Marsh a Natural Oasis Amid the Urban Sprawl

Across the street from one of the world’s largest shopping malls, Madrona Marsh survives as a sanctuary for migratory birds, a nursery for native plants and wildflowers, and a home for foxes and other animals.

Despite the presence of dense development all around it and oil wells extracting resources from below, the marsh thrives as the only rain-fed wetland in the South Bay and one of the few in Southern California.

“It’s an island in a sea of concrete,” said David Morafka, a biology professor at Cal State Dominguez Hills. “There will not be another Madrona Marsh if this one is filled in. This is the last one.”

The South Bay once had miles of seasonal freshwater marshes that provided people with game birds, clams, fish and shrimp. Old-timers tell stories about canoeing from Wilmington to Redondo Beach after winter and spring rains replenished the marshes.

But as building consumed the open land and drainage improvements diverted the natural flow of life-sustaining water, the marshes disappeared.

Nature Near Home

Although shrunken by development and altered by oil operations, Madrona Marsh--the subject of fierce battles during the last two decades--still offers urban dwellers a chance to experience nature close to home.

Nearly 100 species of birds call the marsh home during winter and spring. The snowy egret, great blue heron, cinnamon teal and Canada geese take up residence with the ducks, sandpipers and shore birds. All are seemingly oblivious to the crush of humanity around them.

In the early-morning quiet, red foxes emerge from their dens. They are believed to be descendants of British foxes that were brought to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to be hunted. The six adults and three young foxes share the marsh with an occasional striped skunk, cottontail rabbit, mice, gophers, squirrels, lizards, frogs, snakes, and visiting dogs and cats.

Abundant plant life, including ferns, wildflowers, tules, and eucalyptus and willow trees add to the diversity of the marsh habitat.

“The marsh provides a unique open space at a critical location in the center of an impacted urban community,” Morafka wrote years ago in support of preservation efforts. “It provides beautiful wildflower displays and bird songs in the spring, a living observatory for wildlife for local residents, particularly schoolchildren.”

Care of Property

The city’s management of the marsh since it obtained the wetland in 1986 has drawn sharp criticism. The property is littered with trash and the chain-link fence is rusting. When an information kiosk was vandalized a while back, weeks passed before it was repaired.

Sam Suitt, past president of Friends of Madrona Marsh, said: “How good a steward the city is of the property is still open to question. . . . The city acquired an asset they didn’t quite know what to do with.”

Suitt and other members of the Friends are particularly critical of Torrance’s failure to hire a full-time naturalist to oversee the marsh and coordinate nature walks and educational programs for the public.

“It’s just incredible how long it’s taking,” said Ken Gaugh, immediate past president of Friends of Madrona Marsh. “As a group, we are disappointed.”

City officials have been talking about the need for a naturalist for more than eight years, although funding for the position was not included in the city budget until last spring.

Torrance Parks and Recreation Director Gene Barnett concedes that “it’s taken longer than we had hoped” to find a full-time naturalist, but he predicts that someone will be hired in the “very near future.”

The city also has been criticized for not completing plans for long-discussed public facilities, such as an interpretive center at the marsh. As Morafka put it, “To sustain public interest in the marsh, it should be as accessible and enjoyable to as many people as possible.”

The city is in the process of completing a sidewalk, bicycle trail and new perimeter fence, which Barnett said will secure the marsh and enhance the appearance of the area.

Other capital improvements at the marsh were postponed when Torrance diverted park funds to repair a major landslide on city-owned property.

Meanwhile, the marsh faces the threat of a water shortage.

The adjoining development and drainage improvements, including construction of a sump at Maple Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard, have reduced the amount of rainwater flowing into the marsh, according to Morafka. And runoff from nearby streets often is polluted.

Unless action is taken to assure a sustained, high-quality water supply, the marsh could be in jeopardy. “Water is the really critical thing, both quality and quantity,” Morafka said. Barnett agrees that the water issue is important and said the city plans to hire a consultant to study the problem.

Suitt said the jury is still out about whether Madrona Marsh will survive the development next door. “If the marsh turns out not to be viable or the city screws up, then it’s a disaster,” he said.