FORMERLY TITLED:
New development raping coastal wetlands in Del Mar, CA, USA
BUT CHANGED ON ACCOUNT OF LOOKS CAN BE DECIVING
I drove by the wetlands across from the Del Mar racetrack today to find 1/2 of them plowed! As many of you may know, we have already lost 95% of our wetlands in CA, so this is severly disturbing. I can’t belive that Del Mar would let this happen! thoes filthy …
Dose anyone know anything about this?
I say we organize protest, then illegal action when that fails.
Nobody develops on coastal wetlands unless they go through years of litigation and legal roadblocks first.
Where have you been?
In school man.
I have seen that. I was told they were trying to restore them with native plants. Looks like housing to me?
They are actually restoring the wetlands that were filled in years ago. They are puting rock along the bank to stop erosion and resilting of the channel.
Jim,
That’s good news.
As you may know they just finished restoring the Bolsa Chica wetlands after many year of legal battles, evironmentalist efforts to protect, etc. They are now safe. Well as safe as they can be.
When they did the restoration, there was lots of earthwork, a channel cut, and a bridge built. If you didn’t know what was going on, it would be easy to assume they were building a marina or something.
Nice to hear some money is being spent on restoration.
Any waves under threat?
Mod nudge…
That’s great news Jim, I was furious! It sure dose look like the beginings of track housing right now though.
Of course waves are at threat! any altercation to inlets causes a disruption in new sand deposits, which could destroy sand bars! but looks like we dont have to worry about that…which is good because I was planing on commiting arson : )
Hey Hicksy:
Exactly the oposite in the case of Bolsa Chica. The jettys have improved
the beach break and are known as a new surf spot called “BJ’s”!!!
The sand dug out of the channel was dumped offshore to create a big
wave spot that has yet to see its full potential although it has broken once
or twice during big south swells.
The Del Mar project is opposite the beach and should not affect the
surf in any way. It should improve the local wildlife and marine life however.
It seems that the people/political climate of Cali has changed a little for the
better. Now we need to stop the toll road proposal that would wreck the
jewel of the south coast, Trestles.
How right you are.
Hello Rhino ,
The local newspaper has been covering this story for quite some time. Not every story in the paper is about war and corruption. Jim P hit the nail on the head.
There’s a strong possibilty that a great new sand bar will be made when the lagoon mouth is open to tidal flushing. Think about your spot Cardiff Reef !
Twelve years ago there was no surf spot called Ponto Jetty. The lagoon restoration there actullay created a very good break.
The fish hachery in Carlsbad’s Augua Hediona lagoon is also connected with these projects. New habitat soon for lots of wildlife !
Now that you are happy here’s a local bummer. The city of Oceanside wants to build a resort on that last block of open land on the south end of town next to the Bueana Vista Lagoon (spelling?)
have a great day
Ray
The inlet at Cardiff is an example of how not to manipulate the shore line. A hundred years ago, the inlet was open from the camp grounds southern edge to Sea Side reef. The bluff at the camp grounds was a high as Swami’s, but was leveled out.
What would be the right thing for the area, is to remove the fill behind restaurant row, elevate the rail bed and highway on concrete pillars, so that a natural flow to the once pristine inlet/marshlands could return, but not likely in our life times.
Now that you are happy here’s a local bummer
The environmental thing is not a series of unconnected battles, but a war…it’s so funny to read that Rhino hadn’t been following local news events because he’s in school…same thing 30 years ago for me as I recall a communications prof brutally chastizing most of a very small class when he asked and found out that only 2 of us even had a television and none of us read a newspaper everyday…everybody can’t know everthing all the time…which is why communication in many forums is valuable…
I no longer have surf friends in the Bolsa area so I don’t know how one issue turned out there- water quality after the wetlands opened. Nothing like a good tidal flush, eh? Especially there since there had been oil and aerospace industry “upstream”. I’m prepared to expect the worst but sometimes good people are involved and those types of issues were already thought of and addressed (imagine scooping up tons of wet contaminated soil…$$$$…and that would look like landrape in progress).
The toll road thing, which is very new to California, is a fright that goes so far beyond the Trestles situation as to be nearly unimaginable. This is the tip of a government/bureaucratic/elitist psuedo-environmental movement to (my quotes) “make sure the users pay for the goods and services they consume”. Everybody and the clowns at the circus have their hands in the tax dollar jar, the infrastructure is aging, the population exploding…we’re in the start of what looks to be a very painful transition period, and the people with influence can’t seem to think of any way to deal with it without forcing the economic burden on those least able to afford it or escape it, while maintaining their own comfort in the process.
You know what a good next step would be for Del Mar? Find out who the people were who are seeing the wetlands project through, who supported it and who didn’t, and have the public support them. And then encourage them and others of a like mind to move on to other issues and areas. Real progress…
Jim,
You got it right on the money. As it stands now, the sand-bearing water from the inland streams has to make two 90 degree turns in order to get to the ocean. Most of the sand is dropped in the process leaving the beach wanting, and the marsh clogged with sand.
One of the big jokes (not the funny kind) of the recent past is when the state put up over $20 million dollars to suck up sand from a mile offshore and pump it onto the beaches in S.D. county. As I recall the sand lasted about 3 months before a couple of storms claimed it again. It was probably dragged back out to sea, filling up the holes the dredger had made.
If the money was spent on opening up the marshland again: …One-time expense and sand on the beaches. Is this too sensible for our politicians to grasp? A regular-guy surfer could figure this one out.
Doug
At Cardiff, the inlet naturally closes up in the summer, due to gentle swells and no rain runoff. However, the enviro-clowns insist that it should be opened. The result is each time they open up the inlet, the surf deteriorates. dregging the channel causes the the waves to back off into deep water as they approach shore. When the inlet is blocked (like it was until very recently) the waves improve. Currently, we have more sand than ever, and the break has has very good shape, even at high tide.
When the inlet is dredged, large excavators move in and shove tons of sand around, what do you think happens to that sand when the work is done? Yes, that’s right, the same sand washes right back into the lagoon. Can you believe we are paying for workers to continually move the same sand particles?
As for Del Mar, the plan is to make the inlet permanently open, just like at Ponto. Whether this will improve the waves or not is unknown. I’m guessing little to no change due to the fact the waves break outside further than the outflow will affect. That’s right folks, the state will be permanently blocking off access along the shoreline. Another trivia tip, the beach there is also a dog beach, that means free range dogs. Watch your step…
The city of Oceanside wants to build a resort on that last block of open land on the south end of town next to the Bueana Vista Lagoon (spelling?)
Bummer, vote passed on V day.
I don’t know why these things don’t get more publisity, then again I almost never watch TV and don’t get the paper…
Buena Vista Lagoon hotel is travesty on nature
We at Buena Vista Audubon Society were very disappointed that the Oceanside City Council decided by a 3 to 2 vote Feb. 14 to approve the misbegotten hotel development project across Coast Highway from our Nature Center. The thousands of schoolchildren who come to us each year for nature education deserve to see red-tailed hawks, ospreys and kingfishers over that land rather than a three-story hotel that turns its back to the lagoon.
Write us
The San Diego Union-Tribune welcomes letters to the editor. Because of the number of letters received, and to allow as many readers as possible to be published, it is the policy of the newspaper to publish no more than one letter from the same author within 120 days. Letters may be edited. It is also our policy to publish letters supporting or opposing a particular issue in a ratio reflecting the number received on each side.
To be considered for publication, a letter must include an address, daytime phone number and, if faxed or mailed, be signed. It may be sent to Letters Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Post Office Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191, faxed to (619) 260-5081 or e-mailed to letters@uniontrib.com. Letters submitted may be used in print or in digital form in any publication or service authorized by the Union-Tribune Publishing Co. The council missed the opportunity to do the right thing for our beloved lagoon: deny this poorly sited, poorly designed project and protect the views and irreplaceable open space that shelters 200-plus species of birds.
Our lagoon is in danger of silting up and drying up. Plans for restoring the lagoon are well under way but council members Rocky Chavez, Jack Feller and Jerome Kern just made it harder. Bad development decisions like this will only add to the cost of restoring the lagoon and taxpayers will end up paying the bill.
As Councilman Chavez so incongruously stated after he voted to jeopardize the future of the lagoon to please the developer: “We can always build another hotel somewhere but we can never build another wetland, another lagoon.”
DENNIS HUCKABAY
President
Buena Vista Audubon Society
Over the last few month hundreds of residents of North County came together to raise the money to acquire the very special Sherman property in the Buena Vista Creek Valley.
This land is part of the natural floodplain of the creek – allowing it to slow down and drop its pollutants and silt before it reaches Buena Vista Lagoon. Preserving land like this helps the entire watershed – from the creek, to the lagoon, to our beaches.
Unfortunately, three members of the Oceanside City Council voted to undo much of the good of this land acquisition. They voted to approve a massive development, the Boardwalk/Coastal Lagoon project right along the lagoon.
We all need to get serious about protecting our coastal waterways – and this just isn’t the way to do it.
DIANE NYGAARD
Preserve Calavera
I have invested 15 years and countless volunteer hours talking to youngsters about nature. There have been times a red-tailed hawk would appear over the area of this planned project when I would have the children on a nature walk. The children would look skyward with a look of anticipation as the hawk circled, looking for prey.
Yes, the area of the planned project is a home to a web of life and the hawk knows this.
What a shame to lose some of the shoreline of the lagoon.
JOYCE PAGE
Carlsbad
The Oceanside City Council ignored the realities of the Buena Vista Lagoon hotel project. The project fails to preserve public view corridors, its density is too big, its traffic congestion and parking effects are harmful. Please, everyone, stand up and confront this travesty.
DOUGLAS FREED
Oceanside
sweet, its good to safeguard our environment . … let the guys and gals in power know how to use them responsibly.
The guys and gals in power are for the most part a bunch of greedy A holes who should be hanged. The last thing most politicans are concerned with is using resources responcibly…but I wont rant, because this is not the place…the best thing we can do to save our coastland and other resources is to vote responcibly, then impeach…it’s a vicious cycle.
Amazing what a guy can learn on Swaylocks. I guess it’s a no brainer but I never really thought about how much sand must get caught up in the lagoon outlet just east of Coast Highway at Cardiff. I’ve often thought about why the water is routed that way. Maybe to save money and build the smallest bridge possible?
I’d be interested to hear more about the Del Mar project. I read that the residents next to dog beach are not happy with the opening of the lagoon to tidal flushing. People are worried about negitive effects to their property like more beach erosion. Also there is concern about how the lagoon outlet will be managed. Right now it sounds like sand berms and heavy equipment are going to keep the water flowing.
I’m not taking a side pro or con. I just find the whole thing to be very interesting.
Ray