POPULAR NATIVE PLANT WALKWAY AT LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT UNDERGOES RESTORATION
(Los Angeles, California – September 20, 2010) Maintenance has begun on native plant landscaping surrounding a popular neighborhood pathway located at the northwest perimeter of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and adjacent to Playa del Rey, according to Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) officials.
The California Coastal Commission approved the project scope. Volunteers from the California Conservation Corps and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, supported by airport employees, will perform the work which is expected to be completed in December.
The pathway is located on airport property adjacent to the LAX Dunes and private residences that runs along Waterview Street, Rindge Avenue and Napoleon Street, between Pershing Drive and Vista del Mar in Playa del Rey.
“The Waterview-Rindge-Napoleon Pathway Maintenance Project is a great example of the local community and LAWA working together to improve this neighborhood amenity,” said Michael Feldman, deputy executive director of the LAWA’s Facilities Management Group. “This project also provides work and job training for young people which is also an important community benefit.”
The multi-phase project calls for manually removing non-native plants or cutting down bushes to a stump if removal of the roots will disrupt native plants; long-term integrated weed control with herbicides and installation of black plastic; and planting new native plants.
Non-native plants pose a threat to this habitat by competing with native plants. As part of the landscaping, certified airport staff will apply herbicide (Garlon 4) with paintbrush-style applicators to cut stumps on Thursday, Sept. 23. Although the herbicide is safe for animals and humans, as an extra precaution, the affected path areas will be closed for several hours that day while the herbicide is applied and dries.
The California Coastal Commission, local environmentalists, LAWA and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps worked together to identify targeted plants for this ecological zone. The Coastal Commission recommended non-native plant cover be kept below the 20 percent level to ensure recovery of healthy native plants.
About the California Conservation Corps
California Conservation Corps programs provide young adults and school-aged youth with job skills training, education, work experience and other opportunities that emphasize conservation and service projects benefitting the community while restoring California’s environment.
About the Waterview-Rindge-Napoleon Pathway
At the behest of the neighboring community, in 2003, Los Angeles World Airports developed the Waterview-Rindge-Napoleon Pathway out of an undeveloped swath of land outside the airport perimeter fence that runs from Pershing Drive to the beach at Vista del Mar. The pathway is comprised of a gravel walkway surrounded by native plant landscaping, and is adjacent to the northern part of the 300-acre, environmentally sensitive LAX Dunes area. The LAX Dunes Restoration Project began in 1986 in the southern 200 acres of the LAX Dunes, and is now home to more than 1,000 species of plants and animals, including the El Segundo Blue Butterfly and two lizards classified by the state as Species of Concern.
