Natural Perspectives:

Lou and I had hoped to be able to end 2009 on a celebratory note: The new footbridge at the north end of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve had been scheduled to be installed by today. But numerous deadlines over the past month had been established and then bypassed.

The latest word we have is that installation will now happen in the first week of January. The concrete footings have been in place for many weeks — actually, several months now. What’s holding things up is completion of the fabrication of the steel span itself. Once complete, it will be transported from the factory somewhere in Arizona. When it arrives, it will be hoisted with a giant crane and placed down on its footings.

We’ll have to wait until 2010 to see the new footbridge adjacent to Warner Avenue.

This year has not been without good news, however. The highlight, in our opinion, was the press conference near Pacific Coast Highway announcing the awarding of a major federal stimulus fund grant to the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy. The funds amount to $3.2 million and will be used by the conservancy for the restoration of the wetlands north of PCH and west of Magnolia Street.

Dubbed Magnolia Marsh by the conservancy, this area had been cut off from tidal water flow for many decades. The restoration will reshape the ground and remove some of the flood control channel levee. The levee will not be removed on the side with homes and commercial development! Because the water in the channel is close enough to the ocean to be subject to the tides, the restored marsh soon will experience tides once again, just as it did a century ago.

Another step forward for our local wetlands was the beginning of a formal process for the design of a permanent interpretive center at Bolsa Chica. The Bolsa Chica Conservancy, funded with grants from Southern California Gas Co. and other major sponsors, held a series of public open houses to gather public input on the content and themes that should dominate the center. There is still a long way to go in fundraising, design, engineering, permitting and all the steps typical of any major construction project, but at least the first steps on the journey have been taken.

Another bit of forward progress for the environment was the installation of a 4,000-gallon rainwater capture system and recirculating stream at Shipley Nature Center. An underground cistern holds water collected from the roof of the interpretive building, providing all the water the stream needs to function. As water is gradually lost to evaporation, it will be replenished automatically from the cistern. Landscaping is now complete around the new stream. The birds and wildlife love this new feature.

Unfortunately, 2009 was not without some bad news. The environmental movement lost Joel Pasco and Jan Vandersloot. Pasco founded the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, where animals can receive state-of-the-art veterinary care. Vandersloot was at the forefront of every battle to save local wetlands and protect our environment. They will be missed.

In July, the California Department of Fish and Game, which manages Bolsa Chica, promoted and relocated Jeff Stoddard, one of the two full-time staff members with responsibilities at Bolsa Chica. That was good news for Stoddard, but bad news for us, as Bolsa Chica lost an experienced person. Stoddard is now in the Sacramento area, where the cost of living is lower (so his government salary will go a little farther) and where there is even more wildlife than in Orange County.

The local environmental community had gotten to know and like Stoddard, so losing him was a loss in a personal sense. But it is also a very practical loss, because now full responsibility falls on Kelly O’Reilly, the biologist in charge, who has only a staff of two part-time assistants. Bottom line for this story?

We, the community, are called upon to be especially vigilant, volunteering even more of our time in basic management functions like picking up debris and working on revegetation projects. After all, it’s our wetlands.

There is good news ahead, both for us and Stoddard. The footbridge is bound to be installed sooner or later, and because he was instrumental in bringing the project about, the department will send him down to Bolsa Chica on temporary duty to see the last phases of the project and a grand opening ceremony. 2010 should be getting off to a good start. Happy new year to us all!

VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and environmentalists. They can be reached at LMurrayPhD@gmail.com.