Bolsa restoration detailed

Six state and federal agencies unveiled specific plans to the public

on Wednesday night to restore 880 acres of the Bolsa Chica wetlands

into a thriving habitat for fish, birds and other wildlife.

The project, which calls for the restoration of 880 acres of the

Bolsa Chica Lowlands to create wetland and habitat areas, including

368.5 acres of full tidal and 200 acres of muted tidal habitat, has

been in the works for more than five years and is the culmination of

more than three decades of fighting by many local environmentalists.

A tidal inlet cut through the south end of Bolsa Chica State Beach

will allow water to pour in from the ocean and rejuvenate the

long-neglected salt marshes cut off from the ocean by duck hunters

more than 100 years ago.

A Pacific Coast Highway bridge will eventually be constructed over

the inlet channel, and a drain would have to be built between the

wetlands and nearby housing development.

The hope is to preserve the land that is a home to many endangered

species and a stopover for many winged travelers on the Pacific

flyway.

Led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, it will be one of the largest

restoration projects in the western United States. The presentation

included a history of the project, a detailed update on upcoming

plans and an open question and answer forum.

Representatives from U.S. Fish and Wildlife, California Fish and

Game, California State Lands and the National Marine Fisheries packed

into a Huntington Beach Central Library meeting room to discuss the

historic plans.

Construction of the controversial project is set to begin in the

fall of 2004 and take three years to complete, said Jack Fancher,

engineer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The project will revive the degraded wetlands by releasing tidal

flow from the ocean into the Bolsa Chica, said Shirley Dettloff, a

former councilwoman, coastal commissioner and a founding member of

Amigos de Bolsa Chica who has been fighting to restore and preserve

the Bolsa Chica Wetlands for more than 35 years.

“It’s been part of the fabric of our lives,” Dettloff said of the

fight to save the Bolsa Chica. “For the most part, [Amigos de Bolsa

Chica] were just people who believed in something, and it grew from a

dream to a reality. ... This is a culmination of years of work on

this project. When I started, I didn’t know that we’d reach this

day.”

The most hotly debated part of the project is the creation of an

inlet at the south end of the wetlands. Planners looked at various

locations and decided the south end was the best.

“Federal and state agencies feel that not to have an ocean

entrance will destroy the entire project,” Dettloff said. “To restore

a wetlands, you’ve got to have ocean flow.”

The restoration project was set in motion when State Lands

purchased the site from private owners in 1997.

State officials are anticipating a ribbon cutting ceremony in

August.

“When we have our ribbon cutting, there will be a lot of fanfare

and hurrahs,” Fancher said.

Escrow closed on land for coastal community

Developers closed escrow on the plot of land that will soon house

Waterfront Residential, a 184-unit seaside residential community that

will neighbor the city’s newest resort.

The Waterfront Residential will consist of 184 homes separated

into two communities. SeaColony at the Waterfront, built by

Christopher Homes, will have 78 units, from 2,961 to 3,384 square

feet and priced in the high $800,000s.

William Lyon Homes’ SeaCove will consist of 106 courtyard

townhomes, from 1,620 square feet to 2,628 square feet. They will be

priced in the $500,000 range.

The city will get a share of the proceeds, said David Biggs, the

city’s director of Economic Development. In an agreement known as a

“participation payment,” the city’s redevelopment agency will get 15%

of each sale at Waterfront Residential, once the project has made

more than $59 million from homes.

Biggs expects a flood of demand for the new housing.

“The housing market’s still moving very quickly in Huntington

Beach,” Biggs said.

Construction for both projects will begin in July and will take

about 18 months o complete.

Rohrabacher introduces health care bill

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher says a bill he introduced would make health

care “more affordable, increase the privacy surrounding health care

records and speed up the availability of crucial medical treatments.”

He dropped the health-care reform bill -- known as the Medical

Independence, Privacy and Innovation Act -- on Friday.

The bill would implement a number of changes, including creating

tax-exempt medical checking accounts, making insurance payments tax

deductible, requiring patient consent to release records and

modifying drug-approval procedures.

“This legislation combines a creative mix of market-oriented

reforms that will encourage independence and hence wise personal

medical care choices,” Rohrabacher said during a speech on the House

floor.

Surf City’s congressman also threw a birthday bash last weekend.

Rohrabacher held the party in Surf City at the home of political

allies and friends Scott and Wendy Baugh. Scott Baugh, a former

assemblyman representing that city, hosted the party at his home.

A host of Republicans attended the party, and several bands

cranked up the music. Jeffrey ‘Skunk’ Baxter, an original member of

the Doobie Brothers, played at the event, which ran from 1 to 4 p.m.

Saturday. A few surf bands also played.

Rohrabacher, who turned 56 years old, used the event as a

$200-a-head fund-raiser.

45-acre purchase of wetlands completed

The Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy finalized the purchase

of 45 acres of degraded wetlands, which chairman Gordon Smith calls

the key piece in a mosaic of properties that it seeks to fully

restore.

The acreage will increase the conservancy’s holdings to 90 acres.

The ultimate goal of the conservancy, which was formed in 1985, is to

restore a long strip of wetlands that stretch from the mouth of the

Santa Ana River to Beach Boulevard.

The $1.63-million purchase was funded by the California Coastal

Conservancy and the California Earth Corps.

Escrow was closed on the 45 acres on June 12.

Red Cross says blood supply is depleted

Southern California has less than a one-day supply of type

O-negative blood, the universal donator blood type.

The region has reached a nearly life-threatening blood shortage,

according to the Red Cross, which is asking anyone, especially people

with type O-negative blood, to head into anyone of their locations

and give blood. Known as the universal blood type, O-negative can be

transfused into anyone regardless of their blood type. Local hospital

patients need more than 16,000 units of blood every week to survive.

To donate blood, please call (800) GIVE-LIFE to make an

appointment to donate blood.