Wetlands Symposium at LMU Highlights Research on Ballona

On Monday, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission’s Center for Santa
Monica Bay Studies, the Center for Urban Resilience and Ecological Solutions (CURES), and Loyola Marymount University (LMU) co-hosted their annual Southern California Urban Wetland Research Symposium at LMU.

The symposium brought together about 180 scientists, students and members of the public from across southern California interested in wetlands research in the region. Next door to the Ballona Wetlands, the research both featured Ballona and will prove relevant to the ongoing restoration project underway there.

Karina Johnston of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission said she was very pleased with the success of the symposium. Said Johnston, “It was an incredible opportunity for scientists, water quality experts, students and members of the public to hear about research that is happening in our region.”

The conference, Johnston told Patch, focused on urban wetlands issues “because all the wetlands in our region have a high degree of urbanization.” Dr. Sean Anderson of California State University Channel Islands presented his research on fauna mortality around wetlands. Johnston said his paper demonstrated that, “road kill rates around Ballona are several times higher than elsewhere in the region” pointing to the need for safe corridors for animals to pass from one wetlands area to another across the urban landscape.

Student presenters mostly from LMU participated in a poster session following the speakers. They shared their research on Ballona including data on the Ballona Seed Bank and on local mammal movements using the motion capture cameras now placed in the riparian corridor between LMU and Ballona. One of these posters demonstrated how red fox, an invasive species, has been out-competing the native grey fox.

Johnston said she was particularly glad to hear Dr. Joy Zedler from the University of Wisconsin, the keynote speaker because she is a personal inspiration to Johnston in her work. Zedler, Johnston said, “literally wrote the book on wetlands restoration” and has been in the forefront of that work for decades. Zedler and the other presents highlighted the continuing need for work on to restore and maintain critical wetlands in the region particularly in the face of climate change and sea level rise, Johnston said.

Restoration plans continue for the Ballona Wetlands. Johnston said that the Notice of Intent/Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the restoration will be released to the public in the next couple of months. This notice will provide an opportunity for public comment. After the release of the NOP there will be a public scoping meeting. Input from the NOP and the meeting will go into the writing of the draft Environmental Impact Statement this fall. The environmental report will assess the five restoration design alternatives that were selected through a public process.

The Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report are mandated by state and federal law in order to get permits to begin the restoration work. These processes are expected to last two years including public input, after which the project will be implemented in phases, to achieve the most benefit to the wetlands and public.     

Contact Diana Hurlbert dhurlbert@santamonicabay.org to give input or ask questions about the Ballona restoration.  Visit www.ballonarestoration.org for information about public meetings, open houses and other public events related to the project.