OXNARD : Police to Patrol for Vehicles in Wetlands

The Oxnard City Council has voted unanimously to spend $10,000 to pay two police officers to patrol and keep off-road vehicles from driving through the Ormond Beach Wetlands on weekends.

Earlier this year, the city reinforced a vehicle barrier and approved higher fines for trespassers in an effort to limit damage that off-road vehicles inflict on the wildlife habitat.

However, at the request of various state and federal environmental groups, the city decided to fortify its efforts by paying two police officers to work extra eight-hour shifts on weekends, a city report says.

The patrols, which began two weeks ago, will be paid for by money taken from a special fund reserved for redevelopment of the Ormond Beach area, the report says.

City officials and environmentalists have said that all-terrain vehicles have caused extensive damage to the wetlands, which include almost 200 acres of dunes and marshes. The area is believed to be home to more than 200 species of birds, 35 species of fish and 190 species of vertebrates, including squirrels, possums, skunks and raccoons.

Ormond Beach extends along about two miles of coastline, bounded on the south by Point Mugu Naval Air Station Pacific Missile Test Range and on the north by the city of Port Hueneme.

In March, the council increased the fine for trespassing on the beach to $200 from $50. A month later, the city welded shut a gate that blocked the main access to the beach at Arnold Road.