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Defenders
The history of the Ballona Wetlands has been a sad one, but because of the Friends' long battle to save and restore them, we foresee a bright future for this last coastal marsh of Los Angeles county. The Ballona Wetlands, located in West Los Angeles, are a remnant of a once-unspoiled estuary originally spanning more than 2,000 acres. In the past century, the channeling of Ballona Creek (the wetlands' primary water source), the installation of tide gates preventing salt water from entering the marsh and the development of Venice and Marina del Rey have reduced the severely degraded wetlands to less than 200 acres. Friends of Ballona Wetlands was formed in 1978 to protect and defend these wetlands, crucial to hundreds of species of birds and other wildlife. At that time, the landowner (Summa Corporation, the Howard Hughes Organization) planned a development that would have destroyed all but 72 acres of the Ballona Wetlands. The Friends fought a long battle involving the City, County, Coast Commission and federal regulatory agencies, then finally through the courts, where we were represented by the Center for Law in the Public Interest. In 1989, the Hughes Organization sold it's major interest in the land to Maguire Thomas Partners, who immediately launched negotiations with the Friends, resulting in the preservation of the wetland (190 acres) plus the restoration of 150 additional acres of habitat. In 1997, the Playa Capital Company LLC, a conglomerate made up of investment firms Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and others took over the Playa Vista project. This conglomerate is required to uphold all terms of our lawsuit settlement, including the complete restoration of the Ballona Wetlands. The Friends will continue to uphold our responsibilities and play the lead role in defending these wetlands, a unique coastal treasure.
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