Madrona Marsh thrives, despite drought and climate change
An opossum takes its young for a walk in Madrona Marsh. Photo by Tracy Drake.
by William Foss
Most California cities have been forced to stop watering their public lands because of the drought. But in Torrance, the watery oasis known as the Madrona Marsh remains dazzlingly green.
The rare 42-acre urban wetland is thriving. And according to Madrona Marsh Preserve manager and naturalist Tracy Drake, the marsh is doing so without any city water.
“Not a drop.” said Drake. “It is in a low area that gathers rainwater and there is a natural depression, 80 feet deep, where we gather it for storage. A pumping system brings water up to keep the area green, and it supplies everything we need. We don’t even use any runoff from the surrounding area because it contains pollutants that we would need to filter out. It’s all rain.”
Almost every year, Drake said, the Madrona’s seasonal wetland ponds dry up.
“In the driest years you may see no water on the surface, but if you just scratch the ground you will find it is wet an inch down,” she said. “Climate change has actually made Madrona Marsh greener. The recent year’s elevated humidity reduces water evaporation. Last year, it didn’t dry up at all.”
The Madrona Marsh is the only remnant of an ecosystem that once dominated much of the South Bay. The habitat is known as a vernal marsh, meaning its pools are temporary and result from seasonal runoff from nearby slopes.
“Madrona Marsh was originally used by the native American peoples as a source of food. Native peoples ate cattails, acorns and many other plants that still grow here,” Drake said. “The Dominguez family took it over in the 1800s as part of the Spanish land grant of Rancho San Pedro. They ran cattle on the land but never used this area for much. It was too marshy. One of the Dominguez’s married a Del Amo and that is where we get the name of the mall across the street.”
In the early 20th century there was a massive oil extraction in the area, which included several large wells in the marshland. Torrance began to authorize commercial development on the land as oil declined, but many local citizens felt that the marsh was too special to pave over. In 1973, residents formed the Friends of Madrona Marsh (originally called Friends of Madrona Pond) and commissioned biological studies that underscored the importance of the marsh as wildlife habitat, both for the species in contains and its function as a corridor for migrating species. An impending commercial development in the early 1980s inspired an initiative movement that gathered 14,000 signatures. The city and the developers backed down, and in 1983 the Madrona Marsh Preserve was officially established.
It is the largest coastal prairie in California and the last freshwater marsh in L.A. County. Is is designated a “Significant Ecological Area” [SEA] by the county, meaning its biological resources are deemed irreplaceable. The preserve is on the Pacific Flyway bird migration route and is popular with birders. Many species of ducks come through, as do grebes, gallinule, heron and teal. One species of hummingbird migrates hundreds of miles to come every year. The Solitary Sandpipers that visit here start their journey in Peru and have breeding grounds in Alaska.
Bird surveys have counted 266 native species and over 50 non-native bird types. Many of these birds use Madrona as a breeding ground. Some have returned to the area after an absence of a hundred years. Insects of all kinds are found here as well.
“Last week we took a butterfly census and in two hours we saw over 100 species of butterfly,” Drake said.
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As we walk through the nature preserve Drake uses her ever-present binoculars and long lens camera. She calls out the names of plants, insects and birds as they come into view. She isn’t the only one who can do this sort of thing – many of the staff and volunteers are enthusiastic experts on local wildlife and are glad to explain things to visitors.
This is a place for actively encouraging biodiversity. Drake has seen success in protecting threatened species.
“We have 101 species here that are listed as endangered, threatened or species of concern,” she said. “We manage the land to enhance the habitat for them.”
Madrona is frequented by opossums, raccoons, skunks and squirrels. Coyotes occasionally visit and foxes from Torrance Airport come over to hunt ducks.
“People have seen the foxes trotting down the street on their way here,” Drake said “But they and the raccoons also travel underground through the storm drains to avoid people and traffic.”
“We have several amphibians – lizards, tree frogs, bullfrogs, gopher snakes and Western King snakes. Some people drop off unwanted pets, but they usually don’t make it. Hawks or owls get the rabbits, chickens don’t even last a day and turtles get chewed on by raccoons. People need to get these animals adopted instead of leaving them here, because animals that were pets get eaten in the wild.”
With fears of West Nile Virus, do people need to worry about mosquito bites at Madrona?
“Oh, not at all,” Drake said, with a laugh. “One of our volunteers has been here for 20 years and never seen a mosquito. We stock the water with fish that eat their larvae and use safe bacteria that prevent them from using us as a breeding ground. Usually mosquitoes here will have come from somewhere else.”
Drake views Madrona marsh as a window to the past.
“What I would love people to understand is that when you come here you are looking back in time,” she said. “This is almost what the land looked like 200 years ago and some of the species were here 20,000 years ago. We are reintroducing some of the flowers and native plants that would have existed in the remote past. This place is going to get even more beautiful as more of the flowering plants begin to thrive. We would like to reintroduce horned toads – they were native, but now none are left. There should also be western toads, but we can’t bring them in here until all of the bullfrogs are taken out, which we are in the process of doing. Bullfrogs will eat anything that they can fit in their mouth. If there was a big enough bullfrog around it would even eat you.”
What is in the future for Madrona Marsh Preserve?
“More beauty,” Tracy said. “More wild things. More diversity. An even better experience for people who want to look, learn or just take a nice walk.”
Once you are in the Preserve it is astonishingly quiet. You can hear the birdsongs, frog calls and buzzing of insects while walking the paths through grasses, under trees and next to ponds. You don’t feel like you are in a city anymore.
“This is all here for the public, with no admission charge. We manage all of this with just a small city staff, but supplemented by hundreds of volunteers. If people want a tour, just call up and ask. We’ll arrange it. If artists or birdwatchers want to get in when the park isn’t open, just call. We can issue you a key so you can get in.” The park staff has hosted tastings of food made from native plants and recently had an Ice Cream Social with syrups made of native plants.
The native plants in the Madrona Marsh have had millions of years to adjust to California’s cycle of droughts and they’re doing just fine.
The Madrona Marsh Nature Center is at 3201 Plaza del Amo. The city website is torranceca.gov/MadronaMarsh and more information can be found at FriendsOfMadronaMarsh.com. Their Facebook page has hundreds of photos on it taken by visitors, staff and volunteers. Open Tue – Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. , excluding holidays. 310.782.3989.