San Fernando Valley nature lovers and environmental groups say the Army Corps Of Engineers recently cleared too much vegetation from the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area. The San Fernando Valley Audubon Society says the Army Corps of Engineers “(L)aid waste to the South Wildlife Reserve in the Sepulveda Basin,” and described the clearing performed by the Corps as “a mechanized blitzkrieg assault.” The Corps says the actions were part of a planned vegetation clearing in the Basin designed to selectively remove some non-native plants and trees. The Corps has agreed to stop further vegetation clearing until they can meet with environmental groups to discuss the plan to clear more vegetation.
Are the local groups overreacting? Shouldn’t the 70-year legacy of brilliant flood control infrastructure exonerate any actions taken by the Army Corps of Engineers, who designed Sepulveda Dam as part of the channelling of the Los Angeles River after devastating floods in 1938? Or have the Feds overreached?
Guests:
Molly Peterson, KPCC Environmental Reporter
Kris Ohlenkamp, conservation chairman of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society