Recent Storms Do Little for Water Supply Outlook

Thursday, December 18, 2008
BREAKING NEWS
Recent Storms Do Little for Water Supply Outlook Despite wet weather, snowpack remains well below normal; continued conservation critical
LONG BEACH, CA - Long Beach Water officials are today reminding customers to continue conserving all the water they can by taking advantage of the recent wet weather and shutting off irrigation systems until the middle of next week. While recent storms have provided local rain and snow, snowpack in the northern Sierra Nevada is currently 90 percent below normal for the year. Northern Sierra snowpack is a primary imported water source for Central Valley and southern California farms and cities. Long Beach imports half its water supply. "We need to take advantage of the rain we've received over the last couple of days and use it wisely," according to Matt Lyons, Director of Conservation and Planning for the Long Beach Water Department. "This rain is enough to allow all of us to shut our irrigation systems off for several days." Between 50 and 70 percent of all the water used in Long Beach is used outside the home, primarily on lush, non-native landscapes. "Not having to irrigate for 4 to 6 days saves vast amounts of water," added Lyons. Compounding the necessity to conserve, earlier this week, federal wildlife officials released NEW restrictions on pumping from northern California, further exacerbating the water supply reliability problems for imported water users in cities like Long Beach, as well as San Joaquin Valley farms. The curbs placed on pumping water through the Bay Delta are intended to save the Delta Smelt, an endangered fish, from extinction. A new biological opinion, released on Monday by Fish and Wildlife's office in Sacramento, supports continuing current pumping restrictions , which have resulted in a 20 to 30 percent reduction in water deliveries, but also adopts additional pumping restrictions that the agency believes will help improve Delta Smelt habitat. These additional restrictions could in some years cut imported water deliveries to the Central Valley and southern California by half, which is a worst case scenario, but entirely feasible. Again, the Bay Delta (State Water Project) provides about 30 percent of southern California's imported water supply.According to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department, the extremely weak snowpack, coupled with desperately low water storage throughout the state, not to mention the endangered species issues in the Bay Delta itself, should be a catalyst for southern California water managers to immediately increase action on extraordinary conservation measures. "We need a region-wide, full-scale effort to permanently prohibit certain outdoor watering activities." "Mandated prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, which were adopted in Long Beach in September of 2007, continue to be the very best, most immediate way to save vast amounts of water," states John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. With these mandated prohibitions, over the last twelve months, Long Beach residents have consumed less water than at any time over the past 10 years. Consumption for the past 12 months is 10.1 percent below the historical 10-year average. "We understood there would be a learning curve for us all, and that exercising these new practices would help us become the very best prepared city in southern California to deal with severe shortages; we're ready and we think it's prudent that other communities do the same," he added.The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has continued to call for increased action throughout southern California, with regard to extraordinary water conservation, and particularly prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water.Long Beach Water is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Delta Smelt

U.S. tightens the tap on water from Northern California

New restrictions are intended to protect the delta smelt

and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
By Bettina Boxall December 16, 2008

Federal wildlife officials on Monday released new restrictions on pumping water from Northern California, further tightening the spigot on flows to Southern California cities and San Joaquin Valley farms.The curbs, intended to keep the tiny delta smelt from extinction and stem the ecological collapse of California's water crossroads, could in some years cut state water deliveries by half.

"The water supply is becoming less certain," state water resources Director Lester Snow said.The cutbacks will vary depending on conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the smelt's only home and a major source of water for the majority of Californians.In a typical year, the smelt protections will slash California State Water Project deliveries 20% to 30% -- essentially maintaining the level of cuts ordered this year by a federal judge. Under the worst conditions, that figure could climb to 50%.
The limits come on the heels of two dry years, growing concern over diminished supplies from the Colorado River and a biological meltdown in the delta east of San Francisco."We're going to keep doing this until we do a long-term fix in the delta," said Snow, complaining that the federal action placed too much of the blame for the smelt's problems on the huge delta pumps that send water south.Chemical contamination, invasive species, power plant operations and climate are all hurting the delta, he said. Federal scientists say pumping has altered the hydrology and salinity of the delta and as a result, its suitability as a wildlife habitat. The pumps are so powerful that they reverse delta water flows, carrying fish to the pumps. The smelt has become the emblem of the delta's environmental troubles. But it is just one of several delta fish species in trouble. Recreational and commercial fishing for chinook salmon, which migrate through the delta to the Sacramento River, was banned this year because the fall-run population was so low.The new restrictions are contained in a biological opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 410-page document deals with the operation of the federal Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, California's two biggest water systems.Ruling in one of a host of lawsuits that have been filed by environmental groups, U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger last year threw out an earlier opinion prepared by the service that concluded the projects wouldn't jeopardize the smelt's continued existence.Wanger called that finding "arbitrary, capricious and contrary to law," ordered the agency to prepare a new one and imposed a set of interim pumping curbs that reduced the amount of water exported from the delta this year by enough water to supply more than 1 million households.The new opinion, released by fish and wildlife's Sacramento office, reversed the agency's stance, essentially continuing the temporary curbs and adopting additional ones to improve smelt habitat and keep the fish away from the pumps."This is a major new reduction in water deliveries that will impact families, businesses and farmers throughout California," said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors. The state project, which will be the most affected, provides about a third of the Southland's urban water. The rest comes from the eastern Sierra, the Colorado River, local groundwater reserves and reclaimed supplies.An ongoing drought in the Colorado basin has cut deliveries of surplus water that Southern California has long depended on. And a statewide drought has depleted reservoirs the length and breadth of California. If this is another dry winter, managers for the Southland's biggest water agency say they will have to cut deliveries to local districts.Agriculture interests have called for new reservoirs, water districts are urging homeowners to conserve water and environmentalists say it's time to recognize the limits of California's water supply."We need to make a fundamental change in how we see and use water," said Doug Obegi, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the groups that filed the smelt lawsuit. "There are a ton more opportunities in water conservation, improved groundwater management, water recycling and design that captures storm water."

Me: It makes you wonder, do men like Lester Snow and Dallas Raines HAVE to work with water/weather? Did their names leave them any choice?

On a serious note, at the water department we are definitely feeling the cut in water. With all of the work I do, and all of the numbers I see its also shocking how EASY it would be to live within our means of water. Sacrafice, if thats what you want to call it, would be necessary but with all of the good that comes from it I don't see why anyone would fight it. It seems so obvious. Getting THAT word out to people is so hard. Instead we are forced to come up with catchy (or not so catchy) advertising. I'd like to see a program, just a 30 minute segment on 2,4,5,7, or 11 - explaining the situation. It may be my naiive optimism but I think if everyone actually understood what was happening, they would change their behavior and water habits.

Salt Marsh Plant(s) #5 - Pickleweed(s)

The Pickleweeds. Sounds like a dysfunctional family on a bad sitcom. No? My career as a screenwriter is over before it started. Well, in reality, they are in the Chenopodiaceae Family, also known as the Goosefoot Family, one of the older flowering plant families. The Pickleweeds are actually three different species in the Salicornia genus: Dwarf Pickleweed (Salicornia bigelovii), Parish’s Pickleweed (Salicornia subterminalis) and Common Pickleweed (Salicornia virginica).

I grouped the three species together because people love the Pickleweed. On nature walks, people love to point it out; its celebrity precedes it. Also, you can munch on it and the response is always so wonderful when different audiences watch me demonstrate the Pickleweed’s edibility (sidenote: eating wild plants is one of my favorite things to do on a nature walk because most people equate anything not approved by the grocery store as something analogous to Fear Factor). Pickleweed is also highly visible: it has bright green, succulent “pickles” sticking in the air.

But wait, if there are three species of it are we talking about the same plant? Yes. I mean no. The confusion comes from the common name because they are all called Pickleweed. While they look different from each other they have similar characteristics. Most people know Pickleweed because Salicornia virginica can be found dominant throughout the marsh plain and we attribute the same idea for the others. But each species is very unique, destined to inhabit a particular part of the marsh, sometimes at different times. Blah, blah, blah. What does that mean though?

Parish’s Pickleweed (Salicornia subterminalis) is a perennial that grows in the high-marsh and is the most deeply verdant, stubbiest and shrubbiest out of the three. It makes a wonderful home for the Belding’s Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi), a State-Endangered species of bird that resides in the marsh throughout the year.

Common Pickleweed (Salicornia virginica) is the one everyone talks about. This perennial grows throughout the middle-marsh and is the most pickley of the Pickleweeds: green, salty and it tastes most similar – I promise.

Dwarf Pickleweed (Salicornia bigelovii) is the odd-ball of the family. Instead of hanging out in the marsh throughout the year, this guy pops up in the summer and fall and goes on vacation the rest of the year. Or something like that. This Pickleweed is an annual: it grows up as big and strong as it can then exhausts its resources, flowers, fruits and in a miraculous example of nature, dries out and drops seed.

The Pickleweeds are really interesting plants that grow no taller than knee high. They have itty-bitty flowers with no petals, just stamens and anthers sticking out of the green stalks. The plants remind me of miniature Saguaro Cactuses, just as stoic yet a lot less spiny. They are halophytes like all the plants I write about, which means that they don’t need salt-water to live but have adapted to living within the briny water.

One of the coolest things about the Pickleweeds is that they are high in natural oils. This and the fact that they can live, flourish even, with saline and somewhat toxic water has made them highly attractive to some creative individuals attempting to solve some of the world’s pressing environmental problems. This group is taking the Salicornia and utilizing it for food crop, bio-fuel and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. All this with salt-water, thus saving highly valuable fresh water. Pretty amazing. You can read more about it here: LATimes. If not a sitcom, how about a Super Hero story? Too cheesy? Ok, I’ll stick to plants.

Enjoy,

Taylor

Salt Marsh Plant #4: Turtleweed - Batis maritima

One of my favorite things about enjoying a marsh is floating above it in a boat searching the water below for the universe that has been covered by the tide. It is as if you are flying high over a rainforest and far below is a dense world that you want to enter. On the surface tension are spiders and beetles running from one blade of protruding grass to another and occasionally a smelt or crab will scurry further below. It is very dynamic and happily keeps me mesmerized. For the most part, the plants are stationary and the animals are the ones that move with the tidal influence. There is one plant though, that, no matter how many times I see it, enthralls me. This fun plant, while attached with its roots in the ground, sends stolons with succulent green leaves, that are, in essence, little balloons lifting the unattached parts of the plant above the soil when the water encompasses all. What you’ll see when the tide is in is a floating, branching yellow-green bubbly mat with an anchor line stuck in the mud below.

Batis maritima, also known as –ready— Turtleweed, Saltwort and Beachwort (great names!), is a succulent mid-marsh denizen that creeps around the marsh dropping its roots where it is able. Truly remarkable, this plant snakes in and out of dominant patches of other plants and is found throughout the marsh to some degree. Although it enjoys the mid-marsh, it will search out both the high and low for an appealing place of residence. In the marsh plain, where all sorts of heterogeneous topographies are found, the best contrast of the biotic and abiotic is when Batis encircles a salt-panne creating a border around the barren mud. When it aggregates around something, it looks as if the soil below it is bubbling over in a snotty viscous cancer: green warts multiplying and calcifying together.

It is native to southern coastal areas of North America and into Central and South America. It is the only species in its family (Bataceae) around here. It is an invasive weed in Hawaii actually and apparently there are major eradication programs to take it out. I have no idea what pollinates this plant. Its sexual parts are incredibly tiny and I can only imagine one of the many ity-bity wetland pollinators loving it. I have no idea what eats it; it tastes salty (as all salt-marsh plants do) and I can imagine some salt-marsh shrew chewing through its juicy leaves.

Batis is actually, if I can say this, my favorite plant. I really don’t know why. There are other plants with gorgeous flowers (The Hibiscus wins this one for me- every time I see one I think of Aime Cesaire: “The hibiscus is but an exploded eye.”), with more interesting characteristics and behaviors (The Drosera or Sundew is a prime example as it is a carnivorous plant that lives in bogs –not needing to derive sustenance from its roots, certain species will actually move throughout a wetland if a current propels them so) and more dominating personalities (I am thinking of any large tree but specifically the Giant Redwoods in Northern California). There are so many plants that I am thinking of right now that are incredibly unique but there is something about Batis. It is strong in its resilience, unassuming with its size, uncompromising in its presence. Its flowers are nothing more than pencil-tip-sized pistils and stamens sticking out of a green bulb no larger than the tip of your pinky—no colorful petals, no inviting smells. Its fruit is that same pinky-sized bulb transformed into an incongruous dense pebble.

Maybe I like it because it was the first plant I recognized in the marsh and it is nostalgia, I don’t honestly remember. Maybe I like it because one of its common names is Turtleweed. I know every time I see it though, floating or not, I am captivated.

Enjoy,

Taylor

So FLOW, For the Love of Water seems like a good documentary. Not one I'd go see if I wanted to be uplifted or feel warm and fuzzy but something that may actually be WORTH my 11.50. It plays in selected theaters on the 19th - which is ofcourse, international talk like a pirate day. Essentially it is about the privatization of water and how the wars will be held over water not religion, energy, etc. I think it is in the mainstream of the population's consciousness WATER. I think they get the point that its precious, that we are running out of it. I can only assume they don't care enough to stop wasting it. It may be harsh but prove me wrong. After I watch the doc I'll give a full report. So my avid reader will know how it is. Yes, I meant reader. Singular. :)

And remember, as fun as showering with a friend may be... it doesn't actually save water.

Salt Marsh Plant #3: Jaumea Carnosa

A good friend of mine has started to build his native plant collection and I am proud to say that I have helped him along with a couple beautiful specimens. We have an informal agreement that says he will work on different websites for groups I am associated with (FOCL LCW Stewards); cook me food once in a while; impart his knowledge regarding environmental issues, art and geology; and I give him a plant and an occasional book. I owe him a big Christmas card to say the least. Anyway, I was staring at my salt marsh plants trying to think of which plant to give him when I found that one of my Jaumeas put it’s creepers into another pot, dropped some roots and set up shop. I figured since it had decided to move, I would help that process along by clipping the stolon, thereby keeping the new baby for myself and giving the parent to my friend. This magnificent act of rebirth and revival motivated me to look closely at the plant.

To start with, I have heard that it is pronounced: zjoma: rhymes with coma but with a buzzing ‘j’ in front of it (thanks Jen). Odd name, because for years I have called it the much more appropriate and less odd: jow-may-a. Either way it is a special name for this special plant. The genus references a French botanist who studied plants during and after the French Revolution. Jean Henri Jaume Saint-Hilaire was also concerned with forest conservation after many of the French forests were destroyed for their resources during the war and counted many of the subsequent French laws regarding forest restoration to his credit. Seems like a cool guy. The species, carnosa, means ‘fleshy’ and refers to the almost succulent leaves of the halophyte.

I was first introduced to this plant in none other than the Los Cerritos Wetlands-big surprise, I know. But, I gained an appreciation for Jaumea’s abilities after I visited the Golden Shore wetland. Here, Jaumea (also known by its common name: Salty Susan) blankets much of the intertidal area and creates what looks like a very comfortable green mat with an occasional yellow flower popping up every once and a while. I always enjoyed when picking up trash in the Jaumea patches that you can watch your footprints swallowed in the green carpet.

Jaumea is stoloniferous (fancy botanist word for growing by means of stolons or runners that can root at each node) and spreads, to some degree, through each level of the marsh. It is a unique representative of the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family as it is, from what I can think of, the only sunflower in the marsh.

According to Calflora, the plant is not found growing above sixteen feet above sea level. This is natural for many salt marsh plants as they have found ways to thrive within the salty tidal influence, being outcompeted on land where stronger plants have relegated them to the coast. Until reading the elevation constraints though, I had never thought of the fact that you cannot find this plant above what is essentially a one-story house. That is a very small region in our topographically heterogeneous state. This understandably makes me think of the many factors affecting our coastal wetlands here in Southern California: habitat loss from development of residences, oil operations, hotels, industry, ports, beaches and marinas to name a few. Considering each coastal salt marsh plant is both a literal and symbolic bastion of habitat preservation, it is appropriate that Jaumea takes its name from a wise French botanist with some foresight.

Enjoy,

Taylor

Because everything is connected to water - this makes sense. Trust me. Check out the Story of Stuff.

Salt Marsh Plant #2: Pacific Cordgrass - Spartina foliosa

Spartina foliosa

At the very lowest part of the California coastal salt marsh is a grass species that is unique in more ways than one. Spartina foliosa, also known as Pacific or California Cordgrass, will grow in fields where it is allowed (if it is not out-competed by plants in the middle marsh or limited by nitrogen or deep elevation in the mudflat). With no other plant able to thrive where it has rooted, the swath of subtle green borders the marsh, seemingly protecting it from the water at a low tide. As the tide rises the spear tips of the Cordgrass gradually disappear but for a while all you will see is a water bed of green spikes protruding as the creeping ocean threatens to dominate.

It is typical to break up a coastal salt marsh into three areas: the low, middle and high marsh; each with its own level of tidal influence that dictates the flora and subsequent fauna that live there. Generally speaking, this demarcation allows hardy plants with high alkaline (salt) invulnerability to grow in the upper marsh, succulents and creeping rhizomatic (a rhizome is an underground stem that puts out roots and shoots, helping the plant grow in large colonies) plants in the middle and only Spartina foliosa in the low marsh. There is some interchange and mixing but that just fortunately adds to the beautiful pastiche of habitat for an interested ecologist – and I’m sure an insect or two.

The flowering season is now, like most marsh plants, and the grass is neither as tall nor as robust as it will be in the next couple months. The State and Federally Endangered Light-Footed Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris levipes) profits surprisingly well from the health and virility of this plant as it creates its nest within the Cordgrass; it offers both a dense cover from raptors and a mooring opportunity with the fluctuating tides (you wouldn’t want your babies floating away from you, would you?). The Rails will lay about a half dozen eggs within their Cordgrass nests and nurture them throughout the summer.

Pacific Cordgrass is a flowering plant and does distribute seed (sexual reproduction) but most of its propagation occurs clonally or rhizomatically (asexual reproduction). This spread of grass captures sediment and builds mudflats (a process called accretion) and as one website puts it, helps put the ‘land’ in ‘wetland.’

Wetlands are an impacted habitat with many factors affecting their health and stability. Pacific Cordgrass is not immune from these impacts and unfortunately is susceptible to its own unique problems: it has difficulty setting its seed due to low germination rates, it is dependent upon nitrogen levels in the soil and it has a nasty East Coast competitor/cousin fighting for turf. This highly invasive non-native invader, Spartina alterniflora, is stronger and taller and built for dominating large areas of coastal wetland – similar to those found in its native environment of the East Coast. When faced with the geographically smaller wetlands of the Pacific, alterniflora bullies our foliosa. This can have detrimental results that destroy necessary mudflat (prime invertebrate habitat and subsequent foraging grounds for wetland water fowl) and can molest the natural water flow into a wetland.

Some of my most dramatic memories studying wetlands have occurred in healthy Spartina fields. I have seen Clapper Rails and their nests, a Harrier hawk bully a Great Egret and a horde of Purple Shore Crabs emerge from the grass as if exiting an aqueous forest. However, the most memorable instance occurred about two years ago. Right after the break of dawn one August morning, my colleague and I took a boat out during a mid tide. We were in the middle of the Los Cerritos Wetlands and attached to the tips of Cordgrass sticking out of the water were spider-webs covered in dew from the lazy marine layer. It created a crystalline field of sparkling webbing bordered by green lance-like leaves. The sun burned through the fog gently and the marsh subtly radiated a hazy aura through the gossamer. It was breathtaking. As the tide rose, our attention was drawn downward and we witnessed a mass emigration of spiders walking on the delicate film of the water, leaving their soon-to-be-submerged homes, searching for any relatively dry substrate. Needless to say, we found a few refugees in our boat. I have yet to identify these special nomadic creatures and as much as I would like to know them, it just adds to the mystery of this place for me.

~Taylor

Colorado Lagoon

I suppose I should talk a bit about the Colorado Lagoon considering I spend a lot of my time there. That sentence sounds like it is torturous; it really isn’t, I am very fond of the place. The Lagoon is a small tidal (although muted tidal) wetland in East Long Beach. That means it is as salty as salty gets and every animal in Alamitos Bay that can fit through the big steel bars in front of the opening to the 1000 foot underground culvert in Marine Stadium is in the Colorado Lagoon. This surprises a lot of people, especially the many people who swim there in the summer and call it a pond. The kids will come out of the water with a big smile on their face and when we get to talk about the sting rays that live there the smile transforms. Most kids drop their jaws and open their eyes wide but it is always great to see the adventurous ones: their smile grows larger.

That is what I hang out at the Lagoon and try to do – frighten little children. I joke. I work with the Friends of Colorado Lagoon (FOCL), a non profit designed to help the Lagoon, and get to talk to kids, and whoever shows up, about the Lagoon and the many creatures that inhabit the marine environment. We play games, engage with nature displays and books and explore. Exploring the Lagoon is one of the favorites for the children running around. I give them a bucket and a net, some rules about keeping the specimens they find alive and let them find what they can. They bring back the creatures to a small aquarium and we all get to talk about it. Win-win considering I can’t catch fish for the life of me and they are the ones who need to be getting dirty and acting like the Crocodile Hunter anyway. The point is to facilitate a constructive relationship with nature and I believe this is a good start.

Anyway, Science Shack hours are 2-7pm Thursday-Sunday until Labor Day. Everyone is welcome and it is free. We are on the Appian Way side of the Colorado Lagoon in the pretty painted building called the Wetlands and Marine Science Education Center (WAMSEC). Come on by, we’ll play some Ultimate Frisbee and talk about birds.

Oh and the Colorado Lagoon is also in the draft EIR (Environmental Impact Report) portion of a multi-million dollar restoration. It is massive and I don’t want to write about it here – it is very complex. But you can come down to the Lagoon during the Science Shack hours and talk to me about it. You can also check out the EIR site to read the entire document and this site to learn about the Lagoon. And you can contact this guy:craig_chalfant@longbeach.gov if you want to make comments on it, officially, before July 11th.

Enjoy,

Taylor

Least Terns at Anaheim Bay

One of the salt-marshes that I am starting to get to know a little bit better is Anaheim Bay. It is also known as the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. And while the name sounds intimidating- as are the guards at the entrance gate and the building you pass that says “Torpedo Facility”- the marsh is a bit over 900 acres of near-perfection.

My personal relationship with the wetland started a couple of years ago. I helped a friend with his California Round Ray research there and since then started doing research on the Belding’s Savannah Sparrow. My colleague, Eric Zahn, and I were measuring the flight initiation distances of this State Endangered bird and the refuge was one of our research sites. We probably had a dozen or so visits, a couple hours each time, and the amount I was exposed to is mind-boggling. I saw my first Short-Eared Owl, Great Blue Heron nests, Salt-Marsh Tiger Beetle, Harrier Hawk and most recently, Least Tern chicks.

The marsh is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and they have some great projects on their hands. It is apparent when driving through the area that they have Light-Footed Clapper Rails (while attached to Cordgrass, their nests float with the tides) and also a large Least Tern nesting colony. Both of these birds are endangered and I recently found myself sitting out in the marsh watching the more graceful of these rarities care for their chicks.

The refuge has an “Eyes on the Colony” volunteer program that places people in the marsh, four hour shifts from 7am to 7pm, to vigilantly keep watch over the little baby Terns. The whole point is to keep the 200 or so nests from being decimated by a coyote, raptor, heron or starlings (weird, huh?). Your weapon of choice? A noise gun. That and the electrified fence surrounding the colony are supposed to keep the Tern babies safe.

My first attempt at being a sentry was on Father’s Day with my dad, an avid birder. We kinda failed but it was really amazing. We watched an American Kestrel, on his third attempt, swoop into the colony and grab a Tern chick. Watching the collaboration of Least Tern adults attack the small raptor was impressive. More entertaining though was my dad and I running toward the colony arms raised and yelling while honking this deafening noise-gun (luckily you are in almost complete solitude out there with only egrets to mock you). I would like to believe that we helped the Terns scare the determined Kestrel off the first two times. More than that though, we helped the refuge’s personnel locate the Kestrel so that he can be removed from the area.

The experience is wonderful. You get to watch these magnificent birds raise their young (which are way too cute: they look like grey cotton balls and they run around their sandy habitat, nubby wings reaching in the air, crying for fish from the parents) in the middle of this dynamic marsh and help protect an endangered species. I chose the 3pm -7pm shift so that I can watch the sun set over the shifting tide. I’ve gone twice and am scheduled another two more times although will probably sign up more in July.

I realized the other day that the refuge has been a great classroom and teacher for me. It is experiences like this, facilitated by crucial government funding, which allowed me to interact with and feel connected to this unique habitat and help save a species of bird from extinction. I would recommend contacting Kirk Gilligan or John Fitch and signing up. It will remind you of the necessity of our continued attention for these diminishing habitats and accompanying wildlife. And you’ll get to see cute baby birds.

Check out these sites for info and scheduling:

http://www.fws.gov/

http://freecal.brownbearsw.com/sealbeacheotc

http://www.fws.gov/sandiegorefuges/Seal.htm

Taylor

Salt Marsh Plant #1: Marsh Rosemary- Limonium californicum

Marsh Rosemary- Limonium californicum

This is a stunning little plant that is found in the middle and upper part of salt marshes, mainly in California but also a bit into Mexico to the South and Oregon in the North. Also known as Sea Lavender, this plant is a perennial herb that displays a gorgeous purple during the summer and fall months.

According to calflora.net : the genus, Limonium, comes from the ancient Greek name Leimonion, supposedly from leimon, "a marsh" (ref. genus Limonium). The species californicum obviously references where it is found.

Many times the true native Limonium is confused with Perez’s Sea Lavender (Limonium perezii) or Algerian Sea Lavender (Limonium ramosissimum). Often I have found these two substitutes planted in restoration sites under the native misnomer. This is unfortunate because it is not difficult to differentiate between the native and non-native plants and with the many flowers on the stem I am assuming many seeds will be produced from these invaders.

I chose to present this salt marsh plant first because I walked out of my house the other day to water my potted plants and found the flowering stalk of one of my Marsh Rosemary’s creeping out of its basal leaf structure. The leaves are a very subtle green, kind of like cooked peas, and they are uniquely broad – a leaf characteristic not usually found in a salt marsh. However, a trait similar to its neighbors is the plant’s ability to remove the dangerous, water hoarding salt crystals abundant in the habitat. After absorbing the salt through its roots, Limonium will excrete the mineral from its leaves producing a white film on the dry leaves- and I promise it’s salty. But most exciting, now at least, is the fact that their distinctive lavender flowers are about to bloom. The foot-long or so stalk is growing, reaching for the sun, away from the competitive canopy close to the marsh floor. It will, starting in the next few weeks and going until December, blossom a cascading violet inflorescence (botanist term for a whole bunch of flowers).

I have not read this anywhere, or if I did I forget, but I have seen the rare Wandering Skipper on a Limonium flower, so I would venture to guess that the plant provides some nectar for the tiny butterfly. It seems appropriate considering the insect is coming out of the larval stage (where another salt-marsh plant, Salt Grass, provides necessary resources) and looking for food.

After noticing my plant beginning its sexual phase, I walked down to the Colorado Lagoon where I work and saw a little field of them stretching out toward the clouds. I am looking forward to my next Los Cerritos visit to see how the Sea Lavenders in that pristine habitat are displaying themselves.

The photo on top is from calflora.net but you can also find photos of this plant, and many other plants, at: calflora.org and laspilitas.com.

Taylor

Introducing myself

My name is Taylor Parker and I am going to be posting on this site in regards to wetlands. I suppose I was asked to talk about wetlands because, well, I love them and I spend a lot of time engaged with the study of them. It is a habitat type that is by its very essence dynamic, constantly changing through tidal influence and other abiotic impacts, not to mention the fluctuation of the myriad biological components. I have found the exciting truth that there is always something new to discover while exploring nature and wetlands have focused my interest. Specifically, the Los Cerritos Wetlands have facilitated this as it was, and continues to be, my classroom. I have relished the many experiences that this site has given; a special awe develops during each hike, kayak or boat trip where I am impressed and inspired by my surroundings. Every time I feel like I understand the complexity I find there is something I haven’t seen before and, every time, I am humbled and end up walking away in respectful perplexity.

So this is what I hope to share through the venue that EcoLink has created: a sense of respect and wonder for these incredible areas. From that I would like to present what I have learned, questions I have and issues concerning wetlands in the area and beyond. I am a plant person first and foremost– they baffle me— and was drawn to nature through plants, so bear with me if my preeminent discussion topic becomes floral rather than anything else. But you cannot talk about wetlands without talking about the unique plants that inhabit them and I would like to showcase the natural history of a new plant each month.

Other than this rough outline and jumping off point, I have no idea what I am going to cover other than wetlands. If you are reading this then you too are concerned with these areas somehow, so please contribute your thoughts as well and help me make this a discussion. I am looking forward to this opportunity and to see what comes out of it but most of all it will force me to go into Los Cerritos more to make sure I am utterly perplexed enough to talk about it.

Enjoy,

Taylor

Pacific Gyre solution?

A comment was left on this article http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/teen-decomposes-plastic-bag-in-three-months.php on Treehugger. “Interesting. And the digestion output is water. Could these be turned loose in the Pacific Gyre?” Which definitely poses a noteworthy question. The Pacific Gyre, a vortex in the North Pacific Ocean is now home to a “Garbage Patch” estimated to be the size of Texas to double the size of the US. That kind of mass amount of trash and debris obviously leads to some pretty complicated ecological impacts with animals ingesting the plastic they think is food and introducing it to the food chain. Unfortunately, the plastic is photograding, which is still breaking it down due to the sunlight constantly bombarding it and further decomposition may just make it easier to for the animals to get a hold of the smaller bits. Perhaps its a solution that should be evaluated. Who knows? It could be the answer.

Marcus Eriksen of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation makes routine trips to the Central Pacific to research the plastic island there. Algalita is a Long Beach based non profit. Check them out at www.algalita.org

LaGran Limpieza (LA River Cleanup) - Golden Shore Marine Reserve

I had the honor of attending the LA River Cleanup at Golden Shore for the 3rd year in a row on Saturday - May 17, 2008. It was incredible this year! This was the largest turnout of volunteers that I've ever seen, most of whom were students from at least 4 schools (Jordan High School, Lakewood High School, Southgate Elementary School and Franklin Middle School "Best Buddies" club). They came by the busload, by car and by foot to help out. About 100 people were there instead of the usual 50 or so. Even Vice-Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal found time to come by and give her support. A trio of talented musicians, Babylon Blues, provided lively Blues music while cleaning up the ecosystem.

In addition, volunteers were treated with an unusual show before beginning the cleanup - visits from some very special guests: a flock of Pelicans (at least 10), 3 ducks, several terns and 1 snowy egret, chasing all of them off from her territory. It was a great photo opportunity for those with zoom lenses.

The site organizers of the event were David Sandstrom and Lenny Arkenstall. The Nature Center and La Gran Limpieza volunteers put together some wonderful informational exhibits, and gave away T-shirts, cloth eco-friendly bags, water and snacks to participants. They have all outdone themselves, once again! Visit the website at www.FOLAR.org

Hello EcoLink enthusiasts!

Just wanted to introduce myself as one of the Bloggers of EcoLink. Very excited to be here. I'm a student and work with LB Water and will be focusing my blogs in that respect. I want to encourage any readers who have specific questions to send them my way. I may not know the answer right away but I'll find out for you! At Cal State (go 49ers) the Environmental Science and Policy students are required to take a 'project' section. Every semester they focus on the Los Cerritos Wetlands. I've embedded a video they made. Visit their project at www.intoloscerritoswetlands.org. Have a great day everyone.

Remember to turn off your water while you brush your teeth!!! But please do not discount brushing all together in an effort to save water. :)

Courtney


The Wetlands Video from Michelle Lee on Vimeo.

Welcome to EcoLink "Water" Blog

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