LBC ECO NOTES Summer 2023: “Big Bang on the Birds”; Most Ozone Polluted Region Award

Welcome back to Eco Notes, a run-down of local ecology and sustainability issues and current events impacting the Long Beach community. 

DUBIOUS DISTINCTION

It’s no surprise that the Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area once again tops the American Lung Association’s list as the nation’s most ozone-polluted region. At 177.3 days of “high ozone,” the area is well ahead of the rest. Los Angeles alone has the same number of dangerous air quality days as the 2nd and 3rd ranked cities combined (Visalia + Bakersfield); the top four are all in California. 

BE MINDFUL OF OUR SHOREBIRDS

Every year around the 4th of July, as celebratory explosives pop off throughout cities across the country, animal shelters become inundated by runaway cats and dogs more than any other time. Since mid-June, the Long Beach City Facebook page has been circulating a public service announcement asking folks to “be mindful of our furry pals,” along with a reminder that fireworks are illegal within city limits and violations should be reported. 

There are two municipally-sanctioned exceptions to the citywide ban on fireworks. On the 3rd and 4th of July, respectively, approximately 20 minutes of fireworks are discharged for the $75-per-ticket-per-adult Big Bang on the Bay fundraiser at Alamitos Bay and the city’s Independence Day celebration at the Queen Mary on Queensway Bay. 

Herons, egrets, and other shorebirds are known to nest in the vicinity of both bays during the summer months. Local environmentalists with the Los Cerritos Wetlands Task Force (LCWTF)  want the folks behind the events to be mindful of the coastal birds that are frightened by the sudden loud explosions as well. Co-chair Anna Christensen references  footage taken in 2022 that shows more than a dozen birds fleeing from their nests and flying around in what appears to be a confused manner as explosions can be heard in the background.  She calls it the “Big Bang on the Birds.”

According to a study in the journal Science in 2019, for various reasons including pollution, “Shorebirds, most of which migrate long distances to winter along coasts throughout the hemisphere, are experiencing consistent, steep population loss (37%).” 

Christensen refers to the Migratory Birds Act (reformed in 2018) as indication that the state of California has a vested interest in providing protection for birds and their nests. 

Long Beach also has a history of putting in time and energy into protecting coastal birds like the black-crowned night herons that were noted in great numbers when the Navy Base was active. When the base closed down in the mid-90s, a concerted effort was put into making sure the birds were carefully moved, resulting in the only “documented relocation of a black-crowned night heron colony of this size.” 

Though black-crowned night herons are not uncommon, their population has also decreased (generally speaking) throughout the past decades. 

Green Port Supports Discharging Fireworks Despite Zero Emissions Goal

The Port of Long Beach’s sponsorship of the Big Bang on the Bay also raised the ire of local environmentalists who find it out of alignment with the Green Port Policy, which purports to “promote sustainability” and “employ best available technology to avoid or reduce environmental impacts.” 

Long Beach resident Corliss Lee asked in an open letter shared with the Long Beach Harbor Commission at the Feb. 13 meeting, “What good is a policy if we don’t use it to guide our decisions on real life issues?” 

Long Beach Harbor Commission President Sharon L. Weissman had started the discussion of sponsorship by noting that she had given a great deal of thought before bringing up the harmful qualities of the fireworks, “because I realize this is not popular and it may make me the Grinch of the 4th of July.” 

Weissman said she had met with a member of the Los Cerritos Wetlands Task Force and also reached out to Port staff for assistance while looking into the concerns about the impact on wildlife and air quality among other issues. 

Two of the worst days for air quality in Southern California are July 4 and 5, which Weissman said she learned after doing some research.

Commissioner Frank Colonna (who has a Masters in Environmental Health) said that having the event in a centralized location deters residents from lighting fireworks at home. 

He also mentioned other polluters in the area, including the “6,000 aircraft flying over us right now” and talked about jet exhaust “constantly coming upon us.” When it was time for public comment, a speaker named Travis admonished Colonna to “pay attention” because he doesn’t have control over jet exhaust from airplanes but could do something about fireworks.

Commissioner Bonnie Lowenthal, a former Long Beach councilmember and former assemblywoman for California’s 70th district, thanked Weissman for her “passion for the environment” but agreed with the value of a centralized firework show, saying that “fireworks are very beloved.” 

The Big Bang on the Bay event along the Alamitos Bay marina was created in 2011 by local businessman and restaurateur John Morris. The July 3 event includes a block party with food from Naples Rib Co. and a  VIP dining experience at Morris’ Boathouse on the Bay restaurant. Though private, ultimately the event ends up providing entertainment for the surrounding neighborhood as well and raises thousands of dollars each year for a variety of children’s charities.

Weisman presented a brief video of a drone light show accompanied by music, saying the alternative technology should be embraced as part of the Port’s move to zero-emission technology in its day-to-day operations. 

“The party can still go on. The people that attend the party can still purchase tickets, eat and drink and enjoy the holiday entertainment on the bay. The port can contribute to the event. The non-profits can still receive the donations. All the while, a greater good is being done by transitioning from a dirty source to a clean source of visual entertainment,” Lee said.

Lowenthal said she would be willing to review the information that Weissman had claimed was supported by POLB staff, saying she had not seen any of it yet. She then moved to table the item citing a lawsuit that was currently pending against Morris and his Naples Restaurant Group LLC partners from the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF). 

In the lawsuit, CERF alleged that Morris’ restaurant was illegally discharging pollution into the Bay during last year’s firework show, among other grievances. 

Morris claimed he had done everything that the city had required of him. The judge dismissed the case without prejudice finding that the faulty firework released in 2022 offered as proof by CERF was not enough to show violation of the Clean Water Act. Good news for the fate of the defendant’s 2023 event, but it doesn’t rule out the possibility of CERF refiling. 

Christensen, who is not affiliated with CERF, points out that although the lawsuit was thrown out, as of May 25, a new permit from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board is now required for all fireworks shows. This would be the first year that the dischargers of the fireworks display must go through this permitting process. Redondo Beach’s 4th of July fireworks were reportedly canceled after the fireworks company enlisted said they could not meet the demands of the permit. 

Coastal Commission Votes to Allow Fireworks Displays With Special Conditions

On June 6, the Coastal Commission weighed in on the fireworks. While two of the commissioners voted against the displays at the Queen Mary and the Boathouse due to the environmental impacts, it was ultimately approved by the remaining eight with the requirement that eleven special monitoring conditions are met. They include requiring divers to go into the bay the morning after the event to examine the ocean floor and document any debris. 

During public comment, a marine biologist hired by Morris gave public comment that they have never seen an impairment to the water quality and that the diving requirement was dangerous.  In response, the applicants were told at the meeting that they could opt out if the water conditions were deemed dangerous during the 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. window before the marina was expected to become busy with folks celebrating the 4th of July. 

According to Christensen, the Los Cerritos Wetlands Task Force still doesn’t think it is enough to mitigate the impacts or to monitor what the impacts of fireworks truly are on the wildlife and the rest of the environment. Their volunteers plan to be present on July 3, 4, and 5, “in case birds need to be rescued and also to document nests and birds before and after.” 

Harbor Commission Makes Exception to Rule to Vote on Port Sponsorship

On June 26, the sponsorship question was brought back to the Harbor Commission. Mario Cordero, the Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach, addressed a complaint (mentioned being received by Weissman) that the discussion was now violating the Port’s policy for reviewing sponsorship requests which are required to be 30 days or more out at the time of the request. Noting that there had been exceptions and that this would be one, Cordero recommended making the policy more “rigid” in the future. 

When it was time for the vote, Lowenthal prefaced hers by saying she was on the Board for the non-profit Children Today, which had been a past recipient of the profits from the Big Bang, but that this year the organization “receives no funding, no proceeds from the event.” Weissman pointed out that the charity was still listed on their site. The website for the Boathouse on the Bay lists Children Today as the second name on their list of charities accompanied by the statement, “By purchasing a Block Party ticket, you… also contribute to these worthy causes.” 

Lowenthal explained that Children Today are attending and able to raise their own funds doing so but  “not a direct recipient this time… so I can vote.”

There were no other challenges to her claim. 

Weissman was the only one who voted “nay” although the majority of Harbor commissioners, including former Long Beach councilmember Steve Neal stated that they would be interested in looking more into the situation, just “not this year.” Vice President Commissioner Bobby Olvera Jr. mentioned wanting a “just transition” and also wanted “the message” to get to the folks asking for money for these events “to add a zero” to their request if it was cost prohibitive to switch to different technology.

Weissman said she did not feel as hopeful that the transition would come the following year claiming there had already been plenty of time to make the switch since the issue was also brought up “eight months ago.”

“We call ourselves the Green Port,” Weissman said before moving on to the next agenda item, “I am asking that we stand by the words that we say.”

In a podcast series on Long Beach’s Grand Prix called Building Long Beach that aired April 12, Morris noted that he was a big force behind two of the biggest tourist attractions in Long Beach —the Grand Prix and the Big Bang on the Bay. When the hosts pointed out that he had some critics in the city,  Morris responded, “there’s just a few environmentalists that complain about everything.” 

To illustrate his point he brought up the criticism of his popular charity fundraising fireworks show. Morris said, “I have to surround that tree right there with a 50-foot perimeter because a bird sits in that tree. What’s that got to do with the noise from the fireworks over here? It’s like, but the rest of the year you can stand on that tree and yell and scream all you want…  those are the kind of people you have to deal with.”

UPCOMING SUSTAINABILITY ACTIONS & EVENTS

The community is invited July 8 at 11 a.m. for Kids Day 2023 hosted by the MAYE Center (which stands for meditation, agriculture, yoga, and education) at The Growing Experience (TGE) urban farm located at 750 Via Carmelitos Way. This family friendly event will include learning more about aquaponics and vertical gardening as well as sensory activities for kids including seed starting and planting. 

According to Laura Som, the director of the MAYE Center which manages the 7-acre farm, in the near future they are “hoping to offer extras such as food tastings, live music, and cultural events.” Coming up August 26 will be a farm-to-table dinner featuring seasonal harvests. TGE also has clothing swaps and crop swaps for the community on the first Saturday of every month, with the latter in collaboration with the folks displaced from the now shuttered Firehouse Community Farm. TGE also offers a weekly donation-based farm stand every Saturday.

On July 15 at Willow Springs Park, the Puente Latino Association is offering free native milkweed plants. Milkweed is an important plant because they act as homes for monarch butterflies and are great for attracting pollinators, up to five plants will be given out per household. The non-profit, which has served North Long Beach for the past five years, reported donating 1,500 plants at their last giveaway.  The group is also offering a free class on how to care for the plant the same day at 10 a.m. (English) and 11 a.m. (Spanish). There are still over 200 reservations available, schedule yours here.

Tucked in between Sunnyside Cemetery and the 405 freeway, Willow Springs Park was originally designated to be a park in 1920 until oil was discovered and they began extracting in 1922. The Office of Sustainability has been doing a lot of great work to restore the once industrialized area back to its natural habitat with respect given to the original Tongva people via murals and education. Volunteers are able to join them for Restoration Fridays at the park on the 2nd Friday of the month. Find out more info on how to get involved here. 

Onsite is also a free help-yourself mulch pile and Long Beach Community Compost. Both mulch and compost are helpful for keeping soil moist while in drought conditions. Bringing your food waste to the site also helps create a valuable amendment for the soil and prevents one of the largest sources of waste in our country. Also, if you are unable to pick up the mulch and would rather have it delivered, home owners are able to request delivery. 

Do You Know What Is Recyclable?

Thanks to the Long Beach Plant Club, it came to my attention that the plastic clamshells that your berries and other produce items come in are NOT recyclable in Long Beach. Unfortunately the plastic is so thin that the machinery may confuse it for paper. It is also made of the same PET (#1) as many bottles are but their processes are different and for some reclaimers, it is considered a contamination when they get mixed up. 

The next best bet is to upcycle the containers (since they have holes, perhaps you could add some dirt and sprout some seeds or use for arts and crafts). There are also some locations outside of the City though that do recycle them. If interested in seeking out a drop-off location, use your zip code to find out where they will recycle clamshells, (there are some in LA). You can also reduce the amount of plastic packaging you accumulate purchasing produce by growing your own and/or bringing a reusable bag to one of Long Beach’s many farmers markets.

Please send any tips or story suggestions for future editions of Eco Notes or feel free to continue the conversation here: erin@forthe.org.