http://www.sfvaudubon.org/">San Fernando Valley Audubon Society

Saturday, April 10

8:30 AM – Noon

Photo by Rose Leibowitz, 2010

Come for the whole time or just a part of it.
Bring your friends and family.

Help us keep this lovely resource in prime condition
for the critters who rely on it for food and shelter.

Directions: Exit the San Diego Freeway (I-405) on Burbank Blvd. Go west about one-half mile to Woodley Avenue and turn right (north). Travel about one-half mile to the second possible right turn (at sign for the Water Reclamation Plant and Japanese Garden). Turn right and go east about one-half mile to Wildlife Area parking at the end of the road.

I encourage all to attend this community workshop on the updating of the Sepulveda Basin Master Plan on Saturday, February 20, 2010.  This is part of updating the master plan (land use plan) of the entire Sepulveda Basin for the first time in over 30 years and will be important in shaping changes to the Basin.

You may want to express support for some of the ideas that I and other members of the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Areas Steering Committee are promoting or have other suggestions.  Here is a rough description of what I hope the new Master Plan will include:

The former corn maize field immediately east of Woodley Avenue and between Woodley Park and the Wildlife Reserve should become part of the Wildlife Reserve, as an enhancement and link to both Woodley Section 2 and the Wildlife Reserve; the east bank of Haskell Creek and adjoining field along the stretch from the Reserve access road (“Wildlife Way”) to Victory Boulevard should be restored as riparian habitat;  the area north of the Reserve parking to the archery range and dam wall, which is currently but unclearly defined as Wildlife Reserve, should be protected and improved as part of the Wildlife Reserve; and all water courses within Sepulveda Basin, including those now treated as drainage channels, should be managed as riparian corridors, including Hayvenhurst, Woodley and Encino Channels/Creeks.

As meetings take place, these goals will be refined and improved.

I hope you will attend and actively participate in the meeting, including writing your own comments on what you want to keep as is and what changes you hope to see.

─Muriel Kotin, SFVAS Representative to Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Areas Steering Committee

Hi All,

Here is a letter describing a proposed racetrack in the Antelope Valley followed by a letter from Kris Ohlenkamp, SFVAS Conservation Chair, stating the opposition of SFVAS to the development. Contact Supervisor Michael Antonovich to make your view known.

*     *     *

Dear friends and colleagues,

As you start to mark your calendars for 2010, please set aside11 AM on Saturday, February 6.

On that day, a hearing will be held in the Antelope Valley to decide the fate of the peace and tranquility of the Western Antelope Valley and its crown jewel: The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve and the adjacent Fairmont Butte archaeological site.

The Fairmont Butte Motorsports Park project is a private racetrack that is being funded by Orange County millionaires, which includes a racetrack, mechanic garages, restaurant and “full service” bar.  It is proposed for the north side of Fairmont Butte located less than 2 miles from the Poppy Reserve and includes several small archaeological sites that are part of the larger Fairmont Butte archaeological site. The negative impacts to the area are numerous. For more information about this issue, details about the hearing and other ways you can help, please refer to  http://www.sio2.com/savethepoppyreserve.

In addition, I have attached the letter submitted by the Antelope Valley Archaeological Society to the County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning outlining our concerns about the project. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hearing location: Lancaster Library 601 Lancaster Blvd. I hope you can attend – politicians believe in numbers! and we need bodies to be present.

And forward this information to as many other lovers of the wild spaces of California as you can!

Best,

Dr. Darcy Lynn Wiewall
Department of Anthropology
Social and Behavioral Sciences Division
Antelope Valley College
3041 West Avenue K
Lancaster, CA 93536-5426
661-722-6300 ext.6902

*     *     *

From: kris ohlenkamp
Subject: Proposed Fairmont Buttes Motorsports Park
To: fifthdistrict@lacbos.org
Cc: jsackett@planning.lacounty.gov

Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 6:09 PM

Dear Supervisor Antonovich / Jodie Sackett:

The Board of Directors of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society, by unanimous vote, is opposed to changing the L.A. County General Plan to allow development of the Fairmont Buttes Motorsports Park. Changing the status of the area from Non-Urban to Major Commercial at the behest of a single non-resident benefactor is unjustified economically, undesirable to residents in the area, and indefensible from an environmental quality perspective.

Our chapter of the National Audubon Society includes this portion of the Antelope Valley in our territory and many of our more than 2000 members live in the affected area. We are deeply concerned about the possibility of poor decisions being made on a case by case basis that totally disregard all past “planning” decisions which were made with the totality of knowledge, and all County residents future good will, in mind.

Thank you for considering our opinion.

Kris Ohlenkamp, Conservation Chair SFVAS

*     *     *

Thank you for your support!
Jim Hardesty
Moderator
Woodland Hills

The Mission of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society is to promote the conservation of resources, to preserve and enhance the natural habitat within our territory, to increase the public’s awareness and appreciation of bird life and the natural environment, and to create a social environment that encourages individual knowledge, development, and participation. No one has worked more consistently, effectively, and enthusiastically at helping fulfill this Mission than Carolyn Oppenheimer.

She has held numerous Board of Directors positions over the last 20+ years including two years as President. However, her most valued contributions have often come from ideas that she originated and successfully followed through on. Foremost in my mind are her contributions toward making our Centennial Celebration such a rousing success, and her most recent project—the College Conservation Committee.

Her first volunteer activity with the Chapter was as a docent for our Sepulveda Basin Environmental Education Project. Now she manages SBEEP and coordinates the docents, materials and equipment, teacher training, and dozens of 4^th through 6^th grade classroom visits to the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area every year.

Although Carolyn has engaged in hands-on environmental improvement activities (such as our annual trash cleanup of Haskell Creek), and direct lobbying of our representatives, her efforts always stress the importance of education (for our children, ourselves, and our elected representatives) as the best long term hope for a clean, healthy and diverse environment. We thank her for her efforts and are proud to present her with this year’s Conservation Award.

Two of our partner organizations have developed websites. Links to those sites have been added to the list in the sidebar on the right.

The first of these is Antelope Valley Audubon, organized by a group of dedicated volunteers with some support from SFVAS.

The other is the website of the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area, established by and for the Wildlife Area Steering Committee to keep the community informed of events and projects in the basin.

Check out both of the sites, as well as all the others listed there!