City floats bay-control idea

Newport Beach leaders in talks with state, county officials about managing Upper Newport Bay.When it comes to the Back Bay, Newport Beach officials have more on their minds than dredging.

Control, for one thing.

For about two years, the city has discussed the possibility of assuming management of the Back Bay with county officials and the California Department of Fish and Game, said Newport Beach Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff.

Now, the bay is managed by the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks Division and the state Department of Fish and Game. There is no set timeline for negotiations, Kiff said.

Under the plan favored by the city, Newport Beach would join with the county and state agencies to establish a conservancy for the area, Kiff said. Under that partnership, responsibility for managing the Back Bay would fall to the city.

“It needs to be holistically managed,” Kiff said.

Representatives from the county and Department and Fish and Game confirmed that county and state officials have been in talks with Newport representatives, but did not go into specifics regarding the discussions. Fish and Game spokesman Steve Martarano said his agency is willing to consider cooperative arrangements to care for natural resources.

“We’re always on the lookout to make these partnerships work,” Martarano said.

If the city’s concept becomes a reality, Newport Beach would likely hire a private agency with expertise in habitat management to do the day-to-day work at the Back Bay, Kiff said. Kiff acknowledged that Newport would need to look outside the city’s payroll to find people with the ability to take care of the Back Bay, which is both a recreational attraction for people and a habitat for wildlife, including some endangered species

“We would bring in somebody smart,” Kiff said.

Kiff mentioned the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust as a candidate. The Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust is a nonprofit that was created earlier this year by Irvine Co. chairman Donald Bren to manage more than 50,000 acres that have been set aside by the Irvine Co. as open space. Representatives from the nonprofit could not be reached Tuesday.

The primary reason Newport officials want to exercise control over the Back Bay is the city’s assessment that Newport Beach could provide more money needed to maintain trails, keep restrooms clean and fight litter, Kiff said.

“It stems from money. You see the problems the state has with its budget,” Kiff said. “Department of Fish and Game is close to the bottom of the funding totem pole.”

Back Bay park ranger Sue McIntire said she had some personal concerns about Newport’s proposal. Specifically, she questioned how much a city like Newport Beach would focus on the recreational needs of its own residents as opposed to the those of park visitors from other communities.

Kiff said the city recognizes the regional appeal of the Back Bay and would not take a Newport-centric approach to the habitat if it ever falls under the city’s auspices.

The board of the volunteer Upper Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends is enthusiastic about the prospect of the city taking over Back Bay management, group president Jack Keating said. He said he and other volunteers think the city’s proposal could lead to improved education and restoration efforts at the bay.

“If we look back over time, although the habitat value of the bay has not diminished significantly, it has not improved to the degree that we think it should,” Keating said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards@latimes.com.

20051207ilpj6dncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Newport Beach officials are considering a plan to assume some management of the Back Bay.