Access to the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve

Area A

Area A is open to the general public from Wednesday’s through Saturday’s (except state holidays) from 8 AM to 1 PM. However, sometimes the reserve is closed on those days for maintenance or other reasons, so also be prepared with a backup plan, such as a hike down to the jetties and breakwater. Access via car is along Fiji Way across from Whiskey Red’s restaurant in Marina del Rey.

Area B

Area B is open the first Saturday and second Sunday of every month (except August and certain holidays) from 9 AM to noon via events hosted by Nature Nexus Institute. Access is via the dirt parking lot behind Gordon’s Market (303 Culver Blvd) in Playa del Rey.

Selected links for the January 30, 2024 Ballona Wetlands Community Update Webinar

“Sequence 1 and 2” Memorandum

Heal the Bay – Ballona Boondoggle

LA Times – 1991 Article

CDFW EIR Page

SCC Ballona Wetlands Page

Finding Common Ground – Tuesday, January 30th at 6 PM via zoom.

Join meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330392205?pwd=Q1V3ckhxZ3l2VDBjcjRiL2Z6d0Jzdz09

The focus will be on finding common ground and ways to move forward, This will include a discussion of why the Land Trust does not believe that the large-scale restoration proposal can move forward as designed, and why that increases the need for interim stewardship and access management, as the state also acknowledged with a commissioned report on that topic in 2005. Believe it or not, there are many policy issues on which virtually all of the groups agree to a significant extent. One example is the belied that, to the extent that the baseball fields are allowed to continue operation in the ecological reserve, the area should also open for more traditional uses of an ecological reserve, such nature study and native habitat enhancement efforts. Another point of agreement is that an analysis is needed to determine how much paved or unpaved parking will realistically be needed to support the operation of, and visitation to, the reserve, and that the footprint of the existing lots should be reduced to the extent possible based on that analysis.

Come listen and feel free to send questions in advance to landtrust@ballona.org. See you then!