© 2003 Wendy Dager

Restoration has begun on the Ballona Wetlands, an area that once covered over 2,000 acres where the trendy California cities of Venice and Marina del Rey—and parts of West Los Angeles—are now situated.

Because of urban development, as well as the channeling of the Ballona Creek in the 1930’s, the Wetlands were reduced to fewer than 190 acres, altering the ecosystem.

With hard work and perseverence, this is all going to change for the better. According to the Friends of Ballona Wetlands (FBW), a planned restoration will increase the habitat to 340 acres, and will include a saltmarsh, freshwater marsh, riparian corridor, bluffs, uplands, and dunes.

The FBW was formed in 1978 to protect the Wetlands and its native wildlife, which includes hundreds of species of birds and other animals. The FBW fought—and won—long court battles, taking on city, county, state and federal regulatory agencies. In 1997, the Playa Capital Company, LLC, took over the development project, promising to uphold the lawsuit settlement by restoring the Ballona Wetlands.

The first phase of the project is now complete, with a newly restored freshwater marsh west of Lincoln Boulevard and south of Jefferson Boulevard.

S&S Seeds is proud to have a hand in the marsh’s new look, which includes native grasses, trees, and a riparian ecosystem.

"We did some on-site seed collection of some of the species that were originally in the area before they started some of the construction work out there," said Jody Miller, Manager of S&S. "We store the seed, and then, when they’re ready to re-seed it, they use the seed we collected."

The restored Wetlands will be home to more than 3,000 trees and 10,000 shrubs, as well as other native plants.

Sharon Lockhart, biologist and longtime consultant to Playa, says S&S Seeds has been involved in almost every project she’s worked on where seeds were required.

"S&S has one of the best reputations for seed companies in Southern California," said Lockhart. "They’ve provided seeds for the erosion control mix and the wildflower mix for the marsh."

Thanks to the combined efforts of all involved in the restoration, the marsh is not only beautiful to look at, but is also a natural stormwater management system, removing contaminants before the water enters the Santa Monica Bay.

The Leaf-let has long been a proponent of stormwater compliance. (See The Best of the Leaf-let: "Nipping Erosion in the Bud: An Ounce of Prevention Less Costly Than a Pound of Cure," http://www.albrightseed.com/niperosioninthebud.htm and "Construction Site Pollution A Federal Priority: California Enforcement Improving,"
http://www.albrightseed.com/constructionsitepollution.htm.)

For more information about the Ballona Wetlands salt marsh restoration project, visit http://www.ballona-wetlands.org/ or http://www.ballona.org/.

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