"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."
Robert Swan, Polar Explorer and Inspirational Speaker
Marina del Rey Small Boat Harbor and Recreation Area was chiseled out of 950 acres of Ballona Wetlands located in Venice, California in 1954 by U.S. Congress Public Laws 389 and 780. Law 780 requires reasonable rates with equal access for all.
Activist Action: WETLAND MEADOW PARCEL 9U on Via Marina. Send a comment via USPS letter to: Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, 320 W. 4th Street, Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90013, Attn. 401 Certification Unit. Proposed project would reduce wetland size, bring polluted salt water into a fresh water site, create two hotels and an apartment building, in a rare place for herons and other birds.
Important items to consider:
1. Public Hearings on Fiji Way's Basin H Free Public Parking Lot 52, Parcel FF, Parcel 9U, Pier 44 and Fisherman's Village offer a rare opportunity to publicly define current recreational needs of Los Angeles County.
2. Public Hearings on the 2016 Local Coastal Plan Amendment offer a once in five years opportunity to identify the Environmental Impacts of pollutants from proposed expansion so close to the Ballona Wetlands.
3. Los Angeles County spent 2 million dollars of taxpayer money lobbying the California Coastal Commission to Amend the last Local Coastal Plan to change the ESHA (Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area) designation that protected mature trees, Monarch Butterflies and Heron Rookeries. We need to correct this at the Coastal Commission this year.
4. The Ballona Watershed flood plain covers large areas of the Marina. Sea level rise, a tsunami, or a huge storm event could flood the lower Ballona Watershed creating wide-spread property damage, road closures and loss of life. Tsunami warnings are posted in the Marina.
5. Ownership of these 950 acres of Marina del Rey Land has been contentious. Hotels, condos, apartments, stores, boat slips and yacht clubs are all on long-term land leases of 50-60 years. The County continues to eliminate parking lots / park set asides for development.
6. Some have expired, some have been renewed, and others are in contention.6. Opposition to Proposed Development Projects has grown among residents, recreational boaters, bicyclists, bird watchers, fisherman, walkers, runners and environmentalist.
7. Millions of dollars in public funds were spent to acquire land, dredge the channel, widen our beach 450 feet for 5.5 miles, create a small craft harbor, provide fishing, swimming, recreation and wildlife opportunities for the people of LA. Funding was provided U.S. Congress U.S. Congress, Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County in almost equal parts.
8. U.S. Congress Documents 389 and 780 defined Oxford Lagoon Bird Sanctuary as 41.9 acres. Only 10.7 acres were actually set aside.
9. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged the Channel and the 12 small craft harbor basins. Funding for continual maintenance of the Channel is appropriated by U.S. Congress.
10. Water sustains all life, without it all living things perish. 90% of all our wetlands in Southern California have been built on or paved over. We have done this at our peril.
11. Over development threatens Via Marina, Fiji Way and Admiralty Way: Wetland Meadow Parcel 9U, Mariners Village old growth trees, cormorants and heron rookery on Via Marina; Dock 52, Parcel FF, and Fisherman's Village on Fiji Way; and, Pier 44 on Admiralty Way.
12. Los Angeles imports around 85% of its water from over 200 miles away. It uses 30% of its state electrical power to deliver this water.
