Petaluma Marsh Trail
When Petaluma celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art wastewater treatment and recycling facility on July 31, the public also gained almost 4.5 miles of new trail along the wetlands just south of town. The trail loops around the facility and connects to existing trails to create a 7.5-mile round-trip hike along the Petaluma River and Adobe Creek, an area teeming with birds and other wildlife. About three miles of the trails are wheelchair accessible. This is part of a much larger project to acquire, restore, and improve access to 336 acres of Petaluma Marsh undertaken by the City of Petaluma, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, Ducks Unlimited, and the Coastal Conservancy.

New Park Slated for San Pedro
A City-owned parking lot atop 100-foot seaside bluffs in San Pedro will become Pacific Overlook, a pedestrian plaza with walkways, benches, and native plants, where residents and hikers along the Coastal Trail can enjoy the views. With the help of $750,000 approved by the Coastal Conservancy in June 2005, the Los Angeles Harbor Watts Economic Development Corporation expects to construct the 17,400-square-foot project in spring 2010 at Pacific Avenue and Bluff Place, a quarter-mile east of Point Fermin Park. The plaza is one component of a long-term plan to improve public access around Los Angeles Harbor and reconnect communities to the waterfront.

The site adjoins the fenced-off “Sunken City,” remnants of a residential neighborhood that began sliding down the bluffs in the 1930s. Park improvements will reduce bluff erosion and lessen the risk of further sliding there.