— THE WHY — |
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Destination Ormond Beach EPA officials have been left with the arduous task of cleaning up the biggest rubbish heap in the county There are many unique coastal points along the shores of Ventura County. But this one is different, possessing such great potential to stand out from the rest. So much, in fact, it's been called "The Jewel of Oxnard," with an immense value placed on this land for its habitation of endangered animals and native wetlands. If Ormond Beach were given gemstone designation, it could be classified a diamond, one in the rough, caught somewhere between environmental preservation, commercial development and one very conspicuous neighbor. At the heart of the discord is the city's tempestuous relationship with Halaco, an abandoned metal recycling plant near the shore enclave. Ever longstanding, the tentative plans to clean up potentially toxic waste at the site by 2010 may seem too good to be true. — Ventura County Reporter – 20080814  OXNARD RENEWS ASSAULT ON ORMOND BEACH by Alan Sanders The process by which the City of Oxnard plans to alter wildlife habitat and open space at Ormond Beach began anew with the July 24 start of a 45 day comment period on new environmental documents that will end on September 8. The North and South Ormond Beach Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report replaces a previous draft EIR released in May 2007. The massive document evaluates the impacts of two other plans; The Northshore Specific Plan and the South Ormond Beach Specific Plan. The three volumes that must be read together comprise thousands of pages of highly technical data that must be analyzed and commented on within the prescribed time. The new documents have significantly revised sections on Water Resources, Biological Resources, Air Quality and Alternatives Analysis. However, the total number of acres the project that would be developed remains at 917 as opposed to the 220 acres of land to be maintained as buffer and open space. The Los Padres Chapter, has for years agreed with environmental scientists who have opined that such a meager amount of habitat area would not be sustainable as a functioning ecological area. Together with other Ormond area stakeholders who comprise the Ormond Beach Task Force we have worked to draft and approve a proposed alternative land use plan called the Ormond Beach Consensus Plan. The Consensus Plan calls for approximately twice as much habitat area and open space as proposed in the revised DEIR. You can request a copy of the documents by contacting Kathleen Mallory, Planner at the City of Oxnard, planning division, 214 South C Street, Oxnard, CA 93030, 805-385-7858 or Kathleen.mallory@ci.oxnard.ca.us.
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 Photos courtesy Alan Sanders
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 Since the founding of our nation, the area now containing the State of California has lost 91% of its wetlands. Here in Oxnard we personally experience the harm done with our "years of the spiders, the flies and the gnats" — Some bird species that normally visit us skipped those years, or were driven away from overcrowding by other species. As we continue to overpopulate our state, it is imperative that we restore what wetlands we can. If we fail, we do so at our children's and their children's peril. These pages try to explain and to prove that assertion. Fuller's Report — Special Birds Seen At Ormond Beach: Northern Fulmar, California Condor (reported seen feeding on a seal carcass), Snowy Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Virginia Rail, Peregrine Falcon, White Ibis, Egrets, Great Blue Heron, Black Rail, Western Grebe, Surf Scoters, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Belted Kingfisher, Black Crowned Herons (seen arguing with each other), Red Tailed Hawks, Trumpeter Swans!, White-Tailed Kites, Bald Eagle Fledgling! (seen fishing in the drain between the Perkins Rd. parking lot and the wetlands), three (3!) Golden Plovers, Eared Grebes, Indigo Bunting, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, and Ruddy Ground Dove. The last three were seen by Auduboners at Ormond Beach and are firsts in these parts. Also, on June 14, an informal count at Ormond netted 31 Snowy Plover nests and 48 Least Tern nests. |
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Oct. 13, 2005 [mp3 audio file - 6 min.] —   [ Home | Fuss | Vision | Calendar | Maps | Commentary | Links ] |
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Oxnard Coastal Wetlands / Webmaster Originated 21 Feb 2007 |