Madrona Marsh

MADRONA MARSH

The Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve, located just east of Del Amo Fashion Center and bounded on the north and south by Plaza del Amo and Sepulveda Boulevard, and on the east and west by Maple and Madrona avenues, is considered to be the last remaining vernal marsh in Los Angeles County. Vernal marshes are found in low-lying areas where rainfall runoff accumulates.

The Marsh preserve is a remnant of once extensive natural systems that existed along the coastal plain and coastal terraces of Southern California . The preserve is situated on land that has been in oil production since 1924. This is why it was never initially developed for commercial or residential useTop of Form

Inthe early 1960 €™s, this area had been included as a proposed site for a new state college, that eventually became Cal State Dominquez Hills. In 1964 , this area was then proposed for a Torrance Municipal golf course, but was never pursued due to high cost estimates to acquire the land.

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In 1972, Torrance Investment Co., a firm consisting of developers Ray Watt, Guilford Glazer and Shurl Curci proposed developing the whole parcel for homes, condominiums and office space. The group Friends of the Madrona Marsh was formed in 1972, and together with another group, STOP, Stop Torrance Overdevelopment Plans, opposed the development proposals. Negotiations with environmentalists, debates and environmental impact reports continued throughout the 1970s. In 1980, the developers offered 15 acres for preservation. In 1983, they came up with an offer which eventually would be accepted: 34.4 acres would be deeded to the city, with another 8.5 acres made available for sale. The developers used the land to develop the Park del Amo condominium project.

In 1984, Torrance was given a deed to the marsh, but it would be two more years until the arrangement would become formalized. The city finally won clear title to the land on September 16, 1986.

Over the years, the marsh began to take shape as a nature preserve. Tons of truckloads of trash and other dumped debris were hauled away in 1989, and in 1994, 200 tons of inactive oil drilling pipes on the property were dug up and removed.

The 8,000-square-foot Madrona Marsh Nature Center located across from the marsh at 3201 Plaza del Amo, opened on Saturday, April 28, 2001. The $1.8 million project was a joint venture of the Friends of the Madrona Marsh and the City of Torrance, using funds from Proposition A, which passed in 1996. Activities include bird and nature walks, natural history classes and workshops, habitat restoration, science and astronomy programs, art exhibits, and children’s nature programs

In recent years, Madrona Marsh has been closed for several days over concerns about mosquito larvae found there. The Marsh, however, remains as a precious preserve for plant life and animals and a wonderful resource to teach our children about nature.

For more South Bay and Palos Verdes History, see my website at http://www.southbayhistory.com