A protective, natural-color fencing will soon be up along beach dunes between B Street and the Wedge in Newport Beach to protect the Western Snowy Plover, a small white-and-brown shorebird that nests there at various times of the year.
The new barrier will replace decaying red wood-slat fencing that was first installed along some sand dunes in 2011 and later expanded to protect more of the peninsula closer to the Wedge when evidence of the tiny bird nesting in the area was found. The old red fencing either fell apart or was removed without permission and a permit from the California Coastal Commission. City staffers were left trying to come up with an environmental management plan to protect the bird, but also appease the residents who complained about the eyesore fencing.
Though Newport Beach officials have been working on a plan for at least a decade to protect the birds and their habitat – including an extensive signage and educational outreach plan – the Coastal Commission became concerned when the city, in May, withdrew its plan application because staffers needed more time to work through resident concerns, which included impacts to the views from their homes.
In July, the commission’s staff issued a cease-and-desist order to the city for removing the old fencing without a permit. The July order called for an immediate replacement.
On Tuesday, Sept. 12, the City Council agreed to replace the fence. The city will have 15 days to submit a fencing plan once the agreement is signed and soon after, the temporary barrier will go up. The city also agreed to monitoring and counting the birds, which will include twice-monthly surveys of the protected area between July and March by a qualified biologist.
If the city doesn’t follow through it would face a fine of $1,000 per day. The cost for the fence is about $30,000, officials said, the monitoring for a year is estimated at $20,000 and the new signage will cost $2,600. The city will apply for a grant…
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