A bill that would consider expanding the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area could bring Ballona Creek, the Baldwin Hill Conservancy and the Ballona Wetlands into its boundaries.
Announced late last month at a press conference by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Marina del Rey) at the 600? acre Ballona Wetlands, the proposed bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of enlarging the recreation area or create the Los Angeles Conservation Area.
Culver City Mayor Jim Clarke said there is no real downside to conducting the study. “The pros— if the study recommended the merging— would be to tie the locations more closely together and to create a relatively seamless natural environment corridor,” Clarke, who was at the press conference with Lieu, explained.
“Whether it is conserving the Ballona Wetlands, preserving our beaches or creating more opportunities for recreation in our urban areas like the Baldwin Hills and San Pedro, this bill is a first step toward making more federal resources available for our trails, beaches and open space,” Lieu said in a statement. “Expanding the Santa Monica National Recreation Area would make more scientific and infrastructure funds available thereby addressing a shortage of resources to preserve open space for conservation and recreation in our community.”
Lieu’s bill would commission the National Park Service to conduct a three year review on whether to add the entire Santa Monica Bay coastline from Venice Beach to Rat Beach in Torrance, as well as the wetlands, Ballona Creek, Baldwin Hills and the San Pedro coastline to the national recreation area.
Baldwin Hills Conservancy Executive Director David McNeil said he has not discussed the proposed legislation with the conservancy board yet but sees potential for new revenue streams that could enhance the conservancy’s profile. “Getting access to more national resources is an idea that’s been around for a while. [Inclusion in the recreation area] could make it easier to open up more resources at the national level,” McNeil said.
Newly elected City Councilman Göran Eriksson concurred with McNeil on the opportunity to access federal dollars if Ballona Creek and the conservancy were included in the new recreation area. “I think it makes a lot of sense. There are areas that could get some improvements, like the Ballona Creek Bikepath,” Eriksson said. “It’s an opportunity to cultivate Ballona Creek more because I feel that it is underutilized. [With federal funding], it could reach its full potential.”
Clarke said there is only one potential downside. “This could [result in] added federal costs and some restrictions on development that could occur within the boundaries—that as of yet [are] undefined— but that isn’t a negative to most people,” he pointed out.
McNeil reiterated that he thought merging the creek and the conservancy with the new national recreation area was “a good idea” but also noted that if the study gains traction certain questions will need to be answered. “Who would ultimately be responsible for the management and the operations of these areas?’ he asked.
The results of the study and subsequent public hearings would form the basis for potential follow-up legislation, Lieu’s office said.
Gary Walker contributed to this story.