Conservancy, Murray contribute good work Concerning the...
Conservancy, Murray contribute good work
Concerning the Mailbag letter in your April 7 edition regarding
the Bolsa Chica Conservancy, I really wonder who wrote that letter. I
trust it wasn’t actually Jeff Rokos.
Some so-called environmentalists are so busy spreading hatred that
they cannot recognize the true efforts to restore the Bolsa Chica. If
Rokos were actually involved in the community, he would recognize the
good work of the Bolsa Chica Conservancy and that of Louann Murray as
the Conservator of the Year.
Whoever is behind this effort, please stop bad mouthing a
legitimate environmental effort. If Rokos were to take part in
installing native plants and pulling ice plants and doing something
useful, he might be able to give a legitimate comment.
ED LAIRD
Huntington Beach
Bolsa Chica group
is still going strong
Please accept this response to Jeff Rokos’ letter published in the
April 7 Mailbag section and its misrepresentations and errors in
fact.
First, Rokos alleges that the board of directors of the Bolsa
Chica Conservancy is controlled by “persons whose livelihoods are
derived from the developing and building out of Southern California.”
The Bolsa Chica Conservancy was established in 1990 by the Bolsa
Chica Planning Coalition, consisting of representatives from the
state of California, county of Orange, city of Huntington Beach, the
landowner Signal Landmark and the Amigos de Bolsa Chica. Now, 15
years later, our board of directors is comprised of a wide spectrum
of representatives from the scientific, education, business and
environmental communities. The 25-member board has guided our
environmental and educational programs and activities for the benefit
of the general public with great success over the course of 15 years.
Not one individual or organization controls the conservancy, a
nonprofit, public benefit corporation. Rather, it fulfills its
charter as a nonpolitical entity with representation from multiple
sectors in order to raise public awareness about and do real
environmental work for the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. Please note that its
charter is in regard to the Bolsa Chica wetlands, not the mesa.
Next, he writes: “It seems that Murray has played the game well
and walked that fine line ... but the title about to be bestowed upon
her will ring hollow once the public learns the truth about the
organization recognizing her good service.”
Louann Murray has dedicated her life and work to preserving the
environment, most specifically in the city of Huntington Beach. Not
only has she successfully run restoration projects at the Bolsa Chica
and the Shipley Nature Center, she has also worked to enhance and
improve the lives of at-risk youth who help her in her projects.
Murray joins the list of accomplished individuals that have received
this award, which includes Stanley Grant, former mayor Shirley
Dettloff, Councilwoman Cathy Green and former mayor Peter Green, Ed
Laird and Robert Hight, the former head of the California Department
of Fish and Game. Like Murray, these individuals were selected as
recipients of the Bolsa Chica Conservator of the Year Award for their
outstanding commitment to the environment.
Further, Rokos states: “The Bolsa Chica Conservancy seems to be on
a public relations blitzkrieg lately. Could it be they sense their
own demise, having outlived their usefulness once the groundbreaking
take place on the upper mesa?”
The Bolsa Chica Conservancy is one of the more underestimated and
under-credited organizations in Huntington Beach. If it has one
failing, it is that it has not touted its successes and good work.
In its 15-year history, it has hosted close to 40,000 individuals
at the Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center, the only center that
showcases Bolsa Chica-related material. It has provided science-based
wetland ecology classes to more than 16,000 children and young adults
whose ages range from pre-school to graduate level students,
including mentally and physically disabled individuals and at-risk
youth. In addition, the conservancy has organized and managed more
than 25,000 hours of volunteer service to maintain and clean the
trails at the Bolsa Chica, weed non-native plants and install
hundreds of native plants. Between the years of 2002 and 2004, the
Bolsa Chica Conservancy assisted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service
with the restoration of Rabbit Island, a historic sand dune community
by removing more than 70 tons of ice plant, by hand to allow growth
of endangered species of plants such as the coastal wooly head, and
to improve habitat for nesting threatened snowy plovers.
Since 1998, it has logged thousands of hours in conducting water
quality testing of the Bolsa Chica and surrounding waterways.
Contrary to the writer’s claims that the organization is nearing
its demise, the conservancy indeed thrives and is in the midst of
repairing its 1,400-square-foot interpretive center to fulfill our
mission for many more years to come. We revel in overwhelming and
increasing support in time, talent and treasure from the general
public, government agencies and the corporate community. Demand for
its services, which include tours, wetland ecology classes, clean-up
of the wetlands and habitat restoration, is ever-growing as public
awareness for the benefits of wetlands increases.
We are proud of our track record of success and invite your
readers to join us in action, not rhetoric, for the benefit of the
wetlands at Bolsa Chica.
PATRICIA DAVIS
Chairwoman,
Bolsa Chica Conservancy
Sale of Little League fields rather insane
In regard to the selling of Little League fields at Wardlow Park
for housing, I have to agree with Councilman Dave Sullivan that the
idea of this proposal makes no sense. “Moronic” was the word he used
in the Independent. The city has been building new sports and
recreational facilities because a shortage exists. Now the Fountain
Valley School District wants to convert some to housing.
Perhaps the district superintendent should be reminded that the
office exists to serve the residents of this city. I feel certain the
residents want no conversions of sports facilities to housing. A
budget shortfall should never be satisfied by taking recreational
facilities away from school-age kids. Find other means to solve
budget problems!
Be reminded also, from a housing and population perspective, the
city is already extremely overcrowded with a seriously stressed
infrastructure. Add more housing? To whose benefit we need to ask --
certainly not to the benefit of the residents. However, it does
provide more dollars for real estate developers, doesn’t it?
Perhaps the district superintendent should be petitioned to
reconsider or be otherwise impeached, if that is possible, and be
replaced by someone who can provide creative, practical and amenable
solutions to budget management problems. Further, perhaps the City
Council should consider working with the Planning Commission to
prohibit the conversion of recreational and sport facilities to
housing or commercial developments.
It’s time for the insanity to stop!
GIL NIXON
Huntington Beach
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.