Ballona Wetlands: Bay Commission Encourages Invasive Plant Removal

The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission greased a squeaky wheel last week by approving a non-binding resolution encouraging invasive plant removal and community involvement at Ballona. The resolution is available at this Link. For decades, the Commission has funded invasive plant removal projects using community volunteers at Ballona and the LAX Dunes, to name a few.

Above: Community volunteers pulling weeds at a Commission-approved Bay Foundation event on the LAX Dunes.

Activists who opposed the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Ballona Wetlands restoration project and who sued the state over it, have clamored for years for greater access to the ecological reserve so they can run their own mini-restoration projects. Currently, CDFW allows only limited public foot access to the highly degraded “Area A” south of Fiji way.

Above: 200-acre “Areas A and C” of the ecological reserve are weedy fill dirt from Marina Del Rey and 90 Freeway construction that buried former wetland habitat

The largely native and sensitive “Area B” south of Ballona Creek is off limits except to Friends of Ballona Wetlands and Los Angeles Audubon, who share special permits for leading tours and invasive plant removals there.

Above: “Area B” of the Ballona Wetlands

The Bay Restoration Commission has no ownership or permitting authority for the Ballona Wetlands, so their resolution is largely symbolic. The lawsuit plaintiffs regularly attend Commission meetings and comment, usually adversely, about CDFW and its restoration project. Following the Bay Commission’s action last week, activists posted misleading statements on social media claiming the resolution represented a turnaround by the state on the CDFW restoration project. CDFW representatives indicate otherwise.

The Bay Commission was established in 2002 following stakeholder planning in the 1990s, to manage projects and federal funding that flows from the National Estuary Program. Established by Congress under the Clean Water Act, the Program resolves to protect, enhance and restore coastal waterways nationwide and funds Commission projects. See the Bay Commission’s website for its notable accomplishments over the decades and current work plans.

Above: Bay Foundation and Friends of Ballona Wetlands partner on a Bay Commission-funded community restoration project to remove invasive iceplant from Area B.

The Commission’s adopted resolution states, “[The Commission] encourages CDFW to continue and expand efforts to work with community groups to remove invasive vegetation prior to implementation of the Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project” and “recommends that CDFW meet with stakeholders (including Tribal leaders) to discuss how to move forward with CDFW’s planned restoration” and other details.

CDFW has been loathe to expand public access to the reserve for plant removal, owing to the costly administrative burden and limited Department funding. Such access requires Coastal Commission and CDFW permitting and oversight, liability insurance for the participants, safety training and equipment, and disposal arrangements. In other words, it’s a real pain.

Above: Community restoration projects require permitting and oversight, including safety and environmental training.

Also, the entire 200 acres of Areas A and C will eventually be excavated and all invasive vegetation removed under the CDFW restoration plan. Therefore, small community restoration efforts which activists are demanding there would just be removed later during the large-scale CDFW restoration.

Above: Large scale restoration projects such as that planned for Ballona usually begin with complete removal and salvaging of vegetation, topsoil and seeds, as shown here at Del Mar's San Dieguito Wetlands Restoration.

Currently, CDFW has revised their Ballona restoration project Environmental Impact Report and plans to re-publish it for public comment this year.

Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!

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Author’s disclosure of affiliations:

Dr. David W. Kay served on the Board of Directors of the non-profit Friends of Ballona Wetlands from 2007 until 2015, and served as Board President in 2012-13. He presently serves on the Board of Ballona Discovery Park in Playa Vista. Dr. Kay is a staunch advocate for the state of California's plans to restore the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve.

From 1984 until 2022, Dr. Kay was employed by Southern California Edison Company, exclusively in the company's environmental services organizations. His many responsibilities included restoration of the 440-acre San Dieguito Wetlands near Del Mar. He retired in 2022 as Senior Manager for Major Project Environmental Management at the company, after 38 years of service.

Dr. Kay earned bachelor and masters degrees in biology and a doctorate in environmental science.

See Dr. Kay’s Patch Community Contributor profile here.