One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Coastal Conservancy releases up to $6.5 million for Ballona Wetlands recovery
(
Molly Peterson/KPCC
)
Listen
1:02
Coastal Conservancy releases up to $6.5 million for Ballona Wetlands recovery
Coastal Conservancy releases up to $6.5 million for Ballona Wetlands recovery
The state Coastal Conservancy has approved nearly $6.5 million for reconstructing the Ballona Wetlands in west Los Angeles County.
Shelly Luce, executive director of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, says the money will pay for the project's planning and engineering over the next several years.
“We're going to be able to repair and enhance that entire 600 acres, put in the facilities that are needed like paths, parking areas, and information kiosks,” Luce says. “Connect it to a regional bike path that comes down Ballona Creek, and just make it open and accessible to the millions of people who live close to it and others who come from far away.”
The City of Los Angeles built Marina del Rey in the 1950s atop the former salt marsh, which stretched thousands of acres. Developing the marina meant dredging up sediment and dumping it around a Ballona Creek that the US Army Corps of Engineers had channelized. Degraded now, the area remains the last wetland in Los Angeles.
“Really there are a lot of people in southern California who have never experienced a healthy and thriving wetland because we've lost most of the wetlands in southern California,” Luce says.
Shelly Luce, executive director of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, says monitoring and engineering for the concrete waterway itself account for much of the restoration project cost over the next several years. Teams already track plants, birds, fish, and other wildlife, and they survey water flows.
“So some of the money's going to go for that and a lot of the money's going to go for the actual design process,” she says. That “includes a master plan for the public access which is something we are really excited about.”
Paths and parking lots are in that plan. So is public education, and projects to improve and connect existing bike paths. As hundreds of acres of wetlands recover, Luce imagines people on those paths may see more wildlife and a richer ecosystem around the Ballona Creek area, too.
Sponsored message
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
