NATIVE PLANTS OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC-OWNED PARCELS ON THE WEST END OF THE BALLONA WETLANDS THAT COULD BE ADDED TO THE STATE PRESERVE

(To see enlarged photo, click on image)

TOE’S BEACH

DUNES AT SOUTHWEST END OF DEL REY LAGOON PARK AND FRONTING ON THE BEACH: APPROX. 2 ACRES. LOCATED IMMEDIATELY WEST OF BASEBALL FIELDS. ALSO, A SMALL CITY-OWNED LOT COMPOSED ENTIRELY OF BEACH SAND IS LOCATED TO THE IMMEDIATE NORTH OF THIS PRIVATELY-OWNED, DEVELOPMENT-THREATENED PARCEL.

HABITAT VALUE: Toes Beach Dune is unique as the last undeveloped coastal dune contiguous with the beach between Ballona Creek and Palos Verdes. It shows typical dune development and vegetation, including beach burr and beach evening primrose. Minimal exotics removal and planting would be needed to transform it into a diverse strand and dune scrub community, with attendant wildlife, including endangered El Segundo blue butterflies.

NATIVE PLANTS:

beach evening primrose (camissonia cheiranthifolia, subspecies suffrutescens)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=camissonia+cheiranthifolia

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Sea rocket (cakile maritime)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=cakile+maritima

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dune ragweed or silver beach-bur (ambrosia chamissonis)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=ambrosia+chamissonis

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saltgrass (distichlis spicata)

http://images.google.com/images?q=distichlis+spicata&hl=en

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telegraph weed (heterotheca grandiflora)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=heterotheca+grandiflora

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beach or pink sand verbena (abronia umbellata)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=abronia+umbellata

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beach morning glory (calystegia soldanella)

http://images.google.com/images?q=calystegia+soldanella&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

DEL REY LAGOON-PARCEL ON NORTH END BY BALLONA CHANNEL

NORTH END OF DEL REY LAGOON PARK: APPROX. 2 ACRES

HABITAT VALUE: Historical maps show Del Rey Lagoon as the historic mouth of the Ballona Creek. Increasing the ecological value of this site will require better connection with Ballona Creek, through Lot C, which is currently threatened with development. This site would have a high value as part of a larger rehabilitation of the Del Rey Lagoon to increase/establish tidal flushing and replace the largely exotic landscaping with native species. This would enhance foraging opportunities for the endangered California Least Tern. Lot C is the ideal location for such an effort, so that restoration occurs at the northern end of the lagoon, leaving existing recreational uses intact at the southern end.

NATIVE PLANTS:

telegraph weed (heterotheca grandiflora)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=heterotheca+grandiflora

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seaside heliotrope or sand heliotrope (heliotropium curassavicum, variety oculatum)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=heliotropium+curassavicum

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Spurge

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saltgrass (distichlis spicata)

http://images.google.com/images?q=distichlis+spicata&hl=en

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pickleweed (salicornia virginica)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=salicornia+virginica

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Coyote brush (baccharis pilularis, subspecies consanguinea)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=baccharis+pilularis

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Wild cucumber (marah macrocarpus)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=marah+macrocarpus&btnG=Search

EL SEGUNDO SAND DUNES—REPLANTED AREA ALONG WATERVIEW AVENUE

THIS PROPERTY IS OWNED BY THE L.A. DEPARTMENT OF AIRPORTS AND FORMERLY WAS DEVELOPED WITH HOMES THAT WERE REMOVED BY THE AIRPORT DEPT. IN THE 1970’S.

THE STREETS WERE NOT REMOVED AND ARE VISIBLE IN THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPH IN THE UPPER-RIGHT-HAND CORNER.

THE ENTIRE SITE IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, EXCEPT FOR A NARROW LANDSCAPED STRIP ALONG THE NORTH END FRONTING ON WATERVIEW STREET, BETWEEN PERSHING DRIVE AND VISTA DEL MAR LANE.

HABITAT VALUE: At 300 acres, the dunes at LAX represent an internationally significant biodiversity hotspot. Many unique subspecies are found on the dunes, including the El Segundo dunes spineflower, El Segundo blue butterfly, four unique moths, a new species of crab spider, two rare weevil species, and the unique El Segundo dunes Jerusalem cricket. Approximately one hundred acres of the dunes are not included in the existing butterfly reserve and deserve protection. The dunes are also threatened by proliferation of invasive exotic species such as Myoporum that must be better controlled.

NATIVE PLANTS OF THE STRIP ALONG WATERVIEW DRIVE:

coastal sagebrush or Calif. sagebrush (artemisia Californica)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=artemisia+Californica

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telegraph weed (heterotheca grandiflora)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=heterotheca+grandiflora

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silver dune bush lupine (lupinus chamissonis)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=lupinus+chamissonis

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beach evening primrose (camissonia cheiranthifolia, subspecies suffrutescens)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=camissonia+cheiranthifolia

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deerweed, lotus scoparius,

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=lotus+scoparius

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Sea rocket (cakile maritime)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=cakile+maritima

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Plant that is either Horseweed or Artemisia dracunculus:

Mugwort also called wild tarragon or dragon sagewort (artemisia dracunculus)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=artemisia+dracunculus

horseweed (conyza canadensis)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=conyza+canadensis

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croton (croton Californicus)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=croton+Californicus

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wild heliotrope (phacelia ramosissima, variety austrolitoralis) (likely)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=phacelia+ramosissima

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beach or pink sand verbena (abronia umbellata)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=abronia+umbellata

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California poppy (eschscholzia Californica)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=eschscholzia+Californica

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dune ragweed or silver beach-bur (ambrosia chamissonis)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=ambrosia+chamissonis

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Gnaphalium (species ?)

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Coast goldenbush, (isocoma menziesii)

http://images.google.com/images?q=Isocoma+menziesii&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

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Lupine (yellow flowered)

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jimson weed or tolguacha (datura wrightii or datura meteloides)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=datura+wrightii+

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western ragweed (ambrosia psilostachya, subspecies Californica)

http://images.google.com/images?q=ambrosia+psilostachya&hl=en

suffrutescent wallflower (erysimum suffrutescens)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=erysimum+suffrutescens

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yellow pincushion (chaenactis glabriuscula, variety tenuifolia)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=chaenactis+glabriuscula&btnG=Search

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Douglas' or white nightshade (solanum douglasii)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=solanum+douglasii

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Bush sunflower (encelia californica)

http://images.google.com/images?q=encelia+californica&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

BLUFF FACE BETWEEN SINALOA AND NICHOLSON

(LOCATION IN ABOVE PHOTO: MIDDLE, TO EAST OF BASEBALL FIELD)

(view to east, 18 lots above Cabora Rd. hiking trail)

(view from Ballona Creek levee)

in addition to approximately 43 acres of the bluff top, bluff face and wetlands that is owned by the Southern California Gas Company and is used to store natural gas underground, there is a section of the bluff face that faces an immediate threat of development. This area is small in size, 1.5 acres, but is visually huge as it is right at the western gateway to the Ballona Wetlands and is the proposed site of 18 homes. This land is bounded by the State-owned wetlands and the unpaved Cabora Rd. hiking trail on the north, by the edge of the blufftop on the south, by Falmouth Avenue on the east and by Pershing Drive on the West. In order to develop this land, Cabora Rd. would have to be paved and widened into the State's wetland preserve, plus enormous amounts of the hillside would have to be carved out and concreted-over. As this land is in the Coastal Zone, and is next to a designated Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area, it would be subjected to stringent review by the Coastal Commission.

This site consists of 18 small residential-zoned lots that are on the steep upslope of the sand dune from Cabora Rd. Cabora is a narrow unpaved path starting just up the hill from the intersection of Culver Blvd. and Nicholson (same as Pershing Drive). Cabora continues east midway between the top and the bottom of the bluff face for two miles, eventually ending at Centinela Avenue.

A proposal was made to develop the lots in 2005, however, we have heard of no further progress on the proposal since then.

NATIVE PLANTS:

Coyote brush (baccharis pilularis, subspecies consanguinea)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=baccharis+pilularis

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Herb, looks like chenopodium

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Gnaphalium (species?)

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deerweed, lotus scoparius,

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=lotus+scoparius

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croton (croton Californicus)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=croton+Californicus

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cudweed (gnaphalium Californicum “Calif. Everlasting”,

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=gnaphalium+Californicum+

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California poppy (eschscholzia Californica)

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=eschscholzia+Californica