$2 Million Offered for RV Park Set on Wetlands

Up to $2 million is being offered for the purchase of an 18-acre RV park set on a Ventura River flood plain, but the owner of the environmentally sensitive wetlands says he may not sell at that price.

A consortium of state and federal agencies announced Friday that $2 million has been approved toward the acquisition of the land from its owner, Tom Staben. If sold, the area probably would be returned to its natural wetlands state.

Resting on a flood plain at the mouth of the Ventura River, the Ventura Beach RV Resort has been inundated at least annually over the last six years. The flooding, combined with the land’s use as a recreational vehicle park, has resulted in damage to the delicate wildlife there and poses a danger to the area’s temporary human residents, environmentalists contend.

“We think this is an important step toward rectifying a situation that has been a problem from the beginning, both in terms of environmental degradation as well as human health hazards,” said Mark Capelli, executive director of Friends of the Ventura River.

Staben, a Somis-based contractor, said he had been in negotiations with the state resources agency to sell the park but had heard nothing from the state since the beginning of this month.

“I know nothing of the offer. I know nothing of a transaction,” Staben said Friday. “I thought the deal was off.”

Staben would not disclose his asking price for the property, but said he would probably not accept $2 million.

But, he said, “anything’s for sale.”

“If the right amount of money came our way, we would probably consider it,” Staben added.

A coalition of 14 state and federal organizations announced the approval Friday of more than $5 million to acquire and restore seven wetlands--totaling about 700 acres--along Southern California’s coast during the coming year. In addition, those areas are expected to receive about $5 million more from other sources.

The Ventura River Estuary was chosen from among 41 sites reviewed by wetlands scientists and biologists. It will receive the second-largest total grant in the latest round--$1 million from the Southern California Wetlands Clearinghouse and another $1 million from the Coastal Conservancy and other sources.

The combination of a “willing seller” and the determination of scientists that the estuary was an area worth restoring led to the funding, said Craig Denisoff, assistant resources secretary.

“Ventura River kind of rose to the top as one of the projects that we are funding,” he said.

Capelli said the estuary presents an uncommon opportunity to preserve wetlands.

“That kind of habitat is very, very rare in Southern California,” he said. “Most of these areas that are adjacent to rivers have been paved, developed and converted to urban uses.”

The estuary is home to several endangered species, including the steelhead trout, said John Buse, staff attorney for the Environmental Defense Center.

“The estuary provides an important habitat for their life cycles,” he said. “They use the ocean and the rivers, so the estuary is just a key to their success.”

Southern California’s wetlands once numbered 47,000 acres, but only about 15,000 acres remain, and much of that is degraded. The wetlands support many species of fish, wildlife and plants, some of which are found only in Southern California.

Santa Barbara County’s Goleta Slough will receive $1.38 million from the funding announced Friday. Two San Diego County areas, Tijuana River Estuary and San Elijo Lagoon, will receive a total of $4.7 million. Upper Newport Bay, Bolsa Chica and Los Cerritos in Orange County will get $2.4 million.

The Southern California Wetlands Clearinghouse, which authorized the funding, is a consortium of public agencies that work to acquire, restore and enhance coastal wetlands and watersheds between Point Conception and the Mexico border.