Loss of $50 million leaves Ballona Wetlands with uncertain future

A high-profile charitable foundation has backed out of a project to restore the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve — a departure that could mean a loss of $50 million dollars for the last coastal wetlands in Los Angeles County.

The Ballona Wetlands is a 600-acre patch of land and salt marsh between Marina Del Rey and Playa Del Rey. Much of the property is buried under dredged dirt, concrete and litter.

Efforts to restore the wetlands have been underway for decades, but little headway has been made. Some proposed plans have been strongly opposed by community and environmental groups.

A partnership consisting of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Coastal Commission and the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission has been conducting an environmental impact report of several alternatives for improving the site.

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The Annenberg Foundation, which announced this week that it was suspending its participation in the project, would have given $50 million dollars to restoration plans that included a 46,000-square-foot visitors’ center.

The center was a point of contention for many because of plans to house a pet adoption facility there.

Jordan Traverso, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the environmental impact report would continue but that it was unclear at this point what would be included.

“There’s so much that’s already gone into this restoration and so many other partners involved that the EIR will move forward, but what that looks like, I don’t know,” Traverso said.

She said that many consider some form of education and interpretive center as important for teaching future visitors about the wetland area.

Of the seven proposed alternatives for the project, four include a visitors’ center onsite. One of the alternatives includes plans for a center off the property. Another alternative envisions no changes to the existing site. 

“I don’t know at this point if we’re going to strip the ones that have the interpretive center in it or just leave them in there in the event there’s still a possibility of an interpretive center sometime in the future,” Traverso said.

The remaining partner organizations released a statement this week saying that the Annenberg Foundation was suspending its participation due to “a comprehensive evaluation of all the community-development projects it is involved in, that resulted in a re-prioritization of resources and focus.”

Some environmental groups welcomed the announcement, saying the proposed project was misdirected.

“This project was never going to work in an ecological reserve,” said Walter Lamb, president of the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust in a released statement. “All the signs of inevitable failure were there from the outset, but the project team unfortunately ignored them and closed themselves off from what would could have been useful public feedback. The result is a regrettable squandering of precious time, money and credibility that represents a significant setback for this remarkable ecosystem.”

Other groups, however, said they were disappointed by the Annenberg Foundation’s decision.

“It was disappointing news to hear about, and we hope that they’re going to come back into this project down the road,” said Lisa Fimiani, executive director of the nonprofit Friends of Ballona Wetlands. “I think they’ve been a wonderful partner up until now.”

Fimiani said that her organization would continue working towards a viable restoration plan, despite the setback.

“We’re not going to let this stop us. We know what has to be done out there, and I know that we’re going to find a way to push forward,” Fimiani said.

The Annenberg Foundation did not respond to requests for comment.