The future of the Ballona Wetlands

Over the course of two centuries, the Ballona Wetlands have, more or less, survived grazing cattle, Howard Hughes and Marina del Rey. Now, nearly a decade after the state acquired the 640 acres of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve that stretch from Westchester to the marina, the cherished preserve may finally be getting the substantial restoration it needs and deserves. The Annenberg Foundation has agreed to put up at least $50 million to build an interpretive center in the wetlands and help with the restoration of the land around the center. The agreement is laid out in a memorandum of understanding among the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — which controls the wetlands — the state's Coastal Conservancy, the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission and Annenberg. The state is in the early stages of an environmental review of the restoration plans for the wetlands.

February 5, 2013