10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY september 26-october 2, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Locke-Paddon Community Park is an oasis in the middle of Marina—but everyone agrees it is lacking in attention. A growing chorus of Marina residents want to see a well-maintained pond, access to the water and a new garden to celebrate the local Asian community. City representatives will present a vision for the park to the board and staff of Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The park is primarily owned by MPRPD and maintained by the City of Marina. The lease and maintenance agreement is over 20 years old, and the city is seeking to reevaluate it, although MPRPD General Manager Rafael Payan says the park district isn’t interested in reassessing their arrangement, in which the city is primarily responsible for maintenance. The 17-acre park is the largest in Central Marina and is home to facilities like the Marina branch of Monterey County Free Libraries and Martin Luther King Jr. sculpture garden, as well as nature: There is avian life around the pond—great for birding—and flora includes willow trees. In a July report, city officials recognized they have not done a good job in maintaining and improving the park and its pond. “If we really want this to be a central park, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to make the park visible and inviting,” says Marina resident Jeff Markham, a member of Friends of Marina Parks. “It does kind of look like a jungle out here.” The park’s most recent master plan is from 2005; the City Council approved $100,000 this fiscal year and will hire a contractor to develop a plan to maintain the pond (part of the pond is on city property); two years ago, council allocated $250,000 for an Asian garden. Members of the nonprofit Asian Communities of Marina have been involved in developing plans for the garden. ACOM and FOMP members have spoken up at MPRPD meetings to advocate for improvements and the Asian garden. “We really packed the place because it’s very important for us to feel like we have visibility in our communities,” says Kathy Biala, ACOM president and a Marina City Council member. Payan cautions that any changes and additions could be a lengthy process. Other agencies, including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, would be involved. Biological and cultural assessments would likely be required as well. A very large, toothed marine mammal is hanging around our local waters more than we previously thought. Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s Ocean Soundscape Team published a paper on Sept. 23 detailing a seven-year study that monitored sperm whales through their sounds, revealing that while these elusive creatures are rarely seen, they are frequently heard. “That was the first thing about this project that was really surprising to myself and my collaborators,” says Will Oestreich, U.S. National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at MBARI. “These animals are not commonly seen in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.” Sperm whales are known to be cryptic animals; they forage in the deep ocean for extended periods of time and typically live far away from shore, which makes them especially difficult to study. But in 2015, a tiny underwater microphone about the size of a thumb was deployed a few thousand feet below the surface and placed on a tripod on the ocean floor. It continuously captured the clicking sounds of these animals, sending the recordings back to the MBARI research station for analysis. Sperm whales, known for producing some of the loudest sounds of any marine mammal species, were the primary focus as it might reveal information about a lesser known ecosystem: the deep sea. Like bats, these animals use echolocation, allowing researchers to determine the number of whales, their frequency, sex, and whether they’ve found food. “These clicks start to get closer and closer together as they’re honing in on their prey, until they become so close it just sounds like a buzz of sound,” Oestreich says. “That’s the moment that some unlucky deep sea squid or fish has been successfully acoustically tracked by the top predator of that ecosystem. “A lot of the really deep water in the sanctuary is challenging to observe. What we’ve done here is to establish a baseline.” In Park Marina officials and residents push to revive improvements at Locke-Paddon Park. By Celia Jiménez news Sounding Off Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez hosts a listening session to hear from residents about issues in District 3. 5:30pm Thursday, Sept. 26. San Ardo Union Elementary School, 62428 Center St., San Ardo. Free. 755-5033, countyofmonterey.gov. Throw it Away The Seaside Neighborhood Improvement Commission is sponsoring a citywide cleanup. Bins, open to Seaside residents only, will be set up to take trash. 8:30am-noon Saturday, Sept. 28. Highland Otis Park, Mingo Avenue at Mendocino Street; Mal’s Market parking lot, 1264 Noche Buena St.; near Ord Terrace School, La Salle Avenue and Lincoln Street; Pachetti Dog Park, Noche Buena Street at Kimball Avenue. Free. ci.seaside.ca.us. Family Fun The City of Salinas celebrates the groundbreaking of the Hebbron Family Center with the Fall Harvest Festival, featuring activities such as pumpkin decorating, facepainting, food, music and more. 11am-3pm Saturday, Sept. 28. 683 Fremont St., Salinas. Free. cityofsalinas.org. Meet the Dogs Peace of Mind Dog Rescue hosts a fall-themed open house and adoption event. Noon-2pm Saturday, Sept. 28. Peace of Mind Dog Rescue, 615 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. RSVP at 718-9122, info@peaceofminddogrescue.org. Future Opportunities The City of Salinas seeks feedback on what elements residents would like to see at the Intermodal Transportation Center. Survey ends 11:59pm Sunday, Sept. 29. tinyurl.com/SalinasITC. Race to Office Candidates running in the Seaside mayoral and city council election speak in a forum. 5:30-9pm Monday, Sept. 30. Oldemeyer Center, Laguna Grande Hall, 986 Hilby Ave., Seaside. Free. my.lwv.org/california/monterey-county. Coffee Conversation Soledad Police Department hosts Coffee with a Cop, an opportunity for the public to meet local officers. 10am Tuesday, Oct. 1. Soledad Police Department, 236 Main St., Soledad. Free. 755-5111, cityofsoledad.com. More Coffee and donuts Join members of the Monterey Police Department over a cuppa for an opportunity to get to know your public safety officers. 9-11am Wednesday, Oct. 2. Tidal Coffee, 400 Cannery Row, Monterey. Free. 646-3965, montereypolice.org. Noisy Neighbors New research shows endangered sperm whales are present in Monterey Bay. By Katie Rodriguez Jeff Markham of Friends of Marina Parks shows an area of the pond covered in algae at Locke-Paddon Park. He is also running unopposed for a seat on the MPRPD board. e-mail: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “It does kind of look like a jungle out here.” Daniel Dreifuss
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