June 23 2021 Daily Pilot E-Newspaper.Pdf
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WEDNESDAY,JUNE 23, 2021 /// Now including Coastline Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent/// dailypilot.com Banning Ranch purchase moves nearer An $8-million grant from the state brings the Trust for Public Land’s acquisition of the land closer to reality. BY LILLY NGUYEN The dream of turning a 384- acre oil field at the mouth of the Santa Ana River into a public park and nature preserve grows closer to a reality by another $8 million, thanks to a grant from the state’s fish and wildlife de- partment announced earlier this month. The $8-million grant for the purchase of Banning Ranch, giv- en to the Trust for Public Land, is Photos by Kevin Chang | Staff Photographer one of 28 projects — and one of three acquisition projects — se- DOZENS OF PEOPLE gather at the beach as two rescued pelicans are released at Crystal Cove State Beach in Newport Beach on Tuesday. lected to receive a grant this year. State officials say the total amount given across all projects was $39 million. Recovered pelicans take The grant comes from the Pro- position 1 Watershed Restoration Grant program, which finances projects that establish more reli- able water supplies; restore to flight at Crystal Cove species and habitats; and create more resilient, sustainably man- aged water systems. The Huntington See Banning, page A3 Beach-based Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center rehabilitated Charter the injured birds. BY MATT SZABO school The young brown pelicans did not immediately fly away Tues- day morning at Crystal Cove warned of State Beach. Instead, they came out of their cages slowly, before cruising to possible an area a stone’s throw north. This was not cause for concern for Debbie McGuire, executive violations director of the Huntington Beach-based Wetlands and Wild- life Care Center. The Orange County “They’ll eventually find their buddies,” McGuire said with a Board of Education smile, noting that both birds had gives ISSAC in Costa been caged up for several weeks. Mesa a July 7 deadline Smiles seemed to be the theme to correct indiscretions. of the day and for good reason. DEBBIE MCGUIRE, left, Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center executive director, and Kelly Kveton, a board BY SARA CARDINE See Pelicans, page A2 member at the center, encourage two rescued pelicans to leave their kennels as they are released. ACosta Mesa charter school has until July 7 to demonstrate how it will correct several opera- Woman arrested on suspicion of arson in hotel room fire tional indiscretions being investi- gated by county education offi- BY SARA CARDINE near the location, where the sus- cials as potential violations, even pect had barricaded the front as the Orange County Board of Awoman who is thought to door, the release indicated. Education hesitates to take puni- have started a fire inside a Costa After forcing entry, police lo- tive action. Mesa hotel room Sunday morn- cated the woman and observed The International School for ing, after calling the police and thick smoke and flames inside Science and Culture (ISSAC) threatening self-harm, was ar- the hotel room. opened its doors to K-8 students rested on suspicion of arson and The woman and other guests in 2019, advertising a standards- is undergoing a mental health from nearby rooms were evacu- based curriculum focused on sci- evaluation, officials confirmed. ated as responders with Costa ence, technology, reading and Costa Mesa Police Department Mesa Fire and Rescue extin- writing, engineering, arts and received a call shortly after guished the blaze. math, with multilingual offerings. 6:15 a.m. Sunday from a hotel CMFR spokesman Capt. Joe But in recent months, the Or- room on the 3100 block of Bristol Noceti confirmed the incident ange County Department of Edu- Street, where a woman threat- took place on the fourth floor of cation has issued multiple notices ened to harm herself and start a the Crowne Plaza Hotel, located of concern to school heads, who fire, according to a release issued at 3131 Bristol St. Photo courtesy Costa Mesa Fire and Rescue they claim overreported their Sunday. Multiple units arrived on COSTA MESA Fire and Rescue responds Sunday to a report of a fire at the Officers arriving on scene See Charter, page A4 Crowne Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa, thought to have been started by a guest. heard a smoke alarm sounding See Fire, page A3 Second Olympics for former Edison swimmer Tom Shields BY MATT SZABO 51.03, which he swam at the 2015 TOM SHIELDS, FINA World Championships. shown swimming Tom Shields is heading back to Shields, 29, told reporters after in the U.S. Olympic the Olympic Games. the race that racing at the Trials in 2016, is The former Edison High School Olympic Trials is a difficult experi- headed to his second and Cal swimmer qualified for his ence. straight Olympic second straight Olympic team “Trials is hard, man,” he said. Games in Tokyo. with a strong performance Sat- “We train so much for mind, not urday at the U.S. Trials in Omaha, result. But it’s really hard here. It’s Neb. not like Pac-12s or NCAAs. Trials Shields finished second in the meets are very traumatizing. And 100-meter butterfly final, touch- people talk about the mental ing in 51.19 seconds. He will race health side of this, and I’ve started the event at the Tokyo Olympics to talk about it a little more, and this summer and also will swim going through this last Trials, it’s on the 400 medley relay. like man, maybe it’s the Games Shields finished second in the experience, because there’s that butterfly Saturday to world-record Olympic hangover, people fall on holder Caeleb Dressel, who won hard times. I know I did myself. in 49.87. Shields’ time ap- Mark J. Terrill proached his personal-best of See Shields, page A4 Associated Press A2 WEDNESDAY,JUNE 23, 2021 DAILY PILOT | COASTLINE PILOT | HUNTINGTON BEACH INDEPENDENT WWW.DAILYPILOT.COM The center’s devel- opment director, Matthew Gula, said the facility han- dled 149 different species of animals last year and nearly 6,000 animals total. Currently, two snakes are being cared for there, he said. “We’re seeing a lot of rep- tiles like that because of those electric bikes that are everywhere,” Gula said. “People are moving so fast, they can’t see what they pass.” Releasing two brown pelicans back into the wild is significant, especially giv- en the current concern for the species. The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center re- ported recently that it had received 22 pelicans since October with severe wing fractures that broke the skin. None of them sur- vived. McGuire did not want to speculate on whether one of the pelicans released Tuesday was intentionally harmed, though she said it’s apossibility. “We can’t assume that these [two birds] were in- volved,” McGuire said. “They could have been. A fishing line entanglement is aserious problem, for more things than just pelicans. [It affects] all marine life. Kevin Chang | Staff Photographer “It’s abusive. It’s atro- ONE OF THE injured birds released on Tuesday was found at Crystal Cove beach on April 26 and the other was discovered nearby on May 13. cious, actually … People are more aware, and we’re still bin of Las Vegas, who hap- pushing out that we still PELICANS pened to be visiting her need the public’s help.” Continued from pageA1 parents’ Crystal Cove home, The organization is urg- brought her 9-year-old son ing those who see suspi- MARKETPLACE The Wetlands and Wild- Mark to the beach to watch. cious acts against wildlife to life Care Center officials “I would say it was a call the CalTIP hotline at To place an ad, go to were there to release the once-in-a-lifetime experi- (888) 334-2258. http://timescommunityadvertising.com/ two pelicans into the wild ence for us, especially since Kveton, a science teacher after each had recovered pelicans are my favorite at Edison High School, said from injuries. birds,” McCubbin said. “We that awareness is definitely One of the birds had wanted to come and see key. The brown pelican was been found at Crystal Cove them.” removed from the federal beach on April 26, with a The center takes in basi- endangered species list in low body temperature, bro- cally any animal that will fit 2009, but remains pro- ken and bloody feathers on through the door, from tected under the Migratory its left wing and a slight birds to mammals to rep- Bird Treaty Act. wing droop. The pelican tiles. “We live here and we see had a wound on its shoul- McGuire said about 75% pelicans every day,” Kveton der, believed to be an injury of them are eventually re- said. “For us, they’re totally caused by a fishing hook. leased back into the wild. normal. You forget that it’s The other pelican was “Our favorite days are re- more than just our city and found nearby on May 13 lease days,” said Wetlands this population. They’re suffering from severe dehy- and Wildlife Care Center birds that move. We need to dration and hypothermia. board member Kelly Kve- remind people that they are On Tuesday, they were ton. “It’s the day that you declining and we’ve got to ready to head back into the see after all of that hard be careful.” wild. Dozens of people work, they finally get to go gathered at the beach for back [into the wild]. It’s [email protected] the release.