The Pacific Flyway passes right overhead and fall migration is already underway, a river of birds traveling south. Billions of birds are migrating this month, many of them at night, guided by the stars. Here in the Santa Monica Mountains we are awaiting the arrival of our winter birds. We have summer species, too, birds that will be headed to Mexico or South America, but this is also a prime destination. Many species travel vast distances to spend the winter months here; others are truly birds of passage, stopping over on their way farther south. Join us for a closer look. Cover concept and design by Urs Baur.
A 4.7 magnitude earthquake just north of Malibu rattled the Santa Monica Mountains on September 12. The temblor was felt throughout a wide swath of Los Angeles County, but was especially strong in Malibu, Agoura Hills, and the neighboring communities closest to ground zero. Several strong aftershocks have kept nerves on edge. This quake was probably generated by an offshoot of the Malibu Coast Fault—a 34-meter-long fault with several parallel strands that stretches along the coast from the Santa Monica Fault in the east, heading out into the ocean to the west of Point Dume. It’s a comparatively small fault, but it is estimated to have the power to deliver a 7-plus magnitude quake.
The September 12 earthquake was the fourteenth so far this year in California that was of sufficient magnitude to make headlines—and wake people up. The Santa Monica Mountains are a young range that remains geologically active. Earthquakes can happen locally at any time. They don’t have to be the mythical Big One to disrupt our lives or be deadly. This quake didn’t cause damage. Next time we may not be as fortunate. We all need to be prepared and have a plan.
The Autumn Equinox occurs on September 22, bringing the official start of autumn. That means the stores are already full of Christmas displays but the upside is, one can probably find a great deal on “past season” Halloween decorations. The scariest of those isn’t that seven-foot-tall animatronic werewolf, it’s the artificial spiderwebs that can be a painful and horrific death trap toll on native birds and small animals like lizards and mice. There is a push to ban this material. We can all help by resisting the urge to festoon our yards with the stuff. Here in Topanga, we have plenty of real cobwebs. Who needs fake ones?
Photos by Suzanne Guldimann
The start of autumn means election campaigns will be ratcheting into high gear. All eyes are on the presidential race, but there are many small local races that will also have a major impact on our lives and the lives of our neighbors. The Malibu city council race has five candidates vying for three seats—two challengers are taking on three incumbents. It’s promised to be a hotly fought contest that is already heating up.
Calabasas is also supposed to be having a city council election, but only the two incumbents pulled papers to run for the open seats. The Calabasas City Council voted to cancel the election and simply appoint the two incumbents—current Mayor Pro Tem Peter Kraut and Mayor Alicia Weintraub, to retain their seats. We can’t help wondering what would have happened if no one had wanted the job. A government “for the people, by the people” requires at least some people to participate for the whole thing to work.
Now that peak summer beach traffic has ended, Caltrans has resumed night time closures on the northbound lane of Topanga Canyon Blvd., south of Fernwood, to allow crews to secure the site of the landslide that shut the canyon down for months earlier this year. Crews are installing straw wattles to help keep mud and debris flows from the landslide scar off of the road. Watch for alternating traffic, and expect delays.
The final environmental impact report for the Topanga Lagoon Restoration has been approved. It includes a plan to preserve, restore, and reopen the Topanga Ranch Motel, as we reported in our last issue. The full plan and all of the details can be found at https://www.rcdsmm.org/topanga-lagoon-restoration.
Earlier this year, we reported that Deer Creek Beach, an amazingly pristine 1,241.5-acre stretch of coast and mountains just west of Malibu had been acquired by the Trust for Public Land. This new open space is now in the process of being transferred to the National Park Service. Once destined for a marina and luxury housing development, this stretch of coast will now become the National Park Service’s first major beachfront park unit in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. This is a truly amazing acquisition, it is the largest stretch of undeveloped and previously unprotected coastline between Santa Barbara and Mexico. The campaign to save it took decades of advocacy, negotiation and patience from a coalition of conservation advocates and government agencies, including the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. This was a marathon chess game, played with strategy and skill. Transferring the land to the National Park Service is the last step in a long process, and a welcome happy ending—the kind that once seemed almost impossible.
Stay safe, be well.
