Bolsa gets $10 million

Jenny Marder

The missing link needed to breathe life back into the Bolsa Chica

Wetlands was approved by the California Coastal Conservancy last

week.

At a meeting in Laguna Beach, the state agency OKd the final $10

million needed to move forward with the restoration of the degraded

marshland.

“To see a plan of restoration completed and approved and to now

see restoration begin is wonderful,” said Shirley Dettloff, a former

mayor and coastal commissioner, who’s been working on this for

decades.

The influx is the final funding piece to the $109-million project,

which calls for 370 acres of full tidal and 180 acres of muted tidal

habitat.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are providing the funding

for the bulk of the project to offset the environmental effects of

development along San Pedro Harbor.

“Ten million dollars is only part of the greater expenses, but it

means that we can get going on this extremely important restoration,”

conservancy spokesman Dick Wayman said. “This is one of the most

important restorations on the California coast. We know from the

existing restored area that a lot of animals, including many

endangered species are doing pretty well there right now. We can be

quite confident that further restoration will greatly improve this

habitat.”

Restoration calls for an inlet to be cut through Bolsa Chica State

Beach and cross Pacific Coast Highway, allowing ocean water to flow

into the degraded marshes at the long-neglected Bolsa Chica lowlands.

Goals are to create a nursery habitat for the California Halibut and

improve the nesting habitat for the area’s endangered birds; the

California least tern, light-footed clapper rail, snowy plover, and

Belding’s Savannah sparrow.

Restoration is set to begin this fall and will include

construction of a new ocean channel, tidal basins, island habitats

and pedestrian bridges that connect the wetlands to the beach via

Pacific Coast Highway. Construction is expected to take three years

to complete.

The first phase -- stripping the south end of the Bolsa Chica of

39 active and 17 idle oil wells and rigs -- is already underway.