The Whittier Narrows Nature Center in South El Monte has become the target of a dispute between environmentalist who want the center kept as is and a group that wants to expand the center into an 18,230-square-foot museum and meeting facility. The center is operated by the county Department of Parks and Recreation.
Story Published:
Aug 13, 2009 at 11:44 AM PDT
Story Updated:
Aug 13, 2009 at 11:44 AM PDT
SOUTH EL MONTE — A veteran environmental consultant and attorney has joined the effort to stop development of a controversial watershed education center and conference facility in the Whittier Narrows area.
Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area opposes the project.
Marcia Wertenberger, who has nearly 30 years of experience representing environmental organizations and government agencies, spoke on behalf of the friends during a public hearing on the San Gabriel River Discovery Center draft environmental impact report at South El Monte High School July 18.
Proposed is a18,230-square-foot science museum on about 11 acres of the Whittier Narrows Nature Area, 1000 Durfee Road in South El Monte, a 70-year-old, 416-acre wetland and wildlife sanctuary along the San Gabriel River between Montebello and Puente Hills.
Opponents say the $27 to $30 million project would destroy important wildlife habitat, waste scarce public dollars and introduce user fees in a working-class area already hard hit by rising taxes and water rates.
Water agency officials supporting the project say concerns about the proposed San Gabriel River Discovery Center will be addressed in environmental impact reports expected this fall.
Officials who have supported the plan include Sam Pedroza, chairman of the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority and representing the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts in Whittier; and Belinda Faustinos, executive director of the San Gabriel Rivers and Mountains Conservancy in Azusa.
They are among the regional water and conservation agencies supporting the plan, conceived in 2000 by the Upper San Gabriel Water Authority, which is part of the joint powers group along with Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department, the Central Municipal Basin Water District based in Commerce, and the regional Metropolitan Water District.
Speakers from communities around Whittier Narrows and beyond expressed a variety of concerns with the discovery center proposal during the July 18 hearing.
Lou Orr of Pico Rivera said he was concerned about the impact of the project on the Nature Center, a place he first visited in 1954 at the age of 7. As an adult, he said he has introduced his children and grandchildren to “the wonders of nature” there.
Cynthia Guthrie of Whittier said the project would put at risk a number of sensitive native plants. “I don’t understand how this development can be called conservation,” she said.
She also said that, growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, she and her friends focused their visits to Eaton Canyon and other parks on outdoor activities, spending little time in interpretive centers because “we preferred to spend our time in real nature.”
The deadline for public comments on the San Gabriel River Discovery Center draft environmental impact report was Aug. 3.
Deadline for comments on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental assessment for the project is Aug. 20.
Both documents are available at www.discoverycenterauthority.org.
Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area and neighboring lands as open space corridors.
Its members are from throughout the Southeast area including Whittier, Pico Rivera, Montebello, Downey, La Mirada and Alhambra.
Those interested may call (626) 286-3850 or visit the Friends’ Web site www.naturalareafriends.net.
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