Last Update, under comments, a link was given for removal of ice plant. Douglas Fay, longtime environmental activist, refutes the necessity of such and explains the damage that removal could cause. He wrote the following letter to the California Coastal Commission.

Doug Fay explained that the link goes to “another one of Dr. David Kay’s false and misleading articles. Below is my letter that was submitted to the CCC. The first paragraph was sent to me by local activists. The second paragraph is my draft explaining my expertise and experience with invasive species removal.”

Dear Coastal Commissioners,

Please reject the unsustainable and draconian plans by the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and its agent, The Bay Foundation, to cover three acres of wetlands with heavy plastic, ostensibly to eradicate iceplant, a non native species. There are numerous species of native plants growing with the Iceplant – including salt grass, cressa, Yerba Mansa and more. AND the Iceplant is holding the rain waters in that are habitat for the frogs. In this case, the non natives are helping and are a beneficial addition to the ecosystem! The frying of the Iceplant that the plastic sheeting would initiate would also burn up any animals beneath the soil surface, including frogs, lizards, salamanders, ground squirrels, insects and other animals that live beneath the surface.

According to the Coastal Act, this project can not be legally approved.

Please reject this proposed project. We need a functioning ecosystem, not a sterile field. We need frogs and lizards and other animals and they, in turn, need living plants. Shouldn’t the mandate of the Dept. of Fish and *Wildlife* be to preserve wildlife and not endanger animals as this plan does?

The first rule of a restoration project within an ecological reserve should be, “First, do no harm.” I have a decade of experience removing non native invasive plant species in Monterey County, CA, that was extremely successful by applying the right approach to eradication. If you are going to allow removal of iceplant it should only be done by hand during the cold winter/spring time and only when the soil is saturated. I never would have earned a Certificate of Recognition by the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner in 2002 for Genista removal within the Salinas River Watershed if I was recklessly covering habitat with black plastic resulting in a taking. What actions have the California Coastal Commission taken to remove the illegal drains in the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve? Any efforts to remove habitat, native or otherwise, should not be taken until after the known violation within the Reserve has been addressed and the needed fresh surface water restored. Trained volunteers can remove invasive species with minimal to no cost to the State. There is absolutely no need to waste grant funding on a controversial restoration method prior to the Draft EIR being released. If approved you would be setting a precedent that is arguably illegal.

Respectfully submitted,