HomeMy WebLinkAbout23 - Corona del Mar TidepoolsApril 26, 1999
Council Agenda
Item No. 23
To: Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Timothy Riley, Fire and Marine Chief 'I'-
Subject: Corona Del Mar Tidepools
RECOMMENDATION:
If desired, direct staff to implement the following:
Participate with other agencies, including the Department of Fish and Game and
other marine life refuges, to make the refuge a more effective tool for protecting
coastal intertidal resources.
2. Support continued studies to define causes of intertidal decline and to identify
strategies for restoration.
3. Reduce the number of visitors scheduled for daily visits to a more manageable
number.
4. Prepare new signage at Corona Del Mar Marine Life Refuge that will alert visiting
public to the rules and regulations in effect, the harm done by unlawful collecting,
and the impact of foot traffic within the intertidal zone.
5. Prepare increased staffing estimates and bring them back to City Council that
would:
a) Provide for a seasonal Marine Preserve Supervisor to coordinate the tidepool
program.
b) Ensure staffing of a Marine Preserve Officer at the Marine Life Refuge at all
low tides, when the tidepools are exposed during daylight hours.
c) Coordinate the creation of a volunteer community service group to assist in
the preservation of the Marine Life Refuge.
BACKGROUND:
At the City Council Meeting of November 23,1998, the Council received a Staff Report
from the Fire and Marine Department relative to the condition of the Corona Del Mar
Tidepools. As mentioned in that report, the Marine Environmental Division was
apprised that there appears to be significant loss in species diversity in the tidepools at
Corona Del Mar compared to similar tidepools in the area. These studies suggested
that some of the possible reason for the deterioration were as follows:
April - 26,1999
Council Agenda
Item No.
1. Foot trampling by humans of the animals and plants.
2. Shell collecting by people for hobby reasons.
3. Ravaging of mussel beds and shellfish populations for bait used by fishermen.
4. Collecting of inner tidal creatures for direct food consumption by humans.
As a result of this report, the Mayor requested that staff establish a panel of experts to
assess the current condition of the ecosystem at Little Corona Tidepools and report their
findings to the City Council with recommended action.
Six studies were considered as a basis for the above recommendation.
The first, "Effectiveness of Marine Life Refuges on Southern California Shores" was
conducted by Dr. Steve Murray, Professor of Biology, California State University
Fullerton, March 1997. The following quotes from Dr. Murray's study are conclusions
relative to Corona Del Mar Marine Life Refuge.
Page 1454, "Accumulating evidence indicates that Southern California's heavily
used intertidal systems are being damaged by disturbance resulting from human
use in the form of lawful and unlawful harvesting and the damaging effects of
visitor foot traffic and human manipulation of intertidal rocks and organisms."
Page 1458, "Even though research is limited, clear evidence has accumulated
indicating that human use, and particularly the effects of visitor foot traffic and
human manipulation of rocky substrata, can have significant negative impact on
vulnerable rocky intertidal populations."
Page 1460, "In addition to the deleterious effects of unlawful harvesting, the
immense volume of visitors appears to be causing ecologically important
damage to populations inhabiting heavily -used, rocky intertidal shores."
Five field research studies carried out by Dennis Kelly, Professor of Marine Science,
Orange Coast College and students from his Marine Intertidal Ecology Class compared
Little Corona Del Mar to Crystal Cove State Park between the dates of October 6, 1998
and January 1, 1999. Their conclusions:
Little Corona continues to be degraded based on studies of species diversity and
standing stock, we do not find an abundant and diverse intertidal community at
this location while Crystal Cove continues to exist in a state where we do find an
abundant and diverse intertidal community. This may be due to natural
conditions (run off, rain, sedimentation, high seas) or it may be human activity.
It is possible that a combination of both has caused the damage.
April 26, 1999
Council Agenda
Item No.
• In addition to the review of current studies, staff has participated in two meetings with
members of the local scientific community to include, Dennis Kelly, Dr. Steve Murray,
Harry Helling, Associate Executive Director Orange County Marine Institute, and
Charles Mitchell, founder and president of MBC Applied Environmental Sciences.
The consensus of that group was that while damage to intertidal systems could be
caused by many factors, it was evident that human activity, in particular unlawful
harvesting, visitor foot traffic and human manipulation of rocks and organisms was a
significant factor. And that the designation of an area as a "Marine Life Refuge' in and
of itself was ineffective in preventing or reducing this type of damage. The route that
had the best chance for success was better management practices, increased public
education and awareness and continued research which could lead to better designed
and truly effective refuges.
U
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