Conservancy’s victory deserved

The seemingly tireless efforts of a group of Surf City activists have

been rewarded. The Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy has been

awarded $1.2 million in state bond funds to purchase 45 acres to be

restored and preserved as wetlands.

For years, it has been the conservancy’s mission to obtain 108

acres along the coast in Southeast Huntington Beach and restore the

degraded wetlands to its natural state as a thriving habitat for

plants and endangered wildlife.

With the newly promised funds on the way -- and an additional $1.6

million coming from Earth Corp., a nonprofit organization that

specializes in environmental restoration projects -- the conservancy

is finalizing a purchase agreement with the owner of the 45-acre

site, the estate of the late Daisy Piccirelli.

This site, which lies between the AES Huntington Beach power plant

and Brookhurst Street, is a crucial piece of the 108-acre puzzle. The

purchase will nearly double the land already held by the conservancy,

25 acres known as the Talbert Marsh and another 22 acres near the AES

power plant. It is working on nabbing another seven acres from

Caltrans.

The new acreage is part of the group’s plan to create the Santa

Ana River Park, and part of a larger-scale project, the Orange Coast

River Park, that would create a public access parkland along the

length of the Santa Ana River in Orange County.

It is great to see some of the funds from Proposition 40, a state

parks bond measure approved by voters last year that is administered

by the California Coastal Conservancy, making its way to Huntington

Beach.

Taxpayers in Surf City pay into these bonds and are right on

target in trying to bring a fair share of those funds back to restore

natural habitat and resources.

Besides being a quickly diminishing habitat that once prevailed in

California, wetlands serve a very real and practical purpose in

filtering urban runoff before it reaches the ocean.

The creation of the river parks would also greatly benefit the

community as both a recreational area to hike and enjoy, as well as

an educational tool for ours and visiting youth.

So, congratulations to the conservancy, and keep up the good work.