Preservation of Ormond Beach

The moment of truth for Ormond Beach is approaching. Stimulated by the application for development of an auto storage facility on the last acreage that provided convenient public access to the beach and wetlands, the Oxnard City Council has requested a plan for the entire 1,200-acre area.

This request makes good sense. You don’t block off the entrance to a wildlife refuge and a fine swimming and surfing beach before you line up all the other pieces of the puzzle.

Sadly, Ormond is an area that few county residents and even Oxnard folk are familiar with because, like so many California wetlands, it is hard to get to and consequently has not acquired the recognition it surely deserves. In California, 95% of coastal wetlands has disappeared. Before the days of the Coastal Act, this prime area of south Oxnard was zoned for industrial development. The Edison generating plant was there, as were the wastewater treatment plant and Halaco, a metal conversion plant. A dozen benign and not-so benign industries were built. Most recently, multiple car processing facilities are seeking use of more land on Hueneme Road. Their planned expansion would block access to the beach and wetlands.

The local Coastal Plan has highlighted the wetlands for protection, and the Coastal Conservancy has earmarked much of the land for purchase. The conservancy made its first offer to the only willing seller at the time, Edison, for its farmland and coastal resources. Most recently, the Metropolitan Water District and the city of Oxnard have listed most of their 300 acres for sale. The conservancy is bidding on that land as well.

Why should a wetland, especially such an unusual one as Ormond Beach (the area contains all of the features of ancient wetlands such as sand dunes, salt marshes, an estuary), be preserved and open to public view? First, wetland plant communities are natural filters and improve the quality of water runoff entering the sea. We swim and fish in clearer water because of wetland cleansing. Second, the estuaries feature a habitat and nursery for fish. Third, Ormond Beach is on the Pacific flyway, so the migratory birds and locals swoop to feed their hatching babies in the dunes. Remarkably, the Audubon Society sighted 64 species in a three-hour period.

We find endangered birds, fish and plants there in great numbers, and more are discovered every year. Tourists should be drawn from near and far once there is access to view the refuge and enjoy the beach.

The view of the sparkling ocean and the panorama of Anacapa Island through the wetland grass or the egrets walking slowly and gracefully in the shallow estuary inspire awe.

I have dreamed of the day when Ormond Beach receives its rightful status as a precious nature preserve, and the image of Oxnard’s southern shore rises to the level it deserves. Perhaps that day is dawning.

Jean Harris

Oxnard