New Nature Walks (for the over 50 Crowd!)

NEW!!

FRIENDS OF COLORADO LAGOON

(Last Sunday of the Month Nature Walks)

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 8:30 – 10:30 AM

Meet at the Wetlands & Marine Science Center on Appian Way

SPECIAL THANKSGIVING WALK

EASY PACED NATURE AND BIRD WALK

(For the Over 50 Crowd)

The winter migration has begun and the ducks and shorebirds have found Colorado Lagoon’s clean water to their liking.  With the dredging completed, many more creatures are making Colorado Lagoon their home.  Find out more about the next restoration phase as we view the pelicans, grebes, coots, ducks and shore birds.  If we are lucky, perhaps we will see a hawk!  Bring binoculars (available to borrow-call to reserve a pair- if you have none), sunscreen, hat, water and comfy walking shoes.   No charge.  Led by Harriet Bennish, FOCL volunteer.  (562) 621-9734 alinkletter@yahoo.com  Rain cancels

FOCL Newsletter October 2012

Check out the new FOCL Points Newsletter:

http://issuu.com/FOCL/docs/focl_newlsetter_october__2012_final/1

Tidal Influence and FOCL volunteers have been working on setting up the new Western Arm Reserve at Colorado Lagoon.  Here is a short timelapse video of us building a split rail fence designed to separate the Little Rec Golf Course from the Lagoon.

And here is another timelapse video of us planting salt marsh habitat in the Western Arm. We had to get these plants in before the 7th tee reopened and bad golfers started bombing us with their shanks.

 

Our first big public restoration event in the Western Arm will be on Saturday October 13th from 10am-12pm. Come join us!

Colorado Lagoon Grand Re-opening

Colorado Lagoon Grand Re-opening

 Let’s Celebrate!

Please join the City of Long Beach and the Friends of Colorado Lagoon (FOCL) to celebrate the reopening of Colorado Lagoon on Saturday, August 25th! Approximately 63,000 cubic yards of mud later, we are thrilled to be one step closer to a healthy lagoon with the completion of the dredging. Details are below:

When: Saturday, August 25, 2012

Where: Colorado Lagoon, near the Wetland and Marine Science Education Center on Apian Way

When: 10 am – 2 pm

What: community celebration with music, lagoon tours, food trucks, booths, and activities for the whole family

The dredging of Colorado Lagoon is coming to a close, at last check more than 50,000 cubic yards of sediment has been hauled to the Port of Long Beach to be used in the Middle Harbor project (Big thanks to our friends at the LB Port!). This polluted sediment has built up in the lagoon (mainly from the stormdrains) over the last ~80 years, and its removal was mandated when the State Water Board (SWB) set strict new limits for pollutants in Colorado Lagoon. The sediment, while not classified as toxic, has lead and other pollutants above limits set by the SWB.

Sediment from the lagoon, including an old car chassis, before being hauled away.

In addition to the sediment removal, 3 storm drain outfalls have been demolished and hauled away, including the infamous Termino Ave Drain, which was the trigger for tremendous community involvement at the lagoon. But the most noticeable change visitors see when peering through the tattered green fence is the land at the western end of the lagoon has been re-contoured to increase intertidal habitat. This area will be replanted by FOCL and the community over the next 18-24 months thanks to a grant from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC). Stay tuned for more info on how you can get involved in this effort.

View of the re-contoured western end of Colorado Lagoon - No more Termino Ave Drain!

The contractor, AIS, is still measuring and touching up the bottom of the lagoon to make sure it meets the project specifications. This should be complete within a week or two and then the dredge equipment will be removed.

Next steps for AIS include removing the abandoned bathroom and the parking lot on the north shore, filling the hole left by the parking lot removal (using piles of clean dirt from the west lagoon re-contouring) and grading the site. When this is complete, most of the fences will come down and the lagoon will be open to visitors again. Originally scheduled for the end of July, it now looks like mid to late August for the re-opening.

Tough Commute - An excavator moves itself around the lagoon with its bucket

The tide gates are still not completely opened yet, but the water clarity has improved dramatically in the last few weeks as the dredging has tapered off. We are very excited for the temporary tide gates to be removed and the tide to return to pre-project ranges, the water should look better than ever!

As we approach another milestone in the restoration of the lagoon, FOCL wishes to thank all of the lagoon's neighbors for their patience during this major construction project. Thanks for all your continued support!

FOCL Updates

We here at FOCL are trying to sync all of our Social Media (Check out our Facebook Group page when you have a chance!)  with our website (ColoradoLagoon.org) and our blog and Emails to our members. We will get it worked out so that you can be fully up to date on all FOCL happenings at the Lagoon. In the meantime, check out this update that we sent to members last week (it doesn't come out super clear so click on the pic)...

http://p0.vresp.com/HGOuHT

Summer Activities!

Check out the new FOCL Event Flier showing events the end of the year! Pay special attention to the Science Shack Summer event that will occur every Saturday and Sunday starting July 7th and ending September 2nd. More information to come....

Friends of Colorado Lagoon have a couple of events this Saturday June 9th 2012:

Estuary Exploration from 8am-10am

and then, right after,

Habitat Restoration from 10am-Noon

Join the Lagoon education and restoration team to help fix and explore the Colorado Lagoon!
Email: Education@ColoradoLagoon.org for more information

On March 19th, 2012 the Friends of Colorado Lagoon  were awarded a competitive grant from the San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy for $500,000 to revegetate the Western Arm of the Colorado Lagoon. In addition to restoring the salt marsh and adjacent habitat, FOCL will develop interpretive signage, improve the surrounding trails, and conduct monitoring of the project. The awarded funding comes from Proposition 84 and in coordination with the City of Long Beach, this new project will begin after the current dredging project, which is expected to be completed by August of this year.

FOCL is very grateful to the RMC for this funding as it is an integral piece of the restoration puzzle. This recent award adds to FOCL’s history of receiving competitive grant funds for community-based habitat restoration of the Colorado Lagoon. In 2008, FOCL was awarded $29,800 from the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project and $73,400 from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Program to restore the Lagoon’s eastern shoreline.

FOCL works with many community partners and local schools to raise awareness and provide education for our valuable coastal habitats while offering opportunities for the general public to help restore Colorado Lagoon.  Involvement from local citizens will make FOCL’s efforts most successful. Those interested in participating should contact FOCL’s education program.