Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area
Media room
Media inquiries or requests for interviews and information on the Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area and the campaign to save the Natural Area should be directed to:
Jim Odling, (323) 227-1822
Press releases
Click on a press release or media advisory to download.
May 18, 2011 - After failed bid for $7M, officials consider corporate funding of water museum project, including ‘Miller Brewing Co. Discovery Center’ (PDF file)
April 18, 2011 - Appeal filed to protect historic Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary from destructive government water museum and meeting hall project (PDF file)
Jan. 6, 2011 - Agency hid $2M in costs, including $890K project deficit, in quest for $7M from state to build controversial water museum, records show (PDF file)
March 5, 2010 - Suit filed against San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority to void decision to raze existing nature center, build on wildlife sanctuary (PDF file)
Feb. 12, 2010 - State agency’s ‘edifice complex’ siphoning away millions of public dollars from its conservation mission in the San Gabriel Valley (PDF file)
July 29, 2009 - Veteran environmental lawyer joins opposition to Discovery Center (PDF file)
July 17, 2009 - Questions regarding fiscal, public accountability for $30M watershed
center bring only silence from government, water district officials (PDF file)
June 29, 2009 - No community support for $30M Discovery Center at EIR meeting (PDF file)
June 8, 2009 - Experts, educators and community members available to discuss environmental, other impacts of proposed Discovery Center (PDF file)
April 13, 2009 - Millions in tax dollars risked by proposed San Gabriel River museum (PDF file)
Correction: The phrase "critical habitat" in any of our 2009 medial materials was not used in the technical sense under the federal Endangered Species Act. The use of the word "critical" was intended to draw attention to the ecological importance of the Natural Area as recognized by organizations such as the Audubon Society and the County of Los Angeles. We regret any confusion.
Media backgrounder
Our media backgrounder details the many problems with the current discovery center proposal and offers alternatives that could achieve the proposal's educational goals more easily, at less cost and without the environmental destruction the discovery center would require.
Download our media backgrounder now (PDF file)
Correction: The building which was to have housed the Center for Water Education in Hemet, Calif., is now home to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's relocated Diamond Valley Lake Visitor Center. As the Press-Enterprise reported in 2007, "MWD's board voted to take the property back and terminate the lease with the [Center for Water Education] foundation when the group was unable to raise enough money to meet expenses and pay a share of construction."
Media coverage
WTF: Whittier Narrows to Be Converted Into $22 Million Museum for Kids, Possibly Sponsored by -- and Named After -- Miller Beer, LA Weekly, May 19, 2011
"It wouldn't bother me if this was the Miller Brewing Company Discovery Center, if they wanted to pay the price," says board member Anthony Fellow. . . .
Really? A kids' wildlife learning center, named after a foamy frat-boy staple, isn't even the least bit bothersome? Read more . . .
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Whittier Narrows 'Discovery Center' Sees Legal Appeal to Stop Development at San Gabriel River, LA Weekly, April 18, 2011
Opponents of a water museum on the Whittier Narrows nature area have filed an appeal to block the project, they announced Monday.
The museum would essentially tear out a beautiful area along the rivers (the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo diverge here) to install a building where you could appreciate . . . the beautiful area along the rivers. Read more . . .
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Whittier Narrows project loses grant bid, Los Angeles Times, April 16, 2011
California State Parks authorities have rejected a request for a $7-million grant needed to begin construction on a controversial $22-million, 14,000-square-foot Discovery Center at the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary in South El Monte.
In January, opponents urged the state Nature Education Facilities Program, which oversees grants for such facilities under Proposition 84, to reject the authority's grant application, alleging omissions and misrepresentations. Read more . . .
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San Gabriel River Discovery Center denied state grant, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, April 16, 2011
SOUTH EL MONTE - The San Gabriel River Discovery Center received a setback Friday when its staff learned state parks officials have rejected their request for a $7 million grant.
"It just blows a big hole in their very incomplete budget," Jim Odling, chairman of the Friends of Whittier Narrows Natural Area, said. "They're less than halfway there." Read more . . .
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Discovery Center foes call grant request inaccurate, LA Wave newspaper, Jan. 13, 2011
WHITTIER — A conservation group seeking to halt the construction of the proposed $22 million San Gabriel River Discovery Center on part of the Whittier Narrows Nature Area has alleged that the Discovery Center Authority withheld financial information when seeking a state grant for the project. Read more . . .
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Gabrielino Band of Mission Indians denounces nature center, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2010
Members of the Gabrielino Band of Mission Indians gathered at the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary on Thursday to denounce plans to build a $22-million discovery center on a site they regard as ancestral lands.
"It's one thing for a child to push a button and see a picture of nature," said Lucy Pedregon, a media aide for the Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District. "But there is nothing like walking along a trail here, seeing, smelling, hearing and touching nature all around you." Read more . . .
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Gabrieleno Indians: Whittier Narrows nature center will destroy nature, not promote it, Pasadena Star-News, Nov. 18, 2010
The Gabrielenos said students aren't meant to learn about nature inside a building, when they could learn about it among the very plants and trees that will be removed if the project is built.
"By removing the natural elements of the land, the lessons and answers God has written on every leaf, and under every rock, will be forgotten," said tribe member Matt Teutimez, a biologist. Read more . . .
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Clean and green: People wade in to spruce up Whittier Narrows' riverbanks, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Oct. 30, 2010
SOUTH EL MONTE - Dozens of people braved the rainy weather Saturday to help clean trash from the San Gabriel River at Whittier Narrows.
"This area allows for people to do things they would not ordinarily," cleanup organizer Terry Young said. "There aren't that many places to be outside in nature." Read more . . .
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Apodaca faces challenger in Central Basin Municipal Water District board election, Whittier Daily News, Oct. 6, 2010
Their biggest disagreement is over a controversial Discovery Center in the Whittier Narrows.
Becerra said he is opposed to the district spending money on it. "It's not money well spent," he said. "In terms of education, we've got a wonderful mechanism and that's called the public schools."
Apodaca said the district did provide about $200,000 toward the center but has no plans to give any more in the future. Read more . . .
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Conservancy official for L.A. Orange counties to retire, latimes.com, Sept. 29, 2010
Faustino . . . also pointed out that state bond funds for recreation, education and wildlife habitat restoration were becoming “slim pickings these days.”
Of particular concern, the conservancy is currently seeking a $7-million state grant needed to begin construction on a controversial $22-million, 14,000-square foot Discovery Center at the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary in South El Monte.
Opponents contend the project would destroy a rare expanse of critical habitat in eastern Los Angeles County in order to enhance understanding of the San Gabriel River watershed. Read more . . .
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Don't build new center (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, Aug. 21, 2010
As a long-time professor of biology at Rio Hondo College, I have brought many students to the Whittier Narrows Nature Center. But I have been active for the last few years in helping to educate people about the changes proposed by people who want to build a grandiose structure to replace a significant amount of that nature - all in an apparent effort to use taxpayer money to build a monument to themselves. Proponents are trying to sell is this facility as a way to teach people about outdoor water, but the outdoor water and the nature that goes with it is already there.
Whittier Narrows, although not pristine nature, is the best that the San Gabriel Valley has to offer, and is used by many people. We should not be ruining it with a large, new building and a 150-car parking lot.
Ray E. Williams
Lake Arrowhead
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Pave to Save Whittier Narrows? LA Weekly, April 22, 2010
Ultimately, however, the gorilla in the room is not about environmental ethics but about money.
Belinda V. Faustinos, executive director of the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority, concedes that, in fact, that funding — including some of the construction money — has not been secured. The Discovery Center Authority does not even have an updated estimate of future operating costs. Read more . . .
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Opponents of Whittier Narrows' Discovery Center file lawsuit to stop its construction, Whittier Daily News, March 5, 2010
The lawsuit - filed by Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area - challenges the environmental impact report for the project that was approved in January by the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority.
"Until the public is provided a full and accurate picture by which to judge this dubious project, valuable recreational space and wildlife habitat should not be taken away from the community or the visiting public, and the beloved Whittier Narrows Nature Center should be left alone and allowed to continue its valuable community services," said attorney Frank P. Angel. Read more . . .
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Officials OK new river center at Whittier Narrows site, Pasadena Star-News, Jan. 20, 2010
Despite objections from local environmental groups and individuals, a project replacing the Whittier Narrows Nature Center with a new river center was approved Wednesday by the San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority.
Still, several residents weren't convinced, calling the project an intended, careless destruction of a natural habitat that takes away the hands-on experience. Read more . . .
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Best Educational Hike, LA Weekly, Oct. 2, 2009
The Whittier Narrows Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary has 419 acres of wilderness, featuring trails that weave through dense, dry brush alongside the San Gabriel River. With 300 species of birds, bird watching is a favorite pastime. Mountain lions and bobcats have also been seen roaming, and deep inside the sanctuary, the solitude of the desert can be a liberating experience. Read more . . .
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EIR questions (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, Sept. 8, 2009
Some comments on the draft environmental impact report for the proposed Whittier Narrows Nature Center:
This is a project desired by those in power for reasons that are not really related to the environment. It appears to me that those in charge want to build a monument in their own honor to leave for posterity. Presumably, the funding involves taxpayer money. The key, of course, is to make it look like a good thing for the environment and for environmental education. (Go to In the news)
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Not about conservation (letter to the editor), Pasadena Star News, Sept. 2, 2009
The apparent return of a number of sensitive bird species to Whittier Narrows provides strong evidence of the importance of habitat preservation and restoration efforts in this county Significant Ecological Area.
Unfortunately, four agencies, including the state's Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, are preparing to turn back the clock on this progress by building the San Gabriel Discovery Center on the Whittier Narrows Natural Area and wildlife sanctuary. (Go to In the news)
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Residents oppose plan for Discovery Center project, Los Angeles Wave newspaper, Aug. 13, 2009
Opponents say the $27 to $30 million project would destroy important wildlife habitat, waste scarce public dollars and introduce user fees in a working-class area already hard hit by rising taxes and water rates. Read more . . .
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Veteran environmental lawyer joins opposition to Discovery Center, Mid Valley News, Aug. 5, 2009
Wertenberger . . . said after the hearing that the discovery center project "appears to be littered with inaccurate information and assumptions that could easily confuse the public."
"There even appear to be attempts to keep the public in the dark," she said. Read more . . .
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Residents offer feedback on plan to renovate the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, Whittier Daily News, Aug. 1, 2009
Whittier resident and Los Angeles school teacher Christine Rosser said she likes much of the project, but is strongly opposed to the $27 million Discovery Center.
Rosser added that endangered species such as the yellow-billed cuckoo and the least Bell's vireo have only recently been spotted in the area. "We just started getting the wildlife back," she said. Read more . . .
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Polémica por museo natural, La Opinión, 18 de julio de 2009
En medio de una urbe de concreto, en South El Monte, se esconde un sitio donde se puede convivir directamente con la naturaleza y se escucha constantemente el trinar de los pájaros.
Ahí, en un área natural del parque Whittier Narrows, se planea construir un museo natural con un presupuesto de $30 millones, pero según una organización éste podría destruir la vida silvestre. Leer más . . .
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Doubling of water fees in largely blue-collar L.A. County area stirs uproar, Los Angeles Times, July 18, 2009
A water district's decision to double water fees has sparked outcry from largely working-class and impoverished areas of Los Angeles County.
Some environmentalists took issue with the district's donation of $80,000 last year in support of a controversial proposal to build a $30-million interpretive center and parking lot in the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary. Read more . . .
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Solicitan Opiniones sobre Construcción en Parque Whittier Narrows, Eastern Group Publications, July 9, 2009
El público tiene hasta el tres de agosto para entregar sus comentarios sobre el borrador del reporte de impacto medioambiental comisionado para el proyecto San Gabriel River Discovery Center de $30 millones, un proyecto que ha recibido atención por su costo y tamaño. Read more . . .
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No Community Support for $30M Discovery Center at EIR Meeting, Mid Valley News, July 8, 2009
Jessica Olive Nava, of Pico Rivera, said she took exception with the characterization of local residents as underserved and disadvantaged. Rather, Nava said, she felt privileged to live so close to the Natural Area. "I feel the Natural Area is my Yosemite," she said. "I have found that it is not only a sanctuary for wildlife but for myself as well as many others." Read more . . .
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Whittier Narrows Area Discovery Center Under Review, Eastern Group Publications, July 2, 2009
The public has until Aug. 3 to comment on the recently released 900-page environmental impact report commissioned for the proposed $30 million San Gabriel River Discovery Center, a project that has received critical attention because of it’s cost and size and Whittier Narrows area location. Read more . . .
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Friends of Whittier Narrows Natural Area speak out about proposed discovery center, Mickie's Zoo, July 1, 2009
Residents of area communities and supporters of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area strongly criticized and rejected a controversial $30 million regional watershed visitor center proposed for the county Natural Area during a public meeting held Wednesday at South El Monte High School to discuss the project and its recently released draft environmental impact report. Read more . . .
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$30 million nature museum in Whittier Narrows moves forward, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, June 9, 2009
"The project has now grown into this enormous museum for the entire watershed, and the actual nature center part of it is completely gone. The entire building is a showplace for the water districts. Why should that be put in a bird sanctuary?" said Grace Allen, lead docent at the nature center and member of Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area - the group formed to oppose the project. Read more . . .
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Planned nature museum draws opposition, Los Angeles Wave newspaper, April 29, 2009
The plan has been criticized by a group of area residents who are citing financial problems with similar large museums in the Los Angeles area. Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area say the museum is a waste of money and would spoil the existing natural display. Read more . . .
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Groups says proposed nature center will destroy Whittier Narrows habitat, LATimes.com, April 15, 2009
Opponents of a proposed $30-million interpretive center at the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary are ramping up their effort to block the project they fear would destroy a rare expanse of critical habitat in eastern Los Angeles County in order to enhance understanding of the San Gabriel River watershed. Read more . . .
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Learning to Obey Mother Nature, Victoria Fleming, UC Irvine student, March 13, 2009
As a riparian woodland, or riverside ecosystem, Whittier Narrows serves as home to at least 300 species of birds. Sadly, officials have designated many of these species as threatened and endangered. This gives the County of Los Angeles even more of a reason to preserve what little green areas we have left. Or so you would think. (Download the PDF file)
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Back to Nature (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, November 3, 2008
Re the proposed San Gabriel River Discovery Center:
As a Native American, I always find it interesting how the whites and the Mexicans always band together to destroy nature in the name of their grandiose schemes. (Go to In the news)
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"Do-gooders" destroying Natural Area (letter to the editor), Mid-Valley News, October 22, 2008
There's an unwise effort underway by a band of "do-gooders" to "modernize" the untouched Whittier Narrows Nature Center. . . . These planners seek to improve upon nature by destroying it. (Go to In the news)
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Plans for major overhaul of the Whittier Narrows Preserve stirs passions, Los Angeles Times, October 12, 2008
Foes say the proposed interpretive center is too big and would require destruction of too many trees. Backers see a way to introduce working-class families to nature. Read more . . .
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Discovery [Center] waste (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, October 8, 2008.
Maybe $30 million plus to build the Discovery Center at Whittier Narrows Nature Center doesn't seem like a lot of money what with billion dollar budgets and deficits, but that money is coming out of your pockets. If you pay taxes or pay a water bill, you are paying to build it. (Go to In the news)
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Follow the Money, Claremont Insider blog, September 3, 2008
Voters thinking that they are protecting nature and open space approve billions of dollars in bonds to generate the funds the RMC uses for its grants, and then the money leaks out in dribs and drabs under false pretenses to the pet projects of Southern California's elected and non-elected officials. And they do it all with stunningly little accountability to the voters. Read more . . .
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Money trumps all (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, August 10, 2008
What's going on at Whittier Narrows Nature Center? Why is it, that as an environmental activist since the 1950s, I find myself opposing projects agreed to by environmental activists? (Go to In the news)
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Build center elsewhere (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Pasadena Star-News, July 30, 2008
What a shame! This could have been a win-win situation, but the Discovery Center Authority has turned it into a "we win, you lose" situation instead. (Go to In the news)
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Natural dispute, Whittier Daily News, June 23, 2008
Groups battle over Whittier Narrows plan
WHITTIER NARROWS - An environmental fight is breaking out over whether a proposed 19,000-square-foot San Gabriel River Discovery Center belongs in this natural habitat. (Go to In the news)
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A jewel in the necklace (editorial), Pasadena Star-News, June 22, 2008
An editorial in favor of building the discovery center on the Natural Area. However, the writer also expresses concerns over the size and environmental impact of the project. (Go to In the news)
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Discovery Center project too big (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, May 29, 2008
Re "Your View," "New window to nature":
Belinda Faustinos says that conservation is important and I agree, especially the conservation of natural area habitat open space. (Go to In the news)
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Reconsider [Discovery] center (letter to the editor), Whittier Daily News, March 27, 2008
As we all know, there are people losing homes, we have high gas prices, food prices are also rising, and let us not forget those without health-care insurance.
My question is, with all these critical needs, why are we spending millions on the building of a river nature center? (Go to In the news)
Friends of the Whittier Narrows Natural Area
P.O. Box 3522
South El Monte, CA 91733
(626) 286 3850
Click here for our contact page.
