Mysterious misdeeds at Bolsa Chica

VIC LEIPZIG AND LOU MURRAY

Grace Adams, the Bolsa Chica Conservancy’s Executive Director, found

a dead fish in her mailbox recently. It had been left there as

“evidence” by a concerned citizen who had supposedly witnessed

poaching at the tide gates.

It is legal to fish at Bolsa Chica, but only in a specific area at

the ecological reserve at Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

Fishing at the tide gates, however, is not legal.

But why was the fish in the mailbox? The cops are going to love

this one: The lady left it so Grace could have the police test the

fish for fingerprints. Someone has been watching too much forensic

television.

Laura Bandy of the Bolsa Chica Conservancy had more stories of

Bolsa Chica misdeeds and miscreants. She told of a guy walking his

two dogs off-leash on the mesa. That in and of itself wouldn’t be a

story, because, unfortunately, people do that all the time.

The Wintersburg flood-control channel banks seem to be an

unofficial off-leash dog park. Most people either feign ignorance of

the law when told that dogs aren’t allowed at the ecological reserve,

or they walk their dogs on the flood control channel and turn around

when they reach the ecological reserve boundary.

Not this guy. He seemed to feel it was his God-given right to have

his dogs off-leash in the reserve. When asked by a volunteer to leash

them and take them out of the reserve, he refused. He did so in such

a nasty manner that the volunteer called animal control.

Amazingly, a county animal control officer responded, and equally

amazing, the guy was still there with his dogs still off-leash. The

officer explained the law to him and asked him politely to put the

dogs on leash, but he not only refused -- he cussed out the officer.

Not smart.

The animal control officer called a sheriff’s deputy, who

explained the law to the dog-walker and asked him to comply. Again,

the guy cussed a blue streak and refused. The deputy warned him

again, but there was still no compliance. Saying “no” to a man with a

gun, handcuffs and a badge really wasn’t his smartest move, but this

guy had already demonstrated he was neither a model citizen nor a

rocket scientist.

He went to jail, where deputies discovered he had many outstanding

and unpaid tickets for walking his dogs off-leash.

When the guy finally got his day in court, he cussed out the

judge. That earned him a hefty fine and some more jail time, all for

refusing to put his dogs on a leash.

That certainly isn’t the only case of nuisance dogs at the Bolsa

Chica, but it’s the most flagrant that we’ve heard about. The problem

with the Bolsa Chica is that some of the area is a virtual no man’s

land. Property boundaries are vague and unmarked. Who is in charge of

what area is unclear.

The area by the tide gates and along the flood-control channel is

the worst. If a crime is observed, it is unclear which authority

should be called.

The county has jurisdiction for most of the area, but there is no

easy access to the eucalyptus groves in the lowlands, where most of

the illegal activity takes place. What sheriff’s deputy wants to take

the time to walk a half-mile to an alleged crime scene?

The Huntington Beach aero division could scramble for a

helicopter, but there’s a major problem: They can’t tell what is

county flood control property, what is owned by the state and managed

by the Department of Fish and Game, what is owned by the state and

managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and what is private

property owned by Hearthside Homes. And in any case, the city has

jurisdiction only over the Shea property, popularly known as the

“bean field.”

Crimes that occur in the eucalyptus grove, which is officially

designated as an environmentally sensitive habitat area, are legion

and extend well beyond walking dogs off-leash.

Drug paraphernalia found in the area indicates that people smoke

dope and do other drugs in the safety of the eucalyptus grove. .

Others dig forts for paintball fights, disturbing wildlife and

precious archeological sites. One teen told us that he found

arrowheads after digging a tunnel 6 feet into the earth. These

artifacts are now in his possession and lost to science.

One of the more destructive crimes has been the construction of

ramps and pits for dirt bikes and remote-control cars. Vandals have

cut down trees, dug deep pits, and destroyed vegetation.

One of the many wrongdoings that we heard of was a film crew

shooting a porno movie, with bare-bottomed porn stars boffing in the

buff. Is this something we want third-grade tours to see?

What is going on at Bolsa Chica is an outrage, and official

response is weak at best. It’s time for a caring public to insist on

protection for our public lands and insist that laws be enforced

there. The various property owners need to mark their property

boundaries and post what is and is not allowed.

We urge law enforcement officials to take this seriously. Make

Bolsa Chica safe for law-abiding citizens. Put a stop to unlawful

activity there.

* VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and

environmentalists. They can be reached at vicleipzig@aol.com.