News of Venice, CA and Marina del Rey CA
Judith Davies will speak on raising 300 Monarch Butterflies on her dining room table at the 16 January Sierra Club meeting, 7 to 9 pm, Burton Chace Park, 13650 Mindanao Way.
Here what Rex Frankel, Patricia McPherson, John Davies and Marcia Hanscom said at the Coastal Commission to win a unanimous decision on removal of the illegal drains in the Ballona Wetlands.
Ballona Wetlands bus tour (children with an adult) with photographer-naturalist Jonathan Coffin and Bev-Sue Powers Saturday, 2 December, 9 am to 1:15 pm.
Meet at Dock 52, Fiji Way, Marina del Rey. Free parking. RSVP Jeanette@saveballona.org.
Sierra Club will have a hike in Fern Dell/Griffith Park 12 August. Also the Airport Marina Group is sponsoring a Ballona Watershed Bus Tour from 10 am to 3 pm, 9 September. Contact Jeanette Vosburg at jeanette@saveballona.org for details.
Liz Crosson, water policy advisor to Mayor Eric Garcetti, will speak at the next Sierra Club meet , Tuesday (20 June), 7 pm, at Burton Chase Park, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey.
Her topic will be “Smarter Water: The Future of LA’s Most Precious Resource. She will discuss LA’s overall goals for water resilience and specifically the Ballona Watershed.
Explore the Ballona Watershed with the interactive map at http://saveballona.org/water/fun-exploring-ballona-watershed-our-interactive-map.html
Join Audubon on a tour of the Ballona Wetlands Saturday (5 Nov) from 9 am to noon. Tour will leave every 20 minutes. Audubon holds tour first Saturday of every month.
Go to 300 block of Culver Blvd, Playa del Rey and enter through the gate located in the northeast corner of the parking lot behind Gordon’s Market.LOS ANGELES AUDUBON’S “OPEN WETLANDS” AT BALLONA
Binoculars will be available to borrow, and volunteers will help visitors view aquatic invertebrates through microscopes, learn about the unique ecosystems found at Ballona, and view birds through powerful spotting scopes along Ballona Creek.
Marina del Rey is in the process of “updating.” Jeanette Vosburg, chair Sierra Club Airport Marina Group, goes into detail of all individual projects proposed within the Marina.
(Photo courtesy of Yolanda Gonzalez.)
Diane Spurlin, Update’s bird authenticator, says it is an Osprey. Diane says they are “a fish-eating sea eagle.” “Beautiful, isn’t it,” she wrote. “It hung around the wetlands all last year so we’re hoping for the same when classes begin at the end of the month.” And yes, she is going to provide information about the classes. She did say that Ballona Wetlands is now having an open house the first Saturday of ever month from 9 to 12. Entrance is Playa del Rey at Culver and Vista del Mar, behind shipping center.
Walter Lamb, President of Ballona Wetlands Land Trust and long-time activist, will speak about Land Trust Point of View on the restoration Tuesday, September 8 at 7 pm in Burton Chase Park meet room, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292. This is a Sierra Club, Airport Marina Group, sponsored program.
There are many points of view on how the Ballona Wetlands Restoration should be done,” wrote Jeanette Vosburg, program chair for Airport Marina Group. “No bulldozing. Bulldozing. Forty foot berms. No berms. And much more.”
Four places locally are threatened with massive development:
Pier 44 – 83,778 feet or 5.5 times bigger than existing buildings.
Marina Marsh at Tahiti Way and Via Marina – 288 room hotel.
Fishermen’s Village at Fiji Way – high density, complete overhaul.
Mariners Village – end of Via Marina – commercial development, heron rookery and old growth trees under threat.