‘Road to Nowhere’ Removed to
Help Restore Malibu Watershed
In a tedious effort to remove what
many call “the road to nowhere,” Santa Monica
Baykeeper partnered with high school student Hershel Weintraub
to restore Las Virgenes Creek in Malibu Creek State Park
last weekend.
Santa Monica Baykeeper, the City
of Malibu, and Weintraub will all benefit from this project.
Weintraub will earn the rank of Eagle Scout, which according to
Baykeeper’s Carolyn Craft “only 2 percent of scouts
ever achieve.”
“This project is a win-win-win for
Santa Monica Baykeeper, Herschel, and Malibu,” Craft
said. “…Baykeeper receives help with an
important restoration project…and Malibu will have
another section of its watershed restored.”
Last Saturday and Sunday, Baykeeper and
friends and family of Weintraub gathered to work in the hot sun
and remove the abandoned road that is causing erosion and creek
pollution caused by runoff from the road.
Baykeeper’s director of watershed
programs, Mark Abramson, says Baykeeper is committed to
improving water quality and health in Santa Monica Bay.
Abramson presented this community service project to Weintraub.
“The problem with the road is that
it’s creating a significant amount of erosion near the
trail, “Abramson said. “It’s also causing
extreme bank erosion on Las Virgenes Creek itself.”
The group removed parts of the road by
essentially cracking, and ripping up the road. After prying up
the large sections of asphalt volunteers hauled the pieces
out by hand using wagons and wheelbarrows, loaded them
into trucks, which then drove to dumpsters at the beginning of
the park.
“Herschel liked the idea of being
able to destroy stuff,” Abramson joked.
“That’s what I think he initially liked about the
project, but he’s been getting all kinds of equipment
ready, and has done an amazing job doing his part. This is
going to be a real improvement for the environment.”
