New Protection Urged for Ecological Areas : Environment: A county commission unanimously recommends tighter rules to head off development. Some say the action doesn’t go far enough.

The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission on Monday unanimously recommended tightening restrictions on development in 61 areas designated as the county’s most ecologically significant.

Commissioners heralded their vote as the perfect action to take on Earth Day. “Los Angeles County has taken a lead in the state, maybe even in the nation,” Commissioner Richard Wulliger said.

Some of the changes recommended Monday include the hiring of a staff biologist to look at projects proposed in any of the 61 Significant Ecological Areas identified by county staff members in 1980 as important examples of wildlife habitat and native vegetation. Another proposed change would require early planning commission review of every project proposed in an SEA that is not already scheduled for an environmental impact report. This would be done to head off development that could be harmful before it gets too far along to stop.

The commissioners also called for a study of the status of all 61 SEAs.

But environmentalists said the action taken by the commission does not go far enough and was watered down from what Supervisor Ed Edelman had proposed in March. “It perpetuates a system that is failing,” said Peter Ireland, a senior staff member with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

Edelman praised the commissioners’ recommendations, although he said he might try to strengthen the measures when they come before the Board of Supervisors for consideration in May. “It sends the message that we’re serious about doing a better job,” he said.

The list of SEAs includes sites such as the forested zone above Granada Hills, which will be partly lost when the Sunshine Canyon landfill is expanded in a few years. The zone is considered significant because of its oak groves.

Although some building was always expected in the zones, most of which are privately owned, a recent Times investigation found that development had been widespread and that pressure to develop was increasing.

About half of the ecological zones have been incorporated into cities since 1980 and the rest remain under county control. More than half are in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

Edelman on March 19 had asked his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to require additional environmental and biological studies whenever development is proposed in one of the special zones. He also said the county should tell builders which biologists they should use in evaluating proposed projects to make sure that scientific studies are not unduly influenced by developers.

Builders seemed generally pleased with Monday’s vote, but environmentalists said it did not go far enough. Ireland complained that environmental impact reports would only “generally” be required. Also, the SEA Technical Advisory Committee, which initially evaluates projects proposed in SEAs, would only “assist in the review of qualifications” of developer-hired biologists.

Pending development applications for the ecological zones--estimated by planning staff members to number between 30 and 45--would be exempted from the new regulations.

“That’s an escape hatch for those developers,” Ireland said.