The Western Alliance for Nature debuted its exhibit booth at Port Hueneme's Beach Festival on Saturday and Sunday, August 16-17, only a half-mile down the beach from the Alliance's Ormond Beach Least Tern/Snowy Plover protection project site. The event was a friendly opportunity to acquaint new people with the WAN's Alliance's work at Ormond, as well as to update those who have followed the issues there for years.

Several hundred festival attendees signed petitions soliciting support for acquisition and protection of 1500 acres of land at Ormond, the amount specified by the Ormond Beach Consensus Plan to sustain the wetland ecosystem that shelters 10 protected species.

Many people expressed concern about future development at the beach. Of particular interest was news on the future of Halaco Engineering's metal recycling plant, located adjacent to the wetlands, and widely regarded as a community eyesore, toxic polluter and in general, a poor neighbor at Ormond Beach.

The district attorney recently filed criminal charges against Halaco for air quality violations. The company is in bankruptcy and last week settled a lawsuit with another environmental organization that has created further pressure for the company to clean up its act.