Ballona Wetlands Land Trust Applauds Councilwoman Galanter For Following The Will Of Local Citizens.

PLAYA DEL REY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 3, 1999--

Ballona Wetlands Land Trust encouraged, but skeptical, about Councilwoman Galanter's announcement of her intention to seek public acquisition of 475 acres of the Ballona Wetlands ecosystem

Shocking news came today of Councilwoman Ruth Galanter's intent to facilitate the public acquisition and restoration of the portion of the Ballona Wetlands ecosystem that lies West of Lincoln Boulevard. The announcement comes as a surprise to the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust, one of 91environmental, social and religious organizations that make up the coalition Citizens United to Save All of Ballona, which includes Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Surfrider Foundation and Wetlands Action Network. Ms. Galanter has been an avid supporter of the proposed mammoth Playa Vista project and has consistently refused to support the preservation and restoration of significant portions of the Ballona Wetlands ecosystem.

Ballona Wetlands Land Trust Spokesperson, Sabrina Venskus, stated, "Since its inception, the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust has advocated for the public acquisition, preservation and restoration of the entire 1000+ acres of the Ballona Wetlands ecosystem. The overwhelming majority of local residents want preservation and restoration of the entire Ballona Wetlands ecosystem rather than more development and gridlock traffic. Councilwoman Galanter's change of attitude is encouraging. We are delighted that she has finally come around and taken a first step towards heeding the will of her constituents."

The development proposed for the land east of Lincoln Boulevard, if built, calls for 10,000+ residential units, 500,000 square feet of strip malls and retail shops, and over 5 million square feet of office space. "This would be a devastating blow to the quality of life on the Westside of Los Angeles. The surface streets and 405 freeway can barely maintain present traffic loads. Playa Vista would send us into full-blown gridlock," remarked Sabrina Venskus.

The Ballona Wetlands Land Trust has been working with state and federal agencies and representatives to facilitate the public acquisition of all the Ballona Wetlands, forever taking the land off the speculative market. Sabrina Venskus explained, "A properly functioning coastal wetland ecosystem must include upland habitat. We cannot expect this ecosystem to function properly if we fragment it any further. Once more than 80% of an ecosystem is lost, it can no longer support the species that inhabit it. In California, we have lost over 93% of our wetlands. We must now work to expand coastal wetland ecosystems, not compromise more of them away. We cannot afford to lose one more acre of this precious wetlands ecosystem. Therefore, we invite Councilwoman Galanter to partner with us to achieve the goal of acquiring, preserving and restoring the entire 1000+ acre Ballona Wetlands ecosystem."

The Ballona Wetlands Land Trust is a five year-old non-profit community organization dedicated to the acquisition, restoration and preservation of the entire Ballona Wetlands Ecosystem including salt and fresh water wetlands, bluffs and upland habitat.