Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve

When my daughter was a student at Pepperdine, she lived one year in the San Fernando Valley in Encino. When we visited here there I discovered a wonderful area for nature photography: The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Refuge.
The Los Angeles Parks website provides a wonderful history of how this refuge came to be and how much work has been put into providing habitat.

My memories are that it was a wonderful place. Near one of the major water treatment plants and along a natural waterway, Los Angeles has created a wonderful greenbelt area. As part of the water treatment plant, a beautiful Japanese garden was built with beautiful walkways, waterfalls, a pavilion and wonderful plants. The Nature Preserve consists of several ponds and lakes, walkways, and various habitats. I enjoyed watching white pelicans landing and fishing, cormorants, herons, egrets, and ducks along the water. I never got a chance to explore the treed areas for songbirds.

Nearby is Balboa Park with Lake Balboa now called Anothony C. Beilenson Park. I was amazed at this wonderful lake and recreation area all watered by reclaimed water. I would love for my home area, Hutto to do something as creatively beautiful when they build their next needed (soon) sewage treatment plant.

I've had the headlines from the Los Angeles Times on "My Yahoo" page since Debra was in college. So when I saw the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve in the headlines, I had to read the story.

While I understand the traffic issues in the Los Angeles area, it sure seems a shame to me to destroy part of this wonderful natural area just to add more traffic lanes or a different artery. I believe that people benefit from time they spend in nature whether it is in their gardens in their backyard, in a city park, a forest, near a stream, the ocean, or a wildlife preserve. The Sepulveda area was set aside long ago, while there was still open space. Now, open space in the LA area is at a premium. Houses and apartments surround this park and wildlife area.

I don't live out there, I don't have influence out there, but I sure hope that the plan that would leave this wildlife area intact is the one that is used.