Oxnard to seek national wildlife refuge status for Ormond Beach

Brian J. Varela, Ventura County Star
·3 min read
Water from a series of winter storms settles in a marsh at Ormond Beach earlier this month. Oxnard and two nature conservancies will apply for national wildlife refuge status for the area.
Water from a series of winter storms settles in a marsh at Ormond Beach earlier this month. Oxnard and two nature conservancies will apply for national wildlife refuge status for the area.

The city of Oxnard and two nature conservancies will apply for national wildlife refuge status for Ormond Beach.

The move would turn over management of about 650 acres of coastal wetlands — owned by Oxnard, the California State Coastal Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy — to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Representatives for the three partners said at a meeting Monday the wildlife service is the most capable entity to manage the area, though neither side has agreed to a deal.

About 100 people attended the public forum virtually and in person. While the meeting topic was long-term management of the wetlands, residents were focused on planned improvements to public access and conservation.

“The balance of public access and the protection of nature is the crux of this project,” said Peter Dixon, project manager with the Nature Conservancy.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will undergo a thorough vetting process before a decision will be made.

Tiny shells line the shore at Ormond Beach, where snowy plovers and other coastal bird species use the beach to nest. Officials in charge of about 650 acres of coastal wetlands hope the federal wildlife service will eventually manage the area.
Tiny shells line the shore at Ormond Beach, where snowy plovers and other coastal bird species use the beach to nest. Officials in charge of about 650 acres of coastal wetlands hope the federal wildlife service will eventually manage the area.

Alex Nguyen, Oxnard’s city manager, said the wildlife agency will first develop a land protection plan, which will take a year or more to draft. He said the partners have already begun working with the federal government on that first stage.

Following its completion, the draft plan will go through a year-long public input and agency review process.

Nguyen said it’ll be at least two years before the wildlife service could begin the process of acquiring land.

Home to rare species

The project area sits along the coast of Oxnard between Port Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu. It's home to more than 30 rare and endangered species, said Dixon, the Nature Conservancy official. More than 200 bird species nest in the area, including the California least tern and western snowy plover.

The three partners have worked together since 2002 to protect and upgrade Ormond Beach.

Improvements to the wetlands didn’t begin in earnest until the late 2010s, when a preliminary plan for the Ormond Beach Restoration and Public Access Project was issued.

The current phase of the project began in 2017 and built on a 2009 feasibility study.

Signs warn visitors to avoid disturbing a nesting ground for snowy plovers and least terns at Ormond Beach in mid-April.
Signs warn visitors to avoid disturbing a nesting ground for snowy plovers and least terns at Ormond Beach in mid-April.

The project would create trails and boardwalks while making alterations to the landscape to better preserve the local ecosystem.

“It’ll be great for the birds and animals,” longtime Oxnard resident Steve Nash said Monday. “Most of all, it will heal the soul of Oxnard and the people of Oxnard.”

Nguyen said Wednesday the three partners will still oversee the restoration project, though that could change if the federal government decides to take it on.

The restoration could take about five years, he said, but is dependent on funding and state regulatory agencies.

Residents noted the proximity of the Superfund site at the former Halaco Engineering Co. property and the Ormond Beach Generating Station.

The contaminated Halaco property has also been the site of multiple homeless encampments.

Some attendees said the two areas should be included in the restoration effort and potential refuge.

“There is a critically endangered species that doesn’t know the boundaries between city property and generating plant property,” Port Hueneme resident Joan Tharp said during Monday's meeting. “It’s a real concern that those two areas are left as islands.”

Nguyen, Oxnard’s city manager, noted the two properties are privately owned.

Separately, other plans are in play to rehabilitate the Halaco site and the power plant property.

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard's Ormond Beach could become national wildlife refuge