Wetland restoration inches closer

Dave Brooks

A plan to restore 180 acres of wetlands habitat in south Huntington

Beach is beginning to take shape.

Workers with the California Department of Transportation will

spend the next month removing nonnative plants from the Brookhurst

Marsh before handing the land over to the Huntington Beach Wetlands

Conservancy, one of the final acquisitions in a restoration project

to connect wetlands from the Santa Ana River to the AES power plant.

Conservancy Project Manager Gary Gorman envisions a tidal marsh

with saltwater allowed to flow up to a series of sand dunes that

would act as a buffer to Pacific Coast Highway. The area would serve

as a habitat for the endangered Belding’s Savannah Sparrow, and

include a special interpretive trail for visitors.

“The plan is to provide public access and local community control

to wetland resources,” Gorman said.

Acquiring the coastal wetlands wasn’t easy -- it took an act of

the California legislature. Assemblyman Tom Harman drafted the

legislation in December 2002, allowing Caltrans to hand over the

property to the nonprofit. Caltrans promised to restore the coastal

sand dunes five years prior as part of a compromise with the Coastal

Commission in exchange for widening portions of Pacific Coast

Highway.

The restoration hit a roadblock when a judge issued an injunction

on the project, following a lawsuit by a nearby resident. Several

years passed before the two sides reached a settlement agreement.

When the smoked cleared, little restoration had been done, Harman

said, and it seemed obvious that the land should be handed over to a

conservation group.

“It was pointed out to me that Caltrans owned the property and

they weren’t doing a very good job maintaining it,” Harman said. “I

think that was obvious to everyone including Caltrans.”

Before the conservancy takes over the site, Caltrans has agreed to

remove nonnative myoporums and ice plant.

“Those plants grow so fast, they choke the natives out,” said

Gorman, who’s team of volunteers plan to begin native replanting

efforts shortly after Caltrans work is complete.

The Brookhurst marsh acquisition is one of the final pieces in the

conservancy efforts to own and maintain a continuous wetland corridor

that includes Talbert Marsh, Magnolia Marsh and Little Shell.

Recently the conservancy broke ground on a 4,200-square-foot wildlife

care and education building and hope to create a volunteer run native

plant nursery in the near future.

The largest component of the project, the flooding of much of the

wetlands with ocean waters from a nearby tidal jetty, still remains

years away.

Engineer Christopher Webb with the coastal design firm Moffat and

Nichols is preparing several schematics that could potentially remove

a nearby levy to allow flows in and out of the wetlands.

The larger capacity of the new tidal inlets would allow for

increased flood control, Gorman said, and would help filter storm

water coming from inland cities.

Whatever happens, the project won’t be completed until near the

end of the decade, Gorman said. The design itself won’t be ready

until April and it could take more than a year to secure the proper

permits.

“On top of that, we have to continue to look for funding as the

project is ongoing,” he said. “Most of the changes will come in

phases.”

In the end, Gorman said the wetlands will serve as a birthing

place for many ocean animals and a rich feeding ground for migratory

birds.

“This will really be the beginning of the food chain,” he said.

“It will all start right here. The salt marsh is one of the most

productive habitats on the coast.”