Tarp over part of Ballona Wetlands angers some environmentalists

Environmentalists were elated when the state made a blanket decision to save an all but extinct coastal plant.

But their joy evaporated when officials decided that the best way to preserve the endangered Ventura marsh milk vetch was to cover a corner of the Ballona Wetlands in Playa del Rey with an actual blanket.

Scientists at the state's Department of Fish and Game say a 200-foot-long tarp over the wetlands was necessary to kill off nonnative vegetation and create an open area to transplant the endangered, yellow-flowered milk vetch.

Horrified conservationists complain that the covering is killing frogs, squirrels, wetland mice and other animals along with the targeted weeds and ice plant. Some have threatened to rip off the covering if authorities refuse to do so.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-tarp8-2008aug08,0,1213151.story