Making Malibu’s Central Park into an artificially constructed fake “natural habitat” sewage disposal site is a colossal waste of a prime community asset. Don Michael is correct. If it is to not be restored you might as well roll out sod and install sprinklers.
Southern California woodland, coastal prairie, coastal bluff habitats are not restoration. Legacy Park’s location is Malibu Creek Floodplain and unwisely filled historic wetland. While there may have been vernal pools there, as there are in the northern portion of the Malibu Creek Floodplain, there were no California woodlands, coastal prairies, or coastal bluffs there.
Why is that? Because the Malibu Creek Floodplain doesn’t support those habitats. Those habitats would be difficult to install and costly to maintain. Scooping out historic wetland and piling up islands for bird habitat, following the model of Madrona Marsh, would be far less costly, easily maintained, and beautiful, with grassy park on the perimeter. When will we learn to work with instead of against nature?
Sarah Dixon