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Click HERE for a Regional Trail Map of the Basin (13.26MB pdf file) – Click HERE for a local trail map of the Wildlife Reserve |
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February 11, 2012, 9am-11am (Saturday)BIRD WALKS FOR FAMILIES AND BEGINNERS San Fernando Valley Audubon leads free bird walks for beginning adults and families with school-age children on the second Saturday of each month (October through March). Enjoy the lovely Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, with its trails and wildlife lake. Many birds come here in winter. This is your opportunity to learn more about bird identification and behavior, while becoming acquainted with the Wildlife Area — its trees, plants and water. This walk is designed for anyone who has never been on a bird walk, beginning birdwatchers, families with school-age children. Time and Meeting Place: The Wildlife Area entrance and amphitheater are in the southeast part of Woodley Park. Meet at the amphitheater at 9:00 a.m. Directions: Turn north from Burbank Bl. onto Woodley Ave., which is ½ mile west of the San Diego Freeway (I-405). Travel about ½ mile to the second possible right turn. Turn east (right) at the sign for the Wildlife Reserve. Bear right at the fork in the road and go east ½ mile to the Wildlife Area parking. Walk south past the monumental rocks and restroom building to the amphitheater. Equipment and Clothing: Wear sturdy shoes and layered clothing. A cap or hat with a brim is suggested. We have binoculars to loan, but bring your own if you have them. More Information: Muriel Kotin at 310.457-5796 or Linda Jones at 818.831-6061. Reservations are not needed except for large groups. Rain cancels. Please visit our website sfvaudubon.org.
March 4, 2012, 8am (Sunday)
HELP PROTECT LOCAL
WILDLIFE!
Haskell Creek, where it runs through lovely Sepulveda Basin Wildlife
Area, hosts many riparian trees and shrubs, such as cottonwoods and
willows. Songbirds forage and nest in the trees, while egrets and
herons fish in this heart of the Wildlife Area. Sadly it is infested
with trash, especially plastic bags and foam cups and food
containers. |
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Current Postings and
Recent Issues |
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WINTER IS HERE...WILDLIFE STILL ABOUNDS
Winter is a beautiful time of year at the Basin.
Once all the leaves fall off of the
Fremont cottonwoods, the birds will be easier to see.
Community Conservation Solutions Releases
Feasibility Studies for L.A. River Natural Park
Wildlife Sightings and Photo Links
December 9, 2011
in the afternoon two immature Bonaparte's Gulls were
seen at Lake Balboa in Encino. At the Sepulveda Basin
Wildlife Reserve
October 29, 2011
Visited for a few hours in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife
Reserve in the evening. I observed a fly-over the lake a group
of eight White Pelicans
September 24, 2011 Steve Hartman spotted a group of what were likely Vaux swifts. Silhouette above is from photo Steve took with his iPhone.
September 23, 2011
I re-found the Orange Bishop at Sepulveda Basin - South
from Burbank Blvd. (along LA river between Sepulveda Dam and
On November 7, 2010
I visited Lake Balboa where I found - thanks to all prior
postings - at least two maybe three Common Loons and a number of
Eared I spotted one flying
male Wood Duck that attached itself to a small group of mallards (two males
and one female) today (October 3, 2010) in the evening at
water-quality
issues are the back door to land preservation Bull Creek Restoration Project In spring of 2009 the Bull Creek Channel Ecosystem restoration project was completed. Features were to include 28-acres of aquatic, riparian and native upland habitat to enhance wildlife resources along the Bull Creek channel. An oxbow (or “C”-shaped) side channel was excavated to allow water to flow from south of Victory Blvd. around an island to the Los Angeles River, but the storms of the winter of 2009-2010 resulted in severe erosion along the creek banks and the complete filling in of the oxbow with silt. The construction portion of the project was completed in May, 2009. Reclaimed water from Lake Balboa is flowing into the channel near the oxbow to enhance the existing flow. Below is a sequence of images showing the finished project, the first erosion on the east bank, the filled in oxbow, and the ensuing emerging vegetation.
Native plantings include thousands of willows,
cottonwoods, box elder in the riparian areas and acres of hydroseed on
the hillsides. Weeds have been a problem with this project from the
beginning, and after the one year contractor's maintenance requirement
expired (as of about April 1, 2010), the weeding responsibility fell to the
City (suffering from tight budgets) and volunteers.
A couple of small hills were created as part of this project and they
are covered with mostly native wildflowers, including yellow yarrow,
sticky monkeyflower, Plantago, mints (Salvia spp.),
California poppies, and others. Mixed in with these plants are various
native shrubs including California walnut. At the base of the hill and
on the surrounding areas is a (so far) very successful planting of
native bunchgrasses. |
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About this Website |
SBWASC Mission Statement |
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This website is sponsored by the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Areas Steering Committee (SBWASC) that has been meeting monthly since June 1990. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks concerning the operation, maintenance, and improvement of the existing wildlife areas and any future expansion thereof. The Committee may also make recommendations on matters concerning flora, fauna, and other natural resources in other areas within the Sepulveda Basin, such as the Los Angeles River and its tributaries, park land, and open spaces. Click HERE for A Trail Map of the Basin (13.26MB pdf file) RULES AND REGULATIONS The
“Public Recreational Use Plan Sepulveda
Basin Wildlife Area” was signed and agreed to in 1987 by the City of
Los Angeles, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the State of
California Department of Fish and Game (copy attached). The “Public
Access and Use” section (beginning on Page 6) provides, in part, as
follows: |
. The mission of the Committee shall be to oversee, in its advisory capacity, the wildlife refuge areas and other areas of present or potential natural value within the Sepulveda Basin, as well as to support policies and programs that ensure their long-term preservation, protection, and enhancement.
Article 3, Section 63.44 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code contains Regulations Affecting Park and Recreation Areas. 63.44 B-2 mandates that all dogs be on a leash less than 6 feet long, B-10 prohibits bows or crossbows, B-11 prohibits the take/seizure/hunting of all birds/animals/fish, B-12 bans the removal of wood/plants/rocks/soil, B-13 makes it illegal to deface any property (including plants), B-14 prohibits all loitering between 10:30 PM and 5:00 AM, B-16 prohibits all human or motor powered vehicles (except on trails or roads specifically for that purpose), B-17 bans all fires, B-19 prohibits littering, B-21 bans firearms. EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
PUBLIC SAFETY
For Illegal
Fishing or Hunting
LA City Animal Services
West Valley
California Wildlife
Center
OTHER |
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About the Sepulveda Flood Control Basin |
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All property within the Sepulveda Flood Control Basin is owned by the Los Angeles District Corps of Engineers, but more than 80% of the land is leased out for recreational and agricultural uses. Sepulveda Dam, completed in 1941, is a dry-land reservoir, with the purpose of controlling runoff from nearby San Gabriel, Santa Monica, and Santa Susana Mountains.
Besides the Encino and Balboa golf courses, the Balboa Sports Complex, and the model airplane field, most of the Basin was devoted to agriculture (corn and then sod farms). In the mid-1960’s, Burbank Blvd. was extended across the Basin. In the 1970’s the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation built the Donald Tillman Water Reclamation Plant within the Basin (over the objections of the Corp of Engineers). |
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In March of 1981, a revised Master Plan for the area was adopted. At the time, of the 2,150 acres in the Sepulveda Basin, approximately 1,060 acres were committed to recreational uses. The updated Master Plan designated an additional 540 acres for future recreational uses. Included in the plan are provisions for the commitment of approximately 220 acres of land to informal park space, 120 acres for development of a recreational lake, 108 acres for a wildlife management area, and 60 acres for an “arts park” that has been subsequently redesignated for a “sports complex” (the area west of Balboa Blvd. just north of the Los Angeles River. |
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The Master Plan also tried to minimize adverse environmental effects and recommended “designing reaches of newly-formed lakes and ponds |
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In 1979 the Corp of Engineers developed the first area of the Wildlife Reserve (now called the South Reserve), an approximate 48 acre parcel located south of Burbank Blvd and bordered by the Los Angeles River and the Sepulveda Dam on the east and south. A “pothole” pond (fed with piped-in fresh water) was created, and vegetation representing coastal sage scrub and riparian woodlands were planted. |
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The approximate 60-acre North Reserve (north of Burbank Blvd., east of Haskell Creek, west of the Dam) was developed in 1988, featuring an 11-acre lake with an island and wildlife viewing stations. Various revegetation projects have been undertaken since then. |
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the reserve entrance and restrooms. |
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In 1991 the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant Flood Protection Project was finalized, and subsequently a berm was built around the Water Reclamation Plant to protect it from flooding, compensating excavation was performed in various places, and the outflow from the Water Reclamation Plant was rerouted under the dam so the outflow was outside (to the south) of the Dam. The 7-acre berm was planted with California native plants and is the largest native landscaping project developed by the City of Los Angeles. |
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In 1994, the City and Federal governments agreed to sharing the costs on $11 million in improvements in the Sepulveda Basin. The wildlife are was expanded 110 acres to the west of Haskell Creek (on either side of Woodley Avenue). Additional facilities in the wildlife area included trails, restrooms and staging area, signs, benches, viewing blinds and parking. This project was completed in 1999. |
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Member Organizations and Affiliated Agencies |
 SFV Audubon |
 California Native Plant Society |
 L.A. Audubon |
 Sierra Club, San Fernando Valley Group |
 The Canada Goose Project |
 LA City Rec and Parks |
 Resource Conservation District |
 The Japanese Garden |
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Friends of Lake Balboa |
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Web page and design by Justin Baker. |
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Last Updated 02/06/2012 |
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