Locals Honored for Work at Wetlands
Two west county women will be honored in Washington D.C. next week for their work to preserve wetlands at Ormond Beach.
Jean Harris of Oxnard and Roma Armbrust of Ventura, both retired teachers, will receive the 2000 National Wetlands Awards for their fight to permanently protect the beach--which contains 800 acres of wetlands--south of Port Hueneme Beach Park.
Seven volunteers nationwide will be given the award this year. The Environmental Law Institute of Washington presents the award jointly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies.
Harris and Armbrust met in 1987 and began championing preservation of the wetlands, a remnant of a rare salt marsh ecosystem and a place where the Chumash once gathered shellfish.
In 1989 they formed the Ormond Beach Observers, bringing together several organizations interested in protecting the wetlands, while also helping the city of Oxnard gather ideas on how to use the land from the public.
The city has yet to approve a development plan for the Ormond Beach area, but earlier this year the California Coastal Conservancy agreed to acquire a sizable portion of the land for restoration and permanent preservation.
Harris and Armbrust will receive the award during a Capitol Hill ceremony on June 15.
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