Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area
In the Whittier Daily News* March 11, 2015: letter from Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area member.
Small at Whittier Narrows: In your editorial of May 2012, “Think small at Whittier Narrows,” you characterized the $22 million San Gabriel Discovery Center project as “a bloated, overbuilt monument to government’s and water agencies’ overly developed sense of entitlement.” It is long overdue to save us all from the costs, habitat destruction and drought-exacerbating effects of the project.
— Guadalupe Rodríguez, El Monte
*also San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Pasadena Star-News.
Our View: Think small at Whittier Narrows. Whittier Daily News editorial
Posted: 05/11/2012 12:55:32 AM PDT
Updated: 05/11/2012 12:58:06 AM PDT
FOLLOW the money is never bad advice for a reporter looking into a story.
For citizens and taxpayers worried about wasteful spending, same thing goes. When a project backed by government agencies begins to balloon in cost, it's a particularly good time to take a closer look.
For years, community groups more interested in education and preservation of our natural resources have worried about the scale and scope of a projected water and nature museum at Whittier Narrows.
As Staff Writer Steve Scauzillo reported this week, over the years, the cost and scope of the project has skyrocketed, from $3 million in 1999 to $5 million in 2003 to $22 million today.
That's a crazy kind of inflation even for government work. The simple fact of a projected cost going up by over 700 percent should be enough in itself to question every single thing about a project.
And the plain fact is that, as the Friends of Whittier Narrows, an entirely grass-roots organization, has pointed out for a decade, there already is a perfectly nice nature center at Whittier Narrows.
Is it quaint? The small wooden building with its taxidermied wildlife and old-fashioned classroom space practically defines the word. Is it in need of a little TLC? About a million dollars worth, in fact. But that cool million would save $21million and leave the San Gabriel Valley and Whittier areas with a gorgeous, historic center for school-children to visit to learnabout the local watershed and to be a locus for nature walks and learning about our Southern California environment.
Whereas the proposed San Gabriel River Discovery Center more and more holds every promise of being a bloated, overbuilt monument to government's and water agencies' overly developed sense of entitlement with infrastructure created from taxpayer and ratepayer dollars. For years, the Friends' allegation, one that mostly has gone unheeded, has been that the real reason for the big proposed size of the center compared with the sweet little 2,000-square-foot cottage of today is to provide plush meeting rooms for bureaucrats at conferences, not for schoolkids learning about the watershed.
Congratulations are due to Sam Pedroza, the Claremont city councilman and board member of the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority, for declaring, even as an insider on the project, that the emperor here has far too many clothes. He now proposes putting the center somewhere else, perhaps at the former duck farm along the 605 Freeway. "My feeling is to cut the line now. Then we can direct where to put the limited funding we have," Pedroza told the board.
We'd like to see the limited funding go to a simple rehabilitation of the existing center, which is not without its charms, though it's in need of some TLC.
To do so would give us some needed faith in government's ability to think small.
WTF: Whittier Narrows to Be Converted Into $22 Million Museum for Kids, Possibly Sponsored by -- and Named After -- Miller Beer, LA Weekly, May 19, 2011
"It wouldn't bother me if this was the Miller Brewing Company Discovery Center, if they wanted to pay the price," says board member Anthony Fellow. . . .
Really? A kids' wildlife learning center, named after a foamy frat-boy staple, isn't even the least bit bothersome? Read more . . .
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Whittier Narrows 'Discovery Center' Sees Legal Appeal to Stop Development at San Gabriel River, LA Weekly, April 18, 2011
Opponents of a water museum on the Whittier Narrows nature area have filed an appeal to block the project, they announced Monday.
The museum would essentially tear out a beautiful area along the rivers (the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo diverge here) to install a building where you could appreciate ... the beautiful area along the rivers. Read more . . .
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Whittier Narrows project loses grant bid, Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2011
California State Parks authorities have rejected a request for a $7-million grant needed to begin construction on a controversial $22-million, 14,000-square-foot Discovery Center at the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary in South El Monte.
In January, opponents urged the state Nature Education Facilities Program, which oversees grants for such facilities under Proposition 84, to reject the authority's grant application, alleging omissions and misrepresentations. Read more . . .
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San Gabriel River Discovery Center denied state grant, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, April 16, 2011
SOUTH EL MONTE - The San Gabriel River Discovery Center received a setback Friday when its staff learned state parks officials have rejected their request for a $7 million grant.
"It just blows a big hole in their very incomplete budget," Jim Odling, chairman of the Friends of Whittier Narrows Natural Area, said. "They're less than halfway there." Read more . . .
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Discovery Center foes call grant request inaccurate, LA Wave newspaper, Jan. 13, 2011
WHITTIER — A conservation group seeking to halt the construction of the proposed $22 million San Gabriel River Discovery Center on part of the Whittier Narrows Nature Area has alleged that the Discovery Center Authority withheld financial information when seeking a state grant for the project. Read more . . .
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Gabrielino Band of Mission Indians denounces nature center, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2010
Members of the Gabrielino Band of Mission Indians gathered at the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary on Thursday to denounce plans to build a $22-million discovery center on a site they regard as ancestral lands.
"It's one thing for a child to push a button and see a picture of nature," said Lucy Pedregon, a media aide for the Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District. "But there is nothing like walking along a trail here, seeing, smelling, hearing and touching nature all around you." Read more . . .
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Gabrieleno Indians: Whittier Narrows nature center will destroy nature, not promote it, Pasadena Star-News, Nov. 18, 2010
The Gabrielenos said students aren't meant to learn about nature inside a building, when they could learn about it among the very plants and trees that will be removed if the project is built.
"By removing the natural elements of the land, the lessons and answers God has written on every leaf, and under every rock, will be forgotten," said tribe member Matt Teutimez, a biologist. Read more . . .
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Clean and green: People wade in to spruce up Whittier Narrows' riverbanks, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Oct. 30, 2010
SOUTH EL MONTE - Dozens of people braved the rainy weather Saturday to help clean trash from the San Gabriel River at Whittier Narrows.
"This area allows for people to do things they would not ordinarily," cleanup organizer Terry Young said. "There aren't that many places to be outside in nature." Read more . . .
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Their biggest disagreement is over a controversial Discovery Center in the Whittier Narrows.
Becerra said he is opposed to the district spending money on it. "It's not money well spent," he said. "In terms of education, we've got a wonderful mechanism and that's called the public schools."
Apodaca said the district did provide about $200,000 toward the center but has no plans to give any more in the future. Read more . . .
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Conservancy official for L.A. Orange counties to retire, latimes.com, Sept. 29, 2010
Faustino . . . also pointed out that state bond funds for recreation, education and wildlife habitat restoration were becoming “slim pickings these days.”
Of particular concern, the conservancy is currently seeking a $7-million state grant needed to begin construction on a controversial $22-million, 14,000-square foot Discovery Center at the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary in South El Monte.
Opponents contend the project would destroy a rare expanse of critical habitat in eastern Los Angeles County in order to enhance understanding of the San Gabriel River watershed. Read more . . .
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Don't build new center (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, Aug. 21, 2010
As a long-time professor of biology at Rio Hondo College, I have brought many students to the Whittier Narrows Nature Center. But I have been active for the last few years in helping to educate people about the changes proposed by people who want to build a grandiose structure to replace a significant amount of that nature - all in an apparent effort to use taxpayer money to build a monument to themselves. Proponents are trying to sell is this facility as a way to teach people about outdoor water, but the outdoor water and the nature that goes with it is already there.
Whittier Narrows, although not pristine nature, is the best that the San Gabriel Valley has to offer, and is used by many people. We should not be ruining it with a large, new building and a 150-car parking lot.
Ray E. Williams
Lake Arrowhead
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Pave to Save Whittier Narrows? LA Weekly, April 22, 2010
Ultimately, however, the gorilla in the room is not about environmental ethics but about money.
Belinda V. Faustinos, executive director of the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority, concedes that, in fact, that funding — including some of the construction money — has not been secured. The Discovery Center Authority does not even have an updated estimate of future operating costs. Read more . . .
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Opponents of Whittier Narrows' Discovery Center file lawsuit to stop its construction, Whittier Daily News, March 5, 2010
The lawsuit - filed by Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area - challenges the environmental impact report for the project that was approved in January by the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority.
"Until the public is provided a full and accurate picture by which to judge this dubious project, valuable recreational space and wildlife habitat should not be taken away from the community or the visiting public, and the beloved Whittier Narrows Nature Center should be left alone and allowed to continue its valuable community services," said attorney Frank P. Angel. Read more . . .
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Officials OK new river center at Whittier Narrows site, Pasadena Star-News, Jan. 20, 2010
Despite objections from local environmental groups and individuals, a project replacing the Whittier Narrows Nature Center with a new river center was approved Wednesday by the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority.
Still, several residents weren't convinced, calling the project an intended, careless destruction of a natural habitat that takes away the hands-on experience. Read more . . .
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Best Educational Hike, LA Weekly, Oct. 2, 2009
The Whittier Narrows Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary has 419 acres of wilderness, featuring trails that weave through dense, dry brush alongside the San Gabriel River. With 300 species of birds, bird watching is a favorite pastime. Mountain lions and bobcats have also been seen roaming, and deep inside the sanctuary, the solitude of the desert can be a liberating experience. Read more . . .
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EIR questions (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, Sept. 8, 2009
Some comments on the draft environmental impact report for the proposed Whittier Narrows Nature Center:
This is a project desired by those in power for reasons that are not really related to the environment. It appears to me that those in charge want to build a monument in their own honor to leave for posterity. Presumably, the funding involves taxpayer money. The key, of course, is to make it look like a good thing for the environment and for environmental education.
The DEIR seems to be written in an obvious attempt to favor a "preferred" option as in an "accessible location that integrates indoor and outdoor exhibits and interpretive features." But, the idea of creating fake nature indoors as a way of experiencing the "environment" is a red herring.
Why is it necessary to spend a lot of public money to create "a local and regional watershed education facility that demonstrates sustainable practices..."? How does this relate to the existing and planned trails and recreation opportunities?
Since the so-called "Emerald Necklace Park Network" is someone's political dream, does this of necessity, therefore, make it the "right" thing to do?
I believe the alternative location at Santa Anita/Durfee ought to get a more serious look. It appears the writers of the DEIR have worked extra hard to make this obvious choice become unfavorable. As to the need for a separate 150-vehicle parking lot, there is a questionable assumption of such a need, unless they plan to have some uses of the facility that do not really relate to the environment. In looking at the projected use by student groups, it is likely they would arrive by bus, thus reducing parking needs.
In summary, the DEIR contains sufficient findings so as to suggest that this project should not be approved at the preferred location because of its incremental impacts on the existing nature.
Ray E. Williams
Professor Emeritus of Biology
Rio Hondo College
Whittier
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Not about conservation (letter to the editor), Pasadena Star News, Sept. 2, 2009
The apparent return of a number of sensitive bird species to Whittier Narrows provides strong evidence of the importance of habitat preservation and restoration efforts in this county Significant Ecological Area.
Unfortunately, four agencies, including the state's Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, are preparing to turn back the clock on this progress by building the San Gabriel Discovery Center on the Whittier Narrows Natural Area and wildlife sanctuary.
But the project was never about habitat and wildlife, except as a backdrop for what is essentially a meeting center for government bureaucrats and water district officials.
The discovery center proposal isn't about conservation. It's about ornamentation at the taxpayer and ratepayer's expense.
Julio J. Bermejo
San Gabriel
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Residents oppose plan for Discovery Center project, Los Angeles Wave newspaper, Aug. 13, 2009
Opponents say the $27 to $30 million project would destroy important wildlife habitat, waste scarce public dollars and introduce user fees in a working-class area already hard hit by rising taxes and water rates. Read more . . .
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Veteran environmental lawyer joins opposition to Discovery Center, Mid Valley News, Aug. 5, 2009
Wertenberger . . . said after the hearing that the discovery center project "appears to be littered with inaccurate information and assumptions that could easily confuse the public."
"There even appear to be attempts to keep the public in the dark," she said. Read more . . .
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Residents offer feedback on plan to renovate the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, Whittier Daily News, Aug. 1, 2009
Whittier resident and Los Angeles school teacher Christine Rosser said she likes much of the project, but is strongly opposed to the $27 million Discovery Center.
Rosser added that endangered species such as the yellow-billed cuckoo and the least Bell's vireo have only recently been spotted in the area. "We just started getting the wildlife back," she said. Read more . . .
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Polémica por museo natural, La Opinión, 18 de julio de 2009
En medio de una urbe de concreto, en South El Monte, se esconde un sitio donde se puede convivir directamente con la naturaleza y se escucha constantemente el trinar de los pájaros.
Ahí, en un área natural del parque Whittier Narrows, se planea construir un museo natural con un presupuesto de $30 millones, pero según una organización éste podría destruir la vida silvestre. Leer más . . .
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Doubling of water fees in largely blue-collar L.A. County area stirs uproar, Los Angeles Times, July 18, 2009
A water district's decision to double water fees has sparked outcry from largely working-class and impoverished areas of Los Angeles County.
Some environmentalists took issue with the district's donation of $80,000 last year in support of a controversial proposal to build a $30-million interpretive center and parking lot in the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary. Read more . . .
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Solicitan Opiniones sobre Construcción en Parque Whittier Narrows, Eastern Group Publications, July 9, 2009
El público tiene hasta el tres de agosto para entregar sus comentarios sobre el borrador del reporte de impacto medioambiental comisionado para el proyecto San Gabriel River Discovery Center de $30 millones, un proyecto que ha recibido atención por su costo y tamaño. Read more . . .
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No Community Support for $30M Discovery Center at EIR Meeting, Mid Valley News, July 8, 2009
Jessica Olive Nava, of Pico Rivera, said she took exception with the characterization of local residents as underserved and disadvantaged. Rather, Nava said, she felt privileged to live so close to the Natural Area. "I feel the Natural Area is my Yosemite," she said. "I have found that it is not only a sanctuary for wildlife but for myself as well as many others." Read more . . .
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Whittier Narrows Area Discovery Center Under Review, Eastern Group Publications, July 2, 2009
The public has until Aug. 3 to comment on the recently released 900-page environmental impact report commissioned for the proposed $30 million San Gabriel River Discovery Center, a project that has received critical attention because of it’s cost and size and Whittier Narrows area location. Read more . . .
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Friends of Whittier Narrows Natural Area speak out about proposed discovery center, Mickie's Zoo, July 1, 2009
Residents of area communities and supporters of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area strongly criticized and rejected a controversial $30 million regional watershed visitor center proposed for the county Natural Area during a public meeting held Wednesday at South El Monte High School to discuss the project and its recently released draft environmental impact report. Read more . . .
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$30 million nature museum in Whittier Narrows moves forward, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, June 9, 2009
"The project has now grown into this enormous museum for the entire watershed, and the actual nature center part of it is completely gone. The entire building is a showplace for the water districts. Why should that be put in a bird sanctuary?" said Grace Allen, lead docent at the nature center and member of Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area - the group formed to oppose the project. Read more . . .
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Planned nature museum draws opposition, Los Angeles Wave newspaper, April 29, 2009
The plan has been criticized by a group of area residents who are citing financial problems with similar large museums in the Los Angeles area. Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area say the museum is a waste of money and would spoil the existing natural display. Read more . . .
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Groups says proposed nature center will destroy Whittier Narrows habitat, LATimes.com, April 15, 2009
Opponents of a proposed $30-million interpretive center at the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary are ramping up their effort to block the project they fear would destroy a rare expanse of critical habitat in eastern Los Angeles County in order to enhance understanding of the San Gabriel River watershed. Read more . . .
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Learning to Obey Mother Nature, Victoria Fleming, UC Irvine student, March 13, 2009
As a riparian woodland, or riverside ecosystem, Whittier Narrows serves as home to at least 300 species of birds. Sadly, officials have designated many of these species as threatened and endangered. This gives the County of Los Angeles even more of a reason to preserve what little green areas we have left. Or so you would think. (Download the PDF file)
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Back to Nature (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, November 3, 2008
Re the proposed San Gabriel River Discovery Center:
As a Native American, I always find it interesting how the whites and the Mexicans always band together to destroy nature in the name of their grandiose schemes. The people who the land was stolen from, by both the Mexicans and the whites, are the Gabrielinos. I find it interesting that it appears they were never consulted. They are still around. But the land is so developed that there is nothing for them to even build a heritage site on.
What we need to do is give the land back to the native Americans. If people really want to help others "discover" the treasures of the San Gabriel River, I suggest leaving it in its current pristine shape. There is no better way to help people discover nature than by leaving nature as it is. All you are doing by building an artificial center is presenting a fake version of nature.
Robert Canales
Whittier
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"Do-gooders" destroying Natural Area (letter to the editor), Mid-Valley News, October 22, 2008
Do-gooders?
There's an unwise effort underway by a band of "do-gooders" to "modernize" the untouched Whittier Narrows Nature Center. It's located directly across the street from South El Monte High School. These planners seek to improve upon nature by destroying it.
My wife and I recently visited Sequoia National Park, where, in the past, some modernizers and eager planners "modernized" much of the area and then, after seeing the devastating, negative impact on nature, were forced to remove all their so-called "improvements."
Andre Quintero is one of the leaders in the move to improve the Whittier Nar-rows Nature Center. He and his group of planners plan to improve 40 acres of wilderness by destroying it, and propose building a "nature training center there - a big, big building, with huge parking lot and all that entails. Quintero, 33, openly confesses that he learned about nature when he was 32 years of age (last year) How sad for him and the Nature Center if his bizarre idea comes to fruition. With his one year of experience with nature, he supposes that he now qualifies as a naturalist/ expert in improving on nature. How? By destroying much of it. He proposes that kids will learn about nature inside a building placed upon a once untouched, natural wilderness area.
My two grandsons have visited the Whittier Narrows Nature Center about 30 times in the past two years and learn much every time. We do terrain walks together. When I told them about the planners wanting to develop the area, they were horrified, pleading, "Grampa, what about all the trees, the bushes, the birds, the squirrels, the rabbits, the frogs, the lizards, and the snakes?" What about them? Where will they go? What's going to happen to Stanley? (He's a 75-year-old desert tortoi! se who l ives in the Nature Center). The little boys faithfully bring lettuce and tomatoes to feed old Stan. They have also brought in two orphaned birds, which were adopted and cared for by Nature Center's caring staff.w
I urge Mr. Quintero and his band of "modernizers' to abandon their unwise project and take their "planning expertise" elsewhere. One learns about nature by being in it, walking in it, inhaling it, feeling it, seeing it, enjoying it, and not being talked at inside a building with its cold, unfriendly, and unfeeling sterile walls.
These planners remind me of the views of a former Secretary of Interior, who, when questioned about the redwoods, replied, "If you've seen one redwood, you've seen them all." The Nature Center? It's totally unique, rustic, and natural. And, that's the way it should and must remain.
My grandkids and I say, "Leave our Nature Center alone! Once it's gone--you can't put it back! And, you can't improve it by destroying it."
Concerrned, David Siegrist El Monte
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Plans for major overhaul of the Whittier Narrows Preserve stirs passions, Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2008
Foes say the proposed interpretive center is too big and would require destruction of too many trees. Backers see a way to introduce working-class families to nature. Read more . . .
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Discovery [Center] waste (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, October 8, 2008.
Maybe $30 million plus to build the Discovery Center at Whittier Narrows Nature Center doesn't seem like a lot of money what with billion dollar budgets and deficits, but that money is coming out of your pockets. If you pay taxes or pay a water bill, you are paying to build it.
The Discovery Center Authority (DCA) is a Joint Powers consisting of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks & Recreation (LACDPR), the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (USGVMWD), the Central Basin Municipal Water District (CBMWD), and the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC).
Seems like we're hearing a lot lately about increased water rates and just recently we got a notice that the Los Angeles County Sanitation District will be raising their rates.
Could water rates be increasing because CBMWD and USGVMWD have contributed $750,000 and $800,000, respectively (with more to come), to help build the Discovery Center so they can hold meetings to educate people on water issues?
Or maybe the Sanitation District has to raise rates to cover the $2.2 million fine they had to pay for polluting our waters and then demanded that it go to the DCA in addition to their $100,000 contribution?
RMC was created to grant money from Prop. 40, Prop. 50, Prop. 84, etc. to qualifying projects.
Of course, since RMC is one of the joint powers, they have a seat on the DCA Board and so far they have granted it $3 million.
That means that the bonds you voted in favor of, and will be paying off over many years, are going to help build the Discovery Center and begin the destruction of the natural area at Whittier Narrows Nature Center.
If the Discovery Center is built, guess who will be paying to operate and maintain it? That's right, you will because LACDPR, USGVMWD, and CBMWD will be completely responsible for running the place.
Corporate contributions? As a consumer of corporate goods and services I know you will be happy to pay higher prices to help build the Discovery Center.
Not only is your right pocket and your left pocket being picked, but now they've got their fingers in your back pocket as well.
Anadel Miller Whittier
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Follow the Money, Claremont Insider blog, September 3, 2008
Voters thinking that they are protecting nature and open space approve billions of dollars in bonds to generate the funds the RMC uses for its grants, and then the money leaks out in dribs and drabs under false pretenses to the pet projects of Southern California's elected and non-elected officials. And they do it all with stunningly little accountability to the voters. Read more . . .
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Money trumps all (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, August 10, 2008
What's going on at Whittier Narrows Nature Center? Why is it, that as an environmental activist since the 1950s, I find myself opposing projects agreed to by environmental activists?
During my term on the Newport Beach City Council in the 1970s, Orange County proposed to build a couple of hotels and a zoo on their property at Newport Dunes. The Dunes is totally surrounded by the city of Newport Beach.
The idea was to be able to entertain visitors by providing a zoo containing representative animals that live in the nearby Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve.
My winning argument against this idea was, "Why should we make an artificial exhibit when real nature could be seen for free right next door?"
The entire proposal was eventually withdrawn in the face of a threatened lawsuit by the city.
We are relating to nature less and less by building and paving over it, by tuning it out via cell phones and other electronics hanging out of our ears. We are taught by the media to be afraid of nature, so no wonder we want it to be artificial and thereby "safe."
Now, at Whittier Narrows Nature Center, people who should know better, are proposing to remove real nature, just about the last of its type on the San Gabriel River, in order to build a large facility with an adjacent parking lot.
This is being called a "Discovery Center," presumably to "discover" nature. But, usually, the only real nature associated with buildings consists of cockroaches, ants, flies, maybe some mosquitoes, and termites. (Continued on reverse.)
The idea here is to "educate" children, as though that were not happening already.
School groups, as well as individuals, visit the Nature Center which has intrigued people of several generations for years.
There are not flashy, spectacular exhibits - nor expensive. But, they are real nature, especially if people walk on the trails. But, it appears that we can't relate any more to real nature. So, we take it away.
My understanding is that there are several alternative locations for a "Discovery Center," if, indeed, it is really needed. The public needs to ask questions and demand answers.
It's pretty dear that money trumps environment. Is this what's happening at Whittier Narrows Nature Center? Are we going to just let it happen?
Ray E. Williams, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Rio Hondo College, Whittier
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Build center elsewhere (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Pasadena Star-News, July 30, 2008
What a shame! This could have been a win-win situation, but the Discovery Center Authority has turned it into a "we win, you lose" situation instead.
The Discovery Center Authority says their stakeholders are absolutely adamant that the museum has to be 18,230 square feet and can't possibly be reduced in size. They are also absolutely adamant that the only place in the entire San Gabriel River watershed the museum can possibly be built is smack-dab on top of the Whittier Narrows Nature Center.
Thus, they have essentially said that we must choose between a museum for water district meetings and exhibits, and which will teach only about water to children of only a specific age, or a nature center with trails for plant, animal and bird (nature) exploration and study that teaches children of all ages.
Why are we being forced to choose between them when the Discovery Center could be built at another location. The duck farm comes to mind. And then we would have the benefit of learning about all these things.
The Discovery Center project was rejected by Los Angeles County SEATAC (which is a committee of experienced and reputable biologists who review projects for their biological impact) because it was "incompatible with the SEA" (significant ecological area). They were very concerned with the size of this project.
If the Discovery Center is supposed to benefit our local communities, why are we being forced to choose one beneficial project over another, when we could have both of them.
Anadel Miller Whittier
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Natural dispute, Whittier Daily News, June 23, 2008
Groups battle over Whittier Narrows plan
By Mike Sprague, Staff Writer
WHITTIER NARROWS - An environmental fight is breaking out over whether a proposed 19,000-square-foot San Gabriel River Discovery Center belongs in this natural habitat.
Supporters of the project say the Discovery Center will teach people about water resources, provide educational and outdoor experiences and be an educational resource to better understand the San Gabriel River.
But opponents say the building is too big and the project will wipe out a habitat that supports birds and other wildlife. They are mobilizing to block it.
The $27 million project would be built on the site of the existing 2,000-square-foot Whittier Narrows Nature Center, 1000 Durfee Ave., South El Monte, that takes up about 200 acres.
The building would include a museum area with exhibits, an outdoor classroom and a 150-seat conference center.
So far nearly $10 million has been raised from environmental groups, two water districts and the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County.
The issue is expected to come to a head in September when an environmental impact report on the project is expected to be released.
The report was delayed after the discovery of the least bell's vireo, a bird on the federal Endangered Species list.
"We are for some kind of a Discovery Center if that's what you want to call it, but not in a natural area," said Jim Odling, president of the Friends of the Natural Area, the group fighting the center.
"It's a helluva price to pay to destroy a natural area when you have other options," Odling said. "This is not the way to do it."
But Belinda Faustinos, interim executive director for the San Gabriel Discovery Center Authority, said it's the perfect location.
"The reason is the environmental messages we're trying to incorporate," Faustinos said.
"The river is within walking distance of the site," she said. "It's a way for children and families to take a short, leisurely walk and use what they learned from the exhibits."
The Whittier Narrows Nature Center wasn't the only location considered, but other sites such as at Santa Anita and Durfee avenues or at the Whittier Narrows Equestrian site wouldn't work, Faustinos said.
The other two sites are in a flood zone, while the Nature Center isn't, she said.
Another issue is the number of people who will come to the area.
"They want to bring 140,000 people," said Ed Barajas, another member of the Friends of the Natural Area.
"It's only 400 acres," Barajas said. "Can you imagine? They're barely maintaining it at 50,000 (people) right now. The nature area is barely holding up. It's not a soccer field where they just water it."
Tim Worley, director of water policy for the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy that has contributed $3 million to the project, said he doesn't understand the concern about more people.
"We think it's important to get more people to enjoy and understand the environmental watershed and river," Worley said.
The Friends group received a boost when the Los Angeles County Significant Ecological Area Technical Advisory Committee voted 2-1 that the Discovery Center was not compatible with the area.
Faustinos said she doesn't believe the committee members had a chance to review all documents.
"We think they might have had a different position if they had all the facts," she said.
Faustinos concedes the project will have an impact on the area, but said it is an appropriate use for the area.
The project will be built in ways to make it have less of an environmental impact, she said.
Instead of using asphalt for the parking lot, decomposed granite will be used. Some trees will be removed, but others that are native to the area and attractive to birds and other wildlife will be planted, she said.
Still, parking will go from 15 to 150 spaces.
For the Friends group, they plan to continue their opposition.
They've already established a Web site, http://www.naturalareafriends.net
They also plan to write letters to newspapers, solicit signatures and speak at local city council meetings.
The Discovery Center also has its own Web site, http://discoverycenterauthority.org
mike.sprague@sgvn.com, (562) 698-0955, Ext. 3022
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A jewel in the necklace (editorial), Pasadena Star-News, June 22, 2008
THE biggest problem with the San Gabriel River is that very few know it exists. So the unveiling of a 17-mile "Emerald Necklace" plan showing what the river could be -- new passive parks, restored streams and new trails in a loop of green space from Irwindale/Arcadia/El Monte to Pico Rivera/Whittier -- was a brilliant marketing move.
But the whole restoration effort still lacks some aspects that would really put a there there.
That's why the planned San Gabriel River Discovery Center is absolutely critical to the restoration of both the San Gabriel and the Rio Hondo rivers. This nature center would focus all eyes on the entrance to the necklace, and give hundreds of thousands of San Gabriel Valley and Whittier-area visitors who know little of nature a first-hand learning experience each year.
This project has been in design for several years and it has grown in size. Various water districts, along with the county, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Authority and the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy are part of a joint powers agreement working on raising money for, designing and building the center. They've chosen an excellent location, at the site of the existing Whittier Narrows Nature Center, just off Durfee Avenue and southeast of Legg Lake. Here, visitors can see flora and fauna as they walk with easy access to the San Gabriel River at one of its most lush. Fed by Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts' highly treated waste water, this portion of the river supports great blue herons, egrets, ducks and other water birds as well as migratory birds.
While the location has become understandably controversial in the eyes of some longtime volunteers from the Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area, we think the agencies involved got the location right. It is literally a gateway to various micro-environments that can tell the story of water and San Gabriel Valley history within a stone's throw of a new Discovery Center.
However, there are some issues that need more study. As we eagerly await the long-delayed Environmental Impact Report, we have some concerns.
First, the stakeholders must address the concerns expressed by the county's Significant Ecological Area Technical Advisory Committee. The building must have a minimum impact on mature trees and wild birds that nest in those trees. Better surveying for the endangered least bell's vireo and California gnatcatcher is a must.
Second, the project proposed at a whopping 18,230 square feet may be too large. While we see the need for two large classrooms to better educate school kids, we don't want to see this building become office space for water district and county bureaucrats. Also, we share the concern of the SEATAC, which said the 150-space parking lot is too big and needs better landscaping.
Third, there's no denying the charm of the clapboard cottage that serves as the existing nature center, which was moved from the river area decades ago. The EIR must address this potential historic resource, which would be demolished to make way for the modern building.
If built to the top "green building" standards as proposed, and if it is done without severe damage to the environment it is trying to beautify, the San Gabriel River Discovery Center could become the focal point of river restoration. It could even launch the dream of many working hard on a greener Valley, including Norma E. Garcia of the county Department of Parks and Recreation, who said: "We believe this will be a jewel for Los Angeles County."
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Discovery Center project too big (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, May 29, 2008
Re "Your View," "New window to nature":
Belinda Faustinos says that conservation is important and I agree, especially the conservation of natural area habitat open space.
However, I do not agree with her that the destruction of over 11 acres of this natural area habitat in order to build the current proposed Discovery Center project at Whittier Narrows Nature Center is perfectly acceptable and is the correct message to send to our children. This project would partially consist of an 18,230-square-foot museum, which would have a 150 seat auditorium (why?), classrooms (the children already have classrooms at school), and an oversized gift shop. It would be approximately the size of a football field with a 150-space circular parking lot.
Faustinos then states that bulldozing over the 11 acres of indigenous trees (over 50 mature trees) and plants, hawk and owl forage area, and bird nesting area then planting new indigenous plants is "habitat restoration and enhancement." Huh? And I can only assume that the purpose of the outdoor classrooms would be for the children to use for outdoor exploration, since there would be little, if any, natural area left on the site for a child to explore.
Other sites are available on which to build this project. None of the alternate sites would require the destruction of a significant ecological area which is the designation that has been given to the Whittier Narrows natural area.
The only educational service this mammoth project would provide is a lesson in what not to do to conserve our limited remaining open space.
The original concept of the Discovery Center was site appropriate with an approximately 2,400-square foot building for the water-related exhibits and would have left the needed natural habitat that the birds and wildlife require. That would have benefited the area without having to destroy it. It has now turned into a McMansion-sized wish list for its proponents. Let's return it to its original concept. That would benefit the community, the natural area habitat, and also save the taxpayers millions of dollars.
Anadel Miller Whittier
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Reconsider [Discovery] center (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, March 27, 2008
A recent Whittier Daily News, along with television news, reported the sighting of a bald eagle along the Rio Hondo River. A few months ago, tracks of a mountain lion were photographed and recorded at the Whittier Narrows Nature Center. As we all know, there are people losing homes, we have high gas prices, food prices are also rising, and let us not forget those without health-care insurance.
My question is, with all these critical needs, why are we spending millions on the building of a river nature center? Especially the proposed building of the taxpayer funded Discovery Center to replace the Whittier Narrows Nature Center. This new building is supposed to cost $30 million - perhaps more. It will also bring about the destruction of both the bird sanctuary and the connection to the larger Puente-Chino Hills Corridor.
At this time we have homeless, jobless and hungry people who would better benefit from this money, instead of pouring millions into this project. I think it is time to re-think this Discovery Center project.
Henrietta Correa Salazar
Pico Rivera
Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area
P.O. Box 3522
South El Monte, CA 91733
626-626-1202
Click here for our contact page.