Letters: Malibu’s lost lagoon

Re “A deep divide at Malibu Lagoon,” April 30

California’s “restoration” of the Malibu Lagoon has turned a nature preserve into what one activist called a “manufactured wetland theme park.”

Part of the reason for the restoration was to eliminate pollution ostensibly caused by human waste. However, a study by the U.S. Geological Survey found no evidence of such pollution. Rather, much of the pollution in the lagoon is caused by droppings deposited by the thousands of birds that hold conventions there each day. This will not change.

As The Times’ photo shows, the state has put in place many small plastic flags on wires stuck in the mud to identify where seeds were planted. How many of these flags will soon be set loose by the daily tides in the lagoon to create more pollution?

I mourn the lagoon’s destruction and hope the next wetlands construction project planned by the state (at the Ballona Wetlands) doesn’t happen.

Ted Vaill

Malibu

Their intentions may be good, but those who say the state has destroyed a healthy existing ecosystem in the Malibu Lagoon seem to be acting out of emotion and not facts.

Scientists and others have determined that human interaction created long-term problems in the lagoon. It had once been used as a dump site, filled in part with dirt and trash. Non-native species arrived. The lagoon suffered from reduced tidal flow and oxygen levels to the point the state listed the site as “impaired.”

Those who say the restored lagoon looks barren need to realize that a proper revitalization takes time. Plants will eventually grow and fill in the landscape; birds, fish and other animal life will also return. Surfers will have easier access to the beach, schoolchildren will have a natural classroom, and visitors will enjoy a peaceful, clean environment.

Mark Johnson

Marina Del Rey

As a Malibu resident who actively opposed the lagoon overhaul, what disturbed me as much as losing native plants and wildlife was the $7 million spent to replace what was a thriving ecosystem. That money could have been spent in better ways, including going toward fixing an extremely dangerous Pacific Coast Highway.

Just last month a young woman was killed on PCH in Malibu. The state has said money is too tight to make safety changes, so instead we throw millions at a project that was completely unnecessary instead of protecting human life.

Susan M. Tellem

Malibu

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