Dreaming of a Transformation at Ormond Beach

Ormond Beach presents a unique and valuable resource for the city of Oxnard as well as all of Ventura County. It serves as habitat for a variety of wildlife and plants, some endangered.

I propose that this jewel of an asset be transformed into a wildlife sanctuary and marketed as an eco-tourism site. I also propose that a marine wildlife rescue center be built at Ormond Beach with facilities for mammals, birds and cetaceans. Currently these must be transported to San Pedro for emergency medical care.

Ormond Beach wildlife sanctuary could become a site where visitors could observe animals in harmony with the environment and in a peaceful and serene setting. Information about the intricate connection between wildlife and the environment should be readily accessible there. The rescue center could educate children and other visitors about the importance of caring for all creatures that inhabit our planet.

Where McWane Boulevard intersects the railroad tracks west of Arcturus Avenue, there is an empty parking lot with trash in it. This land could be used to build an information center for the wetlands.

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A visitor center should be built, with a kiosk containing information about the types of birds that inhabit the wetlands--what they eat, when and where they nest, what their migratory paths are and how they interact with the wetlands. Information about the plants at Ormond Beach and the role they play in the ecosystem, and about the fish and other marine life, should also be available.

The remainder of the lot could be retained for parking for eco-tourist groups, schoolchildren on field trips and other visitors.

Two elevated boardwalks should be built. One should extend from the visitor center to the freshwater marsh, where an observation tower could be built to help people see the birds and other wildlife living there.

The other boardwalk should be built along the railroad tracks, extending from the visitor center down to the beach next to the power plant. This boardwalk should have three observation decks for optimum viewing.

The marine wildlife rescue center could be built on the opposite side of the tracks from the wetlands. Here there is a field in agriculture. The end of it nearest the power plant has silt deposited on it and nothing can be grown there. I propose that a rescue center be built there in conjunction with a university, perhaps as part of a marine biology research center.

In the future, perhaps an aquarium could be built there as well, housing marine life native to our coast and the Channel Islands.

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Ormond Beach should be transformed into a valuable resource to educate people about the interconnectedness of life. The land is owned by the Metropolitan Water District and the city of Oxnard. There is lots of trash in some places. Grants could be obtained from the California Coastal Conservancy and others to pay for the transformation.

I want this to be a place where wildlife and plants can thrive in harmony with nature, a place that attracts people who want to interact with nature in peace and serenity. I want Ormond Beach to be appreciated as the unique and valuable treasure that it is.