons and other coastal waters that existed in the 19th century have been lost to roads, buildings and other development. But what remains provides a crucial habitat for resident animals and migrating birds, including several endangered species.

While conservancies and other environmental guardians focus first on protecting and restoring the natural habitat, most of the larger wetlands also offer hiking and bird-watching opportunities — including guided tours. The Upper Newport Bay Preserve even offers kayak tours.

“It’s unique,” said the Newport Bay Conservancy’s Heather Cieslak. “You can be sitting in a kayak in the middle of 1,000 acres of wildlife, while just beyond is the heavily urbanized city of Newport Beach.”

While parts of the Upper Newport Bay can be seen from dozens of surrounding locations, there are few vantage points where the entire majesty of the area can be taken in. That consistently leads first-time visitors to marvel at the expanse, Cieslak said. Conservancy literature long carried the catch phrase “Hidden Gem,” although the group has now decided to forgo that tagline — in part because of its goal to make the public better aware of the preserve.

 

Endangered critters

There are dozens of remnants of wetlands dotting Orange and Los Angeles counties, ranging from creek and river mouths to bays and harbors to estuaries and lagoons. A half dozen are still big enough to offer significant wildlife experiences for humans and animals alike. Upper Newport Bay, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach and the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, for instance, all provide a home or migration stop for more than 200 species of birds

The larger wetlands are particularly crucial in providing fish hatcheries fish and habitat for the endangered California Ridgway’s rail, Savannah sparrow, snowy plover, least tern and tidewater goby. Bobcats, owls, rabbits and weasels are among the dozens of other animals sometimes seen.

One female bobcat at the Upper Newport Bay Preserve has gained a reputation for her frequent visits to the patio at the Interpretative Center, earning the name “Babe” from staff and visitors there.

Awareness of the ecological importance of these wetlands began growing in the 1960s, when efforts to preserve and restore them began ramping up. Upper Newport Bay was among the beneficiaries, with environment-minded residents successfully suing to block development of a marina and waterfront homes. That led to the area becoming an ecological preserve in 1975, overseen by the California Department of Fish and Game.

Ongoing battles

Battles to preserve other wetlands have continued ever since.

At Bolsa Chica, a hunting lodge and Army installation have come and gone. Oil wells remain on a portion of the property. A 1970 proposal for 5,000 homes and a marina was fought for decades, evolving into a 2005 approval for 379 houses restricted to a portion of the upper mesa. The state has acquired about 1,400 acres through voter-approved bonds and mitigation funds. Restoration is ongoing while most of the homes have been built.

The Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority, which straddles the border of Long Beach and Seal Beach, last year reached a deal with oil interests to swap a 150-acre oil field in the wetlands for 12 acres nearby. The controversial agreement, approved by the state Coastal Commission in December, will allow Synergy Oil and Beach Oil Minerals to extract as much as 80 times more oil from the smaller site while allowing restoration of the existing oil field.

Ballona Wetlands lost more than 900 acres to the development of Marina del Rey in the 1960s. But environmentalists successfully fought off subsequent development plans, with the state eventually acquiring nearly 600 acres. Restoration efforts in the area continue.

One ongoing battle is the fight for the largely undeveloped, 401-acre Banning Ranch, which has wetlands adjacent to the Santa Ana River in Newport Beach. In 1997, 1,750 homes were proposed for the area. Plans were scaled back at least twice, with the most recent proposal calling for 895 homes, a resort hotel and retail shops on 70 acres. That was rejected in 2016 by the Coastal Commission, which cited environmental concerns. The owner is expected to return with a still smaller proposal while the Banning Ranch Conservancy is raising funds to try to buy the land.

Long-term strategy

Beside providing habitat critical to the survival of a number of species, wetlands are touted by ecologists for serving as a buffer from a rising and increasing volatile Pacific ocean, providing hiking trails amid heavily urbanized areas and sequestering carbon. Wetlands capture and store carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere as methane.

“Throughout most of recorded world history, wetlands were regarded as wastelands and problem areas to be drained and filled,” says the “Wetlands on the Edge” strategy document compiled by the state Coastal Conservancy and approved in October by a coalition of 18 state and federal environmental agencies. “(But) a shift in the understanding and appreciation for these habitats has occurred, and wetlands are now valued worldwide for the many benefits they provide.”

The 2-foot sea-level rise predicted by 2050 — and 5 1/2 feet by 2100 — would swallow huge chunks of Southern California’s wetlands. The coalition, dubbed the Southern California Wetlands Recover Project, advocates expanding wetlands eastward — beginning immediately, because it can take at least 20 years to develop a functioning wetland.

The strategy is intended to preserve the existing size of wetlands amid sea-level rise and is based on available open space — including parking lots and farmland — that could be converted to wetlands without tearing down buildings.

“We set out to be aspirational,” said the state Coastal Conservancy’s Megan Cooper when the strategy document was approved. “We anticipate the realities of how hard this will be to accomplish. In some areas, it may not be realistic.”

Visiting the wetlands

Here are major wetlands in Orange and Los Angeles counties, listed from south to north, with a sampling of events this weekend and beyond. All allow free, self-guided public access except where otherwise noted. Earth Day is officially Monday 22, but there are Earth Day events throughout the month.

Upper Newport Bay Preserve in Newport Beach. The 1,000-acre preserve will host a free Earth Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, 2301 University Drive. There will be booths, food trucks, short films, live music and drawings. The Newport Bay Conservancy regularly hosts events every

weekend, including guided kayak tours on Saturdays and Sundays. 949-923-2290.

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach. The 1,400-acre wetlands held its Earth Day event April 13, but holds free events most Saturdays. This Saturday, there will be an animal feeding at 10 a.m. with discussion of the diets and biology of the area’s wildlife. Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center, 3842 Warner Ave. 714-846-1114.

Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The 965-acres refuge is within the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach and closed to the public except during special events and free escorted tours held at 8:30 a.m. on the last Saturday of every month but December. Reservations are required by the Wednesday before each tour. U.S. citizens only, photo ID required. 800 Seal Beach Blvd. 562-598-1024.

Los Cerritos Wetlands in Seal Beach and Long Beach. The 776-acre wetlands’ next free, guided nature walk will be at 8 a.m. May 4, beginning at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and First Street in Seal Beach. 562-293-3011.

Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve in Playa del Rey. The 577-acre reserve will hold a free birding event and creek clean-up Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. Reservations required for the birding event. It will host an Earth Day habitat restoration to replace invasive plants with indigenous species at 9:30 a.m. on April 27. The meeting place for the events is the dirt parking lot behind Gordon’s Market, 303 Culver Blvd. 310-306-5994.

Malibu Lagoon State Beach in Malibu. The state beach — which includes the famous Surfrider Beach surf spot, the Malibu Pier, the historic Adamson House and the Malibu Lagoon Museum — is 110 acres, with an estuary accounting for 31 acres. At 9 a.m. Saturday,  The Bay Foundation is hosting a restoration event to replace invasive plants with indigenous species. 23200 Pacific Coast Highway. 310-417-3093.