CLIPBOARD

Galen Ambrose moved to the Hill neighborhood in Seal Beach five years ago because the area seemed like a unique little island. An old cattle ranch and former wetlands behind his house was still undeveloped and provided a peaceful ambience. Eventually Ambrose became a central figure in a fight to prevent development and restore the wetlands. Many residents see the battle as important to the future of the entire city, not just the neighborhood. That’s why Ambrose is determined to stand his ground.

The developed portion of the Hill is on a gentle slope facing the ocean and the city’s main business district. Directly behind it is the last undeveloped portion of the Hellman Ranch, a 149-acre parcel that is one of the largest open spaces in northwestern Orange County. After ranching operations ended, the land was left vacant and became a place where neighborhood children established their imaginary realms. They chased butterflies here, built forts and played in the abandoned haylofts.

The old barns and workers’ bunkhouses were removed around 1965, and all that’s left is parched grass, eucalyptus trees and a small enclave of oil wells. The pumps’ steady drone seems as much a part of the neighborhood’s ambience as the wind rustling in the grasses and gulls’ crying overhead. But the land’s peaceful simplicity belies its underlying story of old money, politics, oil, developers, slow-growth and heated battles in courtrooms and City Council chambers.

The Hellman family purchased the land in the mid-1800s for $153 in back taxes from Don Abel Stearns, who was forced to sell after a prolonged drought devastated his herd. The Hellmans grew sugar beets and raised cattle, but they were not primarily farmers. They were bankers and landowners who established Farmer’s & Merchants Bank and Wells Fargo Bank.

The ranch once included land now occupied by Leisure World and the Rockwell International missile facility, both of which lie to the north. But the Hellman heirs maintained a portion as open space largely because of the oil wells, which are still churning out a profit.

At least 100 acres of the ranch used to be wetlands, but, according to Ambrose, the Hellmans allowed developers to fill the marsh with dirt bulldozed from development projects. “They also dumped fill dirt here when they channelized the San Gabriel River,” said Ambrose. “So the wetlands were covered up by at least 12 to 15 feet of earth trucked in from other parts of the county.”

Ambrose envisions restoring the land to a preserve similar to the Newport Back Bay. “I would rather see it restored as closely as possible to its natural state. Even a golf course or park would be inappropriate here,” he said.

Ambrose helped found the Wetlands Restoration Society in 1986, and the group has helped fend off several attempts by Mola, a Newport Beach firm, to develop the area. “We held them off by winning two spots on the City Council. Everyone praises the previous effort to maintain the Newport Back Bay as open space, and this issue is very similar,” said Ambrose.

A grove of gum eucalyptus trees buffers the developed portion of the neighborhood from the old ranch. The trees were planted in 1925 by ranch hands to serve as a windbreak and source of firewood. The area, known as Gum Grove Park, is a wintering site for monarch butterflies.

According to entomologist Walt Sakai, the grove is home to 500 to 1,000 butterflies that rely on the nearby open space as a source of nectar. “The grove is already a park, but if a major development were allowed nearby, it could affect them. The monarch is not an endangered species yet, but we are concerned that the grove remain a suitable wintering site. There are very few left.”

Population Total: (1990) 2,603 1980-90 change: -7.7% Median Age: 39.3

Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino): 92% Latino: 5% Other: 3%

By sex and age: MALES Median age: 36.9 years FEMALES Median age: 41.0 years

Income Per capita: $20,710 Median household: $57,650 Average household: $58,130

Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 17% $25,000-49,999: 23% $50,000-74,999: 34% $75,000-$99,999: 14% $100,000 and more: 12%