Add your name to help Bring Back Ballona!

Friends of Ballona Wetlands and the Wetlands Restoration Principles Coalition have prepared a support letter for Ballona's restoration, and we need your endorsement! This is a critical step. This letter is our greatest advocacy tool to motivate elected officials and push for speedy permitting, funding, and implementation of the restoration plan. We need support from all over Los Angeles to push County and City officials, after all, these wetlands belong to all Angelenos and will be our legacy to future generations!

Ballona Restoration Support Letter

Subject: BALLONA WETLANDS ECOLOGICAL RESERVE RESTORATION PROJECT
Environmental Impact Report, State Clearinghouse No. 2012071090

We offer our strong support for a robust, science-based restoration of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, in the form of Alternative 1.

California has lost 91% of its coastal wetlands and Los Angeles County has lost even more. Restoration of the Ballona Wetlands will be one of the most significant environmental restoration and public access projects ever undertaken for the residents of Los Angeles County. This is a rare opportunity to provide our State with an invaluable way to stay resilient in the face of climate change, provide a wildlife haven and recreational treasure, and leave a legacy for future generations.

We cannot delay -- restoration needs to move forward. Every day that restorative efforts are delayed, the Reserve continues to degrade. A majority of the wetlands are disconnected from their natural hydrology and overrun by invasive vegetation that prevents native plants and animals from resettling or thriving.

We support a public access plan that protects ecological resources from human impacts while providing educational and recreational opportunities for Angelenos, particularly for Indigenous people, the Gabrielino-Tongva, park-poor communities, low-income communities, and communities of color. A restored Ballona will provide essential open space to over 15,000 disadvantaged households within a short driving distance. Pedestrian and bike paths along the perimeter of the Reserve and information kiosks will provide critical educational opportunities to visitors about the history of Ballona as a sacred site. Upgraded public access infrastructure will provide access for wheelchairs, strollers, and people with different abilities that the Reserve currently lacks. The restored Wetlands will be a destination for students, families, bird watchers, and cyclists from all across LA County.

Wetlands are critical habitat for countless species and provide necessary ecological functions such as carbon sequestration, storm surge protection, flood control, water filtration, and oxygen creation. Without this restoration, we deprive the region of the opportunity for protection from continuing sea level rise, a threat that is not only here, but will continue to endanger coastal communities into the future. Climate resilience should be at the forefront of our minds to guide our priorities and decisions. Restoring Ballona to a high functioning, sustainable wetland is the next step in the fight against climate change.

We support a restoration that strengthens biodiversity and ecological function, expands habitat for special status species, and creates watershed connectivity that will increase water quality and nursery habitat for fish. We support a restoration that reduces habitat fragmentation to the greatest extent possible and provides safe corridors for wildlife passage.

We urge the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Army Corps of Engineers, and all permitting agencies to promptly move forward with restoration of Ballona.

ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING RESTORATION

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