Driving South on Studebaker Road heading toward 2nd/Westminster...

On the right hand side, or West side of the road you see what appears to be a field of "weeds"...

If you crossed this "weed field" you would see it is just a narrow heap of what appears to be waste cement with bushes and weeds growing around it.

Steam Shovel Slough, Los Cerritos Wetlands, Studebaker Rd & power plant in the background

Nature finds a way... Very few know a real wetlands actually exists among the oil field in Southeast Long Beach.  Steam Shovel Slough is a type of tidal salt marsh, a finger or secondary channel off the Los Cerritos Channel, left in it's natural state.  Much of the Long Beach/Seal Beach area around the mouth of the San Gabriel River near the Pacific Ocean (Alamitos Bay) probably looked very similar before oil operations, development and river channelization. Steam Shovel Slough (pronounced "slew") is the largest of only two functioning marshes left in Los Cerritos wetlands.  The second is Zedler Marsh located on the East side of the San Gabriel River South of 2nd/Westminster.  There is an effort to restore wetlands in the entire "open space" area surrounding these marshes.  I've combined Gum Grove Park and Heron Pointe Cultural Education Center on this page along with Los Cerritos Wetlands as both boarder the wetlands restoration area, plus you can walk there.  And Heron Pointe gives great insight to the history and Native American cultural aspect of the entire area.  Read on for more info, pictures and videos of the wetlands.  Please note clicking any blue underlined text on this page will open another web page with supporting info.  Click the pictures to enlarge.  To jump to the "Action Alerts" section to learn how to help with the restoration effort click here.

Zedler Marsh, Los Cerritos Wetlands East of the San Gabriel, 7-12-08

Zedler Marsh, the second remaining marsh, much smaller than Steam Shovel Slough but very nice.  This is a nesting spot for the endangered Belding's Savannah Sparrow, which only nests in pickleweed seen growing around the marsh.  This marsh sits on the Bryant property North of the Hellman Ranch property which extends to Gum Grove Park in Seal Beach.  Every year a Zedler Marsh Clean Up Day is held,  next date is Sept. 19th, 2009.  See an interesting article about this marsh and the clean up at:  http://thedistrictweekly.com/2009/print/news/land-of-opportunity/ Many other bodies of water also exist, seasonal ponds...or ponds that might intentionally be drained for oil operations are also found throughout the wetlands area.

Click photo to enlarge, sign at Heron Pointe Cultural Educational Center Click picture to enlarge. Another Heron Pointe display describing the wetlands that was once here. Click picture to enlarge. One of ten plaques at Heron Pointe, formerly Landing Hill.

A small wetlands restoration area at Heron Pointe. Click picture to enlarge. The three pictures above are just a few examples of the many interpretive plaques you will find at Heron Pointe Education Center, located near Seal Beach Blvd. behind the Heron Pointe homes and on the East side of the Hellman Ranch Property and Gum Grove Park.  The picture on the left is a small wetlands restoration called "Hellman Wetlands" behind the Heron Pointe homes and at the end of the Heron Pointe Cultural Education Center walk.  A video posted on You Tube gives a tour with a good narration of Heron Point and Hellman Wetlands. This was sort of a mitigation project for sacred land loss at Landing Hill for the Heron Pointe homes project I understand.  Landing Hill is an archaeological site along with nearby Puvungna (CSULB) and Bolsa Chica's Cogstone site.  A good description of what is found here at Heron Pointe (Landing Hill) is described in Pacific Coast Archaeological Society's January 2008 newsletter, on page 1.  Pictures of artifacts found at Landing Hill are on page 5 of the newsletter.  Hellman Ranch (which also includes Landing Hill and Gum Grove) is referred to by Native Americans as Puvungna East.

Next is Gum Grove Park, a narrow nature park sitting between the Seal Beach homes and the South side of the Hellman Ranch area of Los Cerritos Wetlands.  Not so many native plants here, I do wish the city would implement a native plant restoration.  Also the homes are very close to what will be a future body of water.  Landscape water runoff is well documented as a biological hazard to watersheds but proper gardening techniques can prevent this, see my "Ocean Friendly Garden" page (my own native garden project) for more info and how to make a native drought tolerant garden...without the "dead look".  Not only the ocean but all bodies of water could benefit from this residential landscaping technique. Gum Grove Park, 4/20/08 Gum Grove Park view of Los Cerritos Wetlands, 4/20/08 Gum Grove Park, 4/20/08 Gum Grove Park is a very good bird watching spot.  Guided bird walks are sometimes held, the next bird walk is scheduled for December 12th, 2009, at 8am -- see the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust web site  or the Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards Calendar for more information.  Many mammals are also found here such as skunk, rabbits, coyotes, possums and racoons, I have a few wildlife pictures on my Gum Grove Park & Heron Pointe Wildlife page.  Wildlife watching is very good at Gum Grove and Heron Pointe, I highly recommend it.  Gum Grove Park is located in the City of Seal Beach at Crestview & Avalon Drive and is open from dawn to dusk.  Parking is available at no charge.  To visit Heron Pointe Cultural Educational Center, park in the Gum Grove lot, walk through Gum Grove toward Seal Beach Blvd., just before Seal Beach Blvd. you will see a sign pointing to the Heron Pointe path on left.  See the Google Map at the end of this page for directions to Gum Grove. Now back to the Los Cerritos Wetlands, which is sometimes referred to as "the Long Beach wetlands".  First we'll take a closer look at Steam Shovel Slough...

First let's note a few legal facts:  Los Cerritos Wetlands lies in the Coastal Zone, protected by a number of laws including the California Coastal Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.  I believe it falls under CEQA (if you are not familar with that process click here).  It seems a number of other laws exist that might also apply, see the EPA's website under "wetlands", "Oceans, Coasts & Estuaries" and "Watersheds".  Los Cerritos Wetlands is mentioned in Long Beach's LCP (Local Coastal Program) SEADIP section as part of the Coastal Act, Long Beach's Draft Sustainable City Action Plan and it's described as Reach 7 in the San Gabriel River Corridor Master Plan on page 121, chapter 3, section 3.6.7.  Apparently these wetlands are well recognized as an important natural coastal feature that should be protected and restored.

I'm not an expert in wetlands restoration, but it appears Steam Shovel Slough wouldn't need as much work as many of the other areas in the restoration plan.  It is separated from the Southern portion of the area referred to as "upper Bixby" on the Moffatt & Nichol Draft Report Los Cerritos Wetlands Conceptual Restoration Plan (see page 7) by a "berm" and has a strip of land between the slough and the Los Cerritos Channel where no oil operations exist.  There are no established trails, many native plants do exist here but it is in need of a little non-native invasive plant (weed) removal and a little trash cleanup in a few areas.  The "upper Bixby" area South of Steam Shovel/North of 2nd & PCH is where all the oil operations are located (seen in the background of these pics) and therefore needs more work, it would benefit from oil well relocation and slant drilling techniques and I would guess possible removal of contaminated soils from the oil operations.
	Los Cerritos Wetlands lies in the Pacific Flyway, a natural migration path of many bird species, several which are endangered are known to inhabit Los Cerritos Wetlands.  Amazing the Steam Shovel Slough section of the wetlands has remained here and continues to be a habitat regardless of all the development and oil operations around it, already in place before environmental protection laws were enacted.  Today these protection laws apply whether or not the property is privately owned.

Egrets, Steam Shovel Slough (click pic to enlarge)

Coyote, center of the pic (click picture to enlarge), Steam Shovel Slough

Racoon tracks Now to take a closer look at the habitat evidence found at Steam Shovel.  Literally hundreds of animal dens, burrows and fresh tracks surround Steam Shovel Slough.  These pictures were taken between the slough and the Los Cerritos Channel, coincidentally this is the darkest corner of the wetlands at night and the most secluded from the oil operations in "upper Bixby" along 2nd Street.  Seen in these pictures, coyote and racoon tracks, literally thousands of tracks everywhere.  Clams and snails are visible in the Los Cerritos Channel and many different birds are seen everywhere.  Pickleweed grows around Steam Shovel Slough and as a result this area is also an important habitat for the endangered Belding's Savannah Sparrow.  Close up of coyote track Trails of coyote and other animal tracks Pictured above (click pics to enlarge): Along the banks of Steam Shovel Slough (and Los Cerritos Channel near Steam Shovel) there is plenty of evidence that clams, mussels and crabs live in these waters and it appears they have been eaten by sea birds and maybe mammals.  This demonstrates a food web exists here, Steam Shovel is an important food source for the birds and wildlife. You may have heard about efforts to further develop the land surrounding the wetlands.  Now we’ll take a look at the reason why we don’t want to do this.  The lighting at night alone is of major concern which we have demonstrated below. The picture above left is looking out over the slough toward the Southern portion of "upper Bixby" area and Marina Pacifica at night.  The picture above right was taken during daylight hours looking out over the slough in the same direction.  In the night photo notice the glare across the water from Marina Pacifica lighting which travels a great distance.  As previously mentioned, the corner of the slough far away from 2nd St./Southern portion of "upper Bixby" area/Marina Pacifica is the darkest corner of this area and coincidentally more wildlife habitat evidence is found in the darkest corner.  "Light pollution" is known to cause disturbances to wildlife and noctural birds.  You may recall the proposed Home Depot where the "tank farm" at the power plant on Studebaker currently sits (which residents opposed for many reasons) or the high rise buildings of the proposed 2nd+PCH project or the attempt of construction company 2H to develop a soccer field (which usually includes tall lighting fixtures) between Loynes Dr. and Los Cerritos Channel.  The increased traffic and night light from these proposed projects all would have negative impacts on the wetlands as they are too close.  Even the Enviromental Protection Agency recommends that open space buffer zones are left adjacent to wetlands, click here to read about it (sidebar on pg 15).    More info on this topic: floridahabitat.org has a very good page with a brief description of the effects of lighting and plenty of links to other webpages with more info.  Slide 12 of a presentation by darkskysociety.org also gives some brief info. In addition tall structures in bird migration paths also present many other dangers for migratory birds.

"Seasonal Ponds" in Los Cerritos Wetlands near 2nd/Westminster, 7-12-08	From the Market Place you can see a pond, center of picture, 6/1/08.
6-28-09, same pond as above. Almost exactly 1 year later, no water.	6-28-09, same pond as above about 1 year later. The pond shown above and in the video is known as "Don's Pond".  Also known as "Marketplace Marsh"	Don's Pond 12/20/09...one week after the 2nd rainfall of the season.

This GIS map, created by Jennifer Gomez, shows how much of Los Cerritos Wetlands has been lost.  This was originally a 2,400 acre wetland. If you have any questions about GIS mapping of Los Cerritos Wetlands please contact Jennifer at jagomez173@gmail.com For questions about this page please contact webmaster@caopenspace.org Please note that most links on this site are not affiliated with,a part of, or maintained by caopenspace.org but were included for further information or interesting facts about the topic.

The Wetlands Video from michelle b. on Vimeo.

Los Cerritos Wetlands, Zedler Marsh, 7-12-08

Los Cerritos Wetlands, 7-12-08

View from 2nd/Westminster near Studebaker Rd. Los Cerritos Wetlands West of the San Gabriel, 7-12-08	View from PCH bridge looking towards Studebaker Rd Apprx. 44 acre wetlands (Steam Shovel Slough) in the middle of the picture. 6/1/08	View from 2nd St. near Shopkeeper Road Los Cerritos Wetlands near 2nd/Westminster, 7/12/08
"Hellman Ranch" area of Los Cerritos Wetlands Overlooking the Hellman Ranch Property from Heron Pointe.	View of Los Cerritos Wetlands "Hellman Ranch Property" from Gum Grove Park	View from 2nd/Westminster near Studebaker Road View South of Westminster/2nd St. overlooking the 66 acres owned by Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority
12/20/09 ponding on Hellman Ranch, about 1 week after rain.	12/20/09, Hellman Ranch area.	Ponding on the 66 acres about 1 week after a rainstorm, 12/20/09

Hellman Ranch. The bluff in the background is Gum Grove Park.

Pickweed on Hellman Ranch, 12/20/09

*** Action Alerts ***   Join the Save Los Cerritos Wetlands Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60371906278 (login required to post comments, no login required just to view the Facebook page) 1.  Write the City of Long Beach, tell them you support the wetlands restoration (in general) Contact info:  http://www.longbeach.gov/officials/default.asp 2.  Illegal Land "scraping"...more like grading of a habitat Appeals, appeals...more info coming really soon.  Please check back often. Quick un-permitted land grading background info:  On 3/20/09 a land owner leveled the property near Loynes Dr. & Studebaker Rd, bringing in paving materials, destroying seasonal ponds, nesting sites of Egrets and harming other wildlife and habitat.  No permits or permission for this activity was granted by any govt agency, a violation of environmental protection laws including the California Coastal Act as this was an attempt at development without a permit in the coastal zone.  The land was graded to the point it exposed an old landfill that was carefully sealed up back in the early 60's creating a methane leak, a health hazard for nearby residents.  In October '09, Long Beach Planning approved the "back permit" for the "work" already done (after the fact permit).  In December '09 this was appealed by a number of citizens & groups.  The appeal was denied but the Planning Commissioners spoke approving the permit with the condition of "remediation"... yet afterwards  Long Beach Business Journal ran an article about how this would instead be a soccer field, not a restoration.  It is important to note there is a big difference between "remediation" and "restoration".  Per our Local Coastal Plan this land is designated to become an 8.3 acre brackish pond, not to be developed, it's not even zoned for development.  Check back for updates... 3.  Land swap deal In a nutshell, the deal between the City of Long Beach and the land owner to trade city property (which can be developed) for wetlands property to be restored.  Currently this deal is on hold pending needed PCB cleanup on the wetlands property per the EPA.  The land owner says "close the deal anyway by Dec 31st 2009 or deal is off".  An extra 4 acres was thrown into the deal.  However this lot subdivision should require approval by the Coastal Commission. Tuesday August 4th, 2009, Long Beach City Council approved the land swap despite public comment against it.  The City Auditor was not in favor of the deal as too many questions not answered (risky deal).  This deal is too costly for the city and does not guarantee the land would only be used for restoration of wetlands as intended.  In fact some development types believe this would be a perfect place for a new road to help mitigate traffic for the 2nd+PCH development (high rise buildings, see #4 below).    For news articles about the land swap, see the next section on this page "Land swap in the news".  Next city election, consider the officials who voted against this Land Swap (on the citizens side) when casting your vote:  Robert Garcia, Gerrie Schipske, Tonia Reyes Uranga and Rae Gablich (see city contacts page).  And the City Auditor, Laura Dowd who was very honest in her testimony.  All other officials not mentioned above voted for the Land Swap...despite citizen protest.  4.  2nd+PCH development, oppose an 12 story building The rule (per the local coastal plan) in this area is 35 foot tall buildings.  This high rise building is too close to the wetlands, the density of the development will add extreme amounts of traffic resulting in more air pollution and making it more difficult for Southeast Long Beach residents to get to the beach due to traffic, it's too tall and poses a hazard to migrating birds and raises lighting concerns in the wetlands not to mention more congestion and pollution is bad for people in general.  Please write a letter to the LB City Council & Mayor, urge the city no exceptions or "variance", keep the building to the 35 foot tall limit (per our city zoning and coastal plan) along with any other concern you may have.  The city and developers should stick to the rules--do they make any zoning or building code exceptions for you?  5.  Attend city meetings/hearings regarding #2 thru #4 above 10/12/09, 2pm, City Council Chambers regarding the illegal land grading at Loynes Dr. (see the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust site for more info) 10/7/09, 6:30pm, Rodgers Middle School, 2nd+PCH Community Meeting/EIR Scoping Meeting (see the City of Long Beach site for more info) -- among the things discussed in this meeting...a road through the wetlands by "Don's Pond" and the Marketplace! 6.  Other ways you can help, become a volunteer and attend other meetings: Join a local wetlands group and become a volunteer.  This is a critical role in preservation and restoration of wetlands--the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an excellent document on the importance of volunteers, click here to read this document.  Also see EPA's Wetlands Protection page for more information on how to protect your local wetlands. Several local wetlands groups offer volunteer opportunities (cleanup/restoration) and hold meetings you may attend: Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority (taking signups for volunteers now, quarterly meetings) Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards (restoration volunteer opportunities) Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust (monthly meetings, public education volunteer opportunities) Sept 19th, 2009, Zedler Marsh Clean Up Day The "kick off" event for the beginning of restoration activities.  Article on the District Weekly: http://thedistrictweekly.com/2009/print/news/land-of-opportunity/  If you missed it on Sept 19th--numerous Los Cerritos Wetlands cleanup & restoration volunteer days are scheduled for 2010.  Check the Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards calendar under "Habitat Restoration" section for more details.

To see more pictures of birds and wildlife found in Los Cerritos Wetlands see California State University's "the Wetlands Project" website's photo gallery at:  http://www.intoloscerritoswetlands.org/gallery/.  Also see Los Cerritos Wetlands on Facebook.  Search for "Save Los Cerritos Wetlands".  The wetlands restoration project makes the front page headline news in 11/12/08 Long Beach Press Telegram.  The city plans to acquire 175 acres.  Read about it here:  http://www2.presstelegram.com/news/ci_10960738 or on Rare Earth's page at http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/ Since then, the wetlands land swap deal has made headline news in Long Beach Press Telegram, The Grunion Gazzette, www.lbpost.com a number of times.  As previously mentioned, most of the wetlands property was or still is privately owned but there is an effort to acquire the property for restoration.  See the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust website at http://www.lcwlandtrust.org/protect.htm and Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority http://www.lcwetlands.org/ for more info. Long BEACH, a beach city which I've heard at one time had some of the best surf around and the last open space left on the far east side was once a thriving 2,400 acre wetlands.  Now only two actual marshes and a number of seaonal ponds is left on a total of about 776 restorable acres.  Hopefully with the effort to restore Los Cerritos Wetlands and the breakwater removal effort we will have true coastal features in our city again.

Gum Grove Park, 4/19/08

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