Save the Last Great Blue Heron Rookery Making

Save the Last Great Blue Heron Rookery Making It’s Last Stand on the Los Angeles Coast

The Coastal Commission Has A History Of Protecting Great Blue Herons Nesting In Our Region THEY NEED YOUR PROTECTION AGAIN NOW!

Mariners Village Tree Top Panorama 1000 Mature Trees

Great Blue Herons & Other Colonial Birds Nest in Tall Pine, Coral & Gum Trees

Stop Project by Project Deforestation Protect the Great Blue Herons Last Stand of Trees Re-Designate ESHA in MDR & Mariners Village in the LCP

A little History… by the 1890’s The Great Blue Herons had been Hunted out of the Ballona Valley - Los Angeles Coast Duck Hunting 1890

100 Years Later… in the 1980’s THE HERONS BEGAN THEIR RETURN TO THE LOS ANGELES COAST TO NEST! This return was documented by CA Dept. of Fish & Game warden who lived at Mariners Village… …and Ballona Institute President and Biologist Roy van de Hoek

A little history… By the mid 1990’s The Herons began nesting in trees in the Ballona Valley! On then Playa Vista owned property… Now part of Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve

A little history… 1998 Herons Threatened by Bulldozers Move to MDR THE HERON COLONY MOVES TO MARINA DEL REY! When Playa Vista Developer’s bulldozers charged a nesting tree while constructing an unpermitted road… They caused the Herons to abandon the Ballona Wetlands site and move north to the trees at nearby Villa Venetia Apartment Complex & Mariner’s Village

A little history… WHEN CITIZENS ALERTED THE COASTAL COMMISSION The Coastal Commission denied the Playa Vista developers an after-the-fact permit to build their road… Chastising them for bulldozer-charging the tree

The Heron Wars Begin… As the Great Blue Heron rookery grew at Villa Venetia. . The lessees there had plans to raze the apt. complex & build a huge redevelopment project THE BIRDS WERE IN THEIR WAY! Citizens heard the tree cutters were on their way and gathered.

A little history… 100’s of citizens were mobilized Calls went out to Governor Gray Davis, Resources Secretary The News Media Responded The Governor’s Office Responded THREE (3) Dept. of Fish & Game personnel were dispatched, including two wardens and a biologist

New Science… Early Nesting Established for So Cal The State biologists observed courtship behavior in the threatened trees. , which was deemed to be equivalent to nesting, The courtship behavior was “stick exchange” …where the male heron brings twigs and sticks to the nest and presents them to the female. They also determined old “science” from their rule books was not relevant in southern California, where warmer weather meant nearlyyear-round nesting could occur. November 30 was determined to be the earliest recorded nesting behavior for Great Blue Herons on the Los Angeles coast! Recent observations set the behavior to be Mid -October

A little history… Lessees & County were notified “no cutting of trees” would occur! GREAT BLUE HERON NESTING GREW IN MDR! Heron Rookeries grew at Villa Venetia … with a smaller colony at Mariners Village

A little history… “Love Birds Save Trees” - Los Angeles Times December 1, 2000 ~ Article by Gina Piccalo documented this citizen & govt. protection effort California Coastal Commission began paying closer attention to the issue and asked citizens to contact staff when “major vegetation” was being removed that might harm wildlife!

A little history… 2001 -2004 Citizens helped pass Prop. 12 which included funds to acquire land at Ballona. Recognizing the charismatic mega-fauna of the Ballona Valley the Great Blue Heron…. On Aug. 12, 2001 The Los Angeles Times Headlined an editorial in favor of protecting more land at Ballona: “Herons’ Park Forever” In 2001 - The Trust for Public Land acquired an option to purchase land. By 2003/2004… 640 acres of land at the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve were protected

A little history… AUGUST, 2001…CHAINSAW MASSACRE AT VILLA VENETIA Huge nests fall to the ground! Horrified citizens documented this on film. THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THIS ROOKERY… For awhile, Great Blue Herons moved to adjacent palms & other trees close-by It was photographic documentation of these deeds that convinced the Coastal Commission to back up staff at a later meeting - & declare ESHA

A little history… ANOTHER LA TIMES ARTICLE JUNE 8, 2004 19 PAIRS OF NESTING GREAT BLUE HERONS AT THIS TIME Excerpt: “Meanwhile, the California Coastal Commission has designated the trees an ‘environmentally sensitive habitat. ’ As such, it warrants protection, says Sarah Christie, legislative coordinator for the commission.

A little history… “We have an obligation to protect sensitive habitat, says Christie. We are fully prepared to intervene if anyone pulls out their chain saw. ’”

A little history… 2006 Los Angeles Audubon Society, Ballona Institute, and others advocated for stronger protection! December 9, 2006 in a CCC Staff Memo to enforcement staff: Dr. Jonna Engel declared all nesting and roosting trees for several species of Herons and Egrets in the marina/Ballona Valley area to be ESHA

A little history… 2008 First week of January, 2008 California Coastal Commission convenes hearing in Marina del Rey Hundreds of residents, boaters and wildlife advocates were present. The Coastal Commission backed up staff / voted to approve ESHA designation for all heron and egret roosting and nesting locations in the Marina as part of an updated review for the Marina del Rey LCP.

A little history… However, within a few days of your ESHA Declaration… On January 17 -18, 2008 A 2 nd Chainsaw Massacre began at Villa Venetia Apartments driving the Herons W. across the Channel to Mariner’s Village This was a huge blow to the rookery in MDR! From being the site of the main colony… there has been NO HERON nesting at Villa Venetia from 2008 to the present.

Villa Venetia Rookery Destroyed Lessees chainsaws removed all existing Great Blue Heron nesting trees from 2001 to 2012 Present Day “Breakers” Complex No Mature Trees – No Herons

Oct 2011…Coastal Commission reverses ESHA designation October, 2011 : After intensive lobbying pressure by LA County & Marina Developers just after new Executive Director took over & the Commission was being stabilized Wildlife and bird protection groups were disappointed because ESHA had case law from Bolsa Chica… where the same situation existed with nonnative trees hosting nesting herons.

Still. . The Commission Stated The Birds Needed Protection Called them Important Biological Resources (IBR) Determined that the colonial birds and their heronries do exist and require policy protection…as coastal resources per Coastal Act sections 30230, 30231, 30233, and 30250. RULES were set to be followed by the County and the lessees County staff and lobbyists for both county and lessees PROMISED the rules would be followed if ESHA designation was removed

Did the County Keep It’s promises? TODAY…. NO Great Blue Herons nesting anywhere along Fiji Way - Sheriffs Station - Shanghai Reds, or The Breakwater All GBH and other Colonial Water Bird nesting and Roosting Trees were Cut Down to Make Way for Large Development Projects. Only a Remnant of the GBH Rookery on this Part of the Coast has survived inside Mariners Village

How Did the County Do in Protecting the Birds? There was a thriving Black Crowned Night Heron and Cormorant colony along Bora, on the neighboring property, managed by the same lessee as Mariners Village. In 2013 – 2015 The trees were netted to drive the birds away. Some birds were caught in them and died, left there for days.

After the nesting season, the branches holding nests were cut off. Now those trees now have stubby branches so there are no place for birds to nest. The County 2015 Hamilton Biological Survey says that the colony at Bora is no longer there. Although some pictures in that survey show the netted trees, it does not say why it is no longer there. The lessee was allowed to drive the birds away.

A little History… 2013 Then in December, 2013 - as Great Blue Herons were beginning courtship & nest building next door in Mariner’s Village Trees were heavily trimmed, nests were cut down There was an investigation that found that 11 nests were illegally removed.

How Did This Happen? The Los Angeles County Marina del Rey Land Use Plan POLICY No. 34 – Leasehold Tree Pruning & Tree removal policy was IGNORED There are FOUR pages of requirements • None were followed Because of public information efforts: Netting was discontinued on Bora & Tree trimming was suspended in Mariners Village in 2015 & resumed in 2016. We respectfully ask the Commission to re-instate ESHA in the LCP Amendment and protect this last stand of trees and nests in Mariners Village

A little History – Now the Developer, Marina Admiralty Partners has submitted a Renovation Plan for Mariner’s Village to CLEAR CUT ALL 1000 Mature Trees and ELIMINATE All plants. This plan was UNAMIMOUSLY rejected by the County’s own Design Control Board in a meeting attended by community members speaking about the destruction of habitat last year but has NOT been taken off the table.

A little History – Now To Implement Admiralty Partners ill-advised DESTRUCTIVE plan… • All the nesting and roosting trees would be removed • The surrounding trees that provide a safety buffer and building materials for the nests would be removed. This would be done to make way for 7000 sq. ft. of retail shops and “circulation” roads, eliminating the last GBH rookery on this part of the coast. The rookery would be destroyed … to put in its place yet another shopping center in a location where there are 3 other major shopping centers, as well as 3 neighboring major retail areas within a mile radius.

Protect the Great Blue Heron Rookery on the LA Coast

Protect the Great Blue Herons Last Stand of Trees Re-Designate ESHA in MDR & Mariners Village in the LCP