Whittier Narrows 'Discovery Center' Sees Legal Appeal to Stop Development at San Gabriel River

By Dennis Romero Mon., Apr. 18 2011 at 9:58 AM

Ted Soqui

Let's build right here.

Opponents of a water museum on the Whittier Narrows nature area have filed an appeal to block the project, they announced Monday.

The museum would essentially tear out a beautiful area along the rivers (the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo diverge here) to install a building where you could appreciate ... the beautiful area along the rivers.

Environmentalists have been incensed, and a statement summarizing the suit claims the planners of the San Gabriel River Discovery Center have failed to ...

... Meet its legal obligations under the California Environmental Quality Act when it certified an inadequate final environmental impact report and approved a 5-to-11-acre complex of buildings, parking lot and other manmade features on the ecologically and historically important Whittier Narrows Natural Area, founded in 1939 by the Audubon Society.

Opponents say the project is short when it comes to money, anyway, with the California State Parks program denying a $7 million request for funding recently and a review of the its budget showing that it's $16 million short of the $22 million it needs to start building.

James Odling, president of the Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area:

Our organization and members are grateful to State Parks for recognizing, as so many in the local community have, that the Discovery Center project would, in fact, take us backwards in our efforts to protect California's natural and cultural resources.

The appeal was filed with the the state's 2nd District court of appeals.

Read our feature on the battle over the Whittier Narrows project, titled "Pave to Save Whittier Narrows," here.

Tags:

2nd district court, development, environment, lawsuit, Rio Hondo, San Gabriel River, San Gabriel Valley, Whittier Narrows

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Quben

Of course it does not make any sense to build, build, build, unnecessary structures and parking lots to teach the community about nature. Let us have our open spaces, and we will teach about nature in nature, Is common sense too much to ask of our goverment agencies?

Bear6

Good for Friends! This area should be preserved as it is . . . and California can use the funding this ill-thought out project would use for so many other things.

michael barba

This entire project is intended to serve water company interes.Look at their interior drawings for the building, the first room is the 150 seat Auditorium. Then their is a 110 space parking lot on what now is a Riparian foraging area.How many fourth graders do you know who drive cars? In additiion 40 trees will come down, biologists say that it will take 150 years for thes trees to grow back to this size. We do not want more lost habitat. Whittier Narrows has 298 bird species visiting it at different times during the year. You cannot cut down old trees and expect all of these species to return. The Least Bells Vario, a federally endangered species is there now. This is the only natural area in a working class area. It has more bird species and amphibians than the other natural areas because of the water from the San Gabriel and nearby Rio Hondo Rivers.If the San Gabriel River Discovery Authoriy destroys this...its not coming back.DON"T BE FOOLED. REMEMBER WHAT LINCOLN SAID,"YOU CAN FOOL SOME OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME AND ALL OF THE PEOPLE SOME OF THE TIME. BUT YOU CAN'T FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME". DON'T BE FOOLED!

Julio J. Bermejo

Three generations of my family have been learning about nature at the Whittier Narrows Natural Area. My mother took my sister and her Girl Scout troop for a field trip there years ago. And I introduced one of my nephews to the wildlife sanctuary and its nature center a couple of years ago. I will long treasure the memory of walking down the trail with him, chasing grasshoppers, and sitting at the edge of the San Gabriel River, holding reeds dipped in the water, playing at fishing. No building can improve on that.

Lou Orr

I am very happy that this grant application was denied! The very first elementary school field trip I experienced more than 50 years ago was to this pristine natural area! It has changed little to the still remembered "eye opening" experience I enjoyed in 1954! I have been able to take my children, then my grandchildren to enjoy uneffected nature there! It would be a tragedy to lose this natural wonder to redevelopment!

Lou Orr

Joaquin Murrieta

It's the local community that's taken the lead in opposing this ridiculous project.

See the Friends launch a surprise attack and present 70-feet of petition signatures opposing the project to the Discovery Center board: http://www.youtube.com/natural...

Most of the signatures came from the good folk who live and work in the area and think of Whittier Narrows as their neighborhood park. Don't mess with the barrio!

ObserverELACo

Early reports from today's Discovery Center board meeting show desperation coming out of their pores. Board member Anthony Fellow wants to hit up businesses along the river and said he doesn't care if the project's called the "Miller Brewery Discovery Center." (The brewery's in Irwindale.) Fellow also worried the project was heading down the same path as the "albatross in Hemet." That would be Met's failed $26 million Center for Water Education.

Jim Odling

It is true. I was there. Anthony Fellow said he doesn't care if "it is called the Miller Brewing Discovery Center." That is an almost exact quote. I will check it when I upload the video. Mr. Fellow, a long time educator, an elected politician to this and other boards, reveals that the so called discovery center, is not to educate children as they allege. Is he promoting the discovery of beer by school children who visit it? How about the Joe Camel Discovery Center?

ObserverELACo

And the BP demonstration wetlands -- where people can dump used motor oil for free and then grade-schoolers on field trips can see dead birds and other wildlife firsthand instead of having to settle for pictures of them from the Louisiana coast.

It's a win-win!