An open letter to Los Angeles: Don’t destroy Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Refuge!
| There is a place that is emblematic of all the amazing things that can be secretly hidden within an urban landscape. |  |
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You can walk away from that ever-present rush of the freeway, the stench of burning oil and exhaust and suddenly you smell the sagebrush. The drone of traffic fades into warbling and whistling of the more than 200 species of birds that have come to rely on this lone oasis surrounded by asphalt desert.
It’s indescribably lovely: Songbirds, waterbirds, egrets and herons and grebes, owls and raptors. Dusk falls and swallows whip and cut through the skies like Chinese battle kites. Every year, when the whole flock of white pelicans returns, it is as close to a religious experience as I have ever had. It is magic in the city. You wouldn’t believe me, if I told you such a place exists, right here in Los Angeles, 500 feet away from the 405 freeway. But it does, and it is free, and safe, and beautiful, and open to everyone. And everyone comes: all cultures, all ages. It’s Los Angeles’ version of Central Park. The place is the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Refuge, and before I explain why it’s so important that Caltrans NOT build a freeway onramp through the middle of it, I’d like to tell you more about why it’s so unique, special and beautiful. |
| Every time I think I live in a city where people just don’t give a damn about the environment, I wind up walking through Sepulveda Basin and witnessing first hand the awe and wonder that can peek out from even the most jaded tough-guy’s persona. Observing the wildlife and natural beauty of the park invigorates my senses, but observing the delight and joy of my fellow visitors nourishes my soul.
Every time I walk through the place, a stranger inevitably stops me to ask about the funny black ducks stretching out their wings. And every time, I am thrilled for the opportunity to teach someone about cormorants. How they dive for food, but they don’t have enough oil on their wings to be watertight, so it is believed they must stretch out their wings to dry. People are naturally curious about the world around them, and that’s no different in Los Angeles. But consider that in this city, literally thousands of schoolchildren live within ten miles of an ocean they’ve never splashed their feet in, nor even laid eyes on, and you begin to see where encouraging curiosity about a weird bird takes on a whole new importance. |
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Even if you don’t live in this city, you might have heard about the traffic here. It’s indeed bad, and getting worse, and for some reason, nobody seems to want to do much to create public transit to connect the Westside to the rest of the world.
One of the worst spots is where the San Diego Freeway (the 405) meets the Ventura Freeway (the 101). And as it happens, Sepulveda Basin is located right at the crossroads. |
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Mayor Villagrosa has said some lovely words about Los Angeles: “A clean environment is the foundation of livable community. It is not a luxury, it is a necessity. I will dedicate myself to transforming Los Angeles into the cleanest, greenest big city in America,” he said. “Respect and protect the environmental health of every neighborhood equally.” And I do believe that he is trying.
So how is it possible that the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Refuge is even under consideration as Los Angeles’ newest freeway onramp? Traffic is a problem, but removing acres of land from a wildlife reserve is most definitely not the solution. |
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The connector through Sepulveda Basin is only one of five options under consideration (.pdf - launches Acrobat). Caltrans may wind up destroying residential properties, too - or maybe they will leave well enough alone for the time being in hopes that the Metro will one day reach the Westside.
Caltrans is accepting comments from the public through June 30, 2006.
Comments regarding the preservation of Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Refuge may be sent to:
Ronald Kosinski
Deputy District Director
California Department of Transportation
District 7, Division of Environmental Planning
100 S. Main St. - Mail Stop 16A
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Comments can be sent via e-mail to Eduardo Aguilar at Eduardo_Aguilar@dot.ca.gov.
I’ve posted contact information for LA officials. I urge you to respectfully and clearly make your opinions known.
Read Van Nuys’ Assemblymember Lloyd Levine’s excellent letter to a Caltrans Director
Follow along as this issue gains press with Google’s News reports.
Google Maps Aerial View of Sepulveda Basin
UPDATES:
Here is a .pdf of the informational packet of maps & materials which Caltrans handed out at the June 14th meeting in Encino. Scans courtesy Muriel Kotin.
Michael Herf made a beautiful Google Earth gallery that allows you to click around the satellite map and see photographs up close: SepulvedaBasin.kmz.
