Sepulveda Basin's sweet spot

The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area is a well-kept secret. The natural area in the heart of the San Fernando Valley covers 60 acres of bird habitat north of Burbank Boulevard on the basin’s east side, south of the Tillman Water Reclamation Plant that releases 18 million gallons of treated water daily.

Some of that water feeds into a wildlife lake that provides habitat for great and snowy egrets, great blue herons, cormorants, geese, ducks and other birds. The lake also contains an island where birds can rest and even nest, free from human contact, except for birders and other admirers who view them from the shore.

Now a new master plan for the dam and the wildlife area reaffirms the importance of this parkland and steps that should be taken to ensure its protection. The latest update to the master plan, approved by the Army Corps of Engineers on September 28, contains a copy of the original agreement leasing most of the Sepulveda Basin to the City of Los Angeles.

The whole of the Sepulveda Basin is primarily a flood control area. The city has taken on maintenance, so residents of Los Angeles can use most of it for recreation. There’s also a golf course in the Sepulveda Basin, and Lake Balboa, which is ringed by blossoming cherry trees in spring.

The goal for the wildlife area “is to provide optimum success for the wildlife while providing for appropriate public use”. The plan also acknowledges that in spring and fall, during wildlife migration months, more people will visit the birds, potentially increasing instances of littering, fishing and bringing dogs through the wildlife area.

Well-placed signage to enforce the “No Dogs” and “No Fishing” rules would go a long way to help remind us all how to protect this beautiful resource.

The plan outlines 14 rules and regulations that the City of L.A. agreed to when Mayor Bradley signed the lease back in 1987. It also says that “appropriate use public information signs” will be posted both at the entrances and inside the wildlife area. One of the rules says, “No person shall disturb or take any bird… plant….fish or animal within the Wildlife Area”. Another tells us, “dogs… are prohibited from entering the Wildlife Area”.

So where exactly is this hidden habitat? There is only one sign from Woodley Avenue, entering to the east from half way between Victory and Burbank Boulevards. The sign, “Wildlife Reserve,” is so low that it is obscured almost completely by overgrown bushes. Luckily, the same entrance leads you to the cricket field, the archery area, and the Japanese Garden. Once you find the entrance, drive in to reach the parking area. Walk beyond the outdoor auditorium and you will soon be rewarded with stunning views of multiple large birds all around the perimeter of the island in the lake. The lake is surrounded by native plants and wonderful fragrances.

The Sierra Club does not yet lead regularly scheduled outings to the Wildlife Area, although the Verdugo Hills Group will try to correct that in 2012. The best way to be shown around now is to go on a bird walk with the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society. Volunteers take groups of children and their families and beginning birdwatchers into the north section that includes the wildlife lake from 9 to 11 a.m. the second Saturday of every month from October through March. Bird walks also are led on the first Sunday of every month throughout the year from at 8 to 11:30 a.m.

For more information on bird-watching at Sepulveda Basin, contact the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society.