Biologist Bushwhacks His Way to Court

He has spent decades working to protect Los Angeles' endangered Ballona Wetlands.

But did environmentalist Roy van de Hoek go too far when he took his pruning shears to a nonnative tree and plants in the Westside nature preserve?

Los Angeles prosecutors say yes. They have filed six vandalism counts against Van de Hoek, alleging that he entered the wetlands without permission and destroyed city parks property when he cut down the invasive plants. If convicted, he could face six years in prison and fines of up to $15,000.

Conservationists who support the veteran ecologist disagree. They assert that the prosecution is simply payback from those who for years have felt the sting of Van de Hoek's activism. The case, they suggest, is designed to scare away others from actively harvesting invasive plants from local nature preserves.

Van de Hoek has not denied cutting the plants. Characterizing the eradication work as a continuation of his years of plant removal in the wetlands, he said he intends to plead not guilty to the charges Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. But for now, he has been banned from leading tours and doing rehabilitation work at the wetlands, where Ballona Creek meets the ocean south of Marina del Rey.

"My entire life has been dedicated to conservation, preservation and restoration of endangered species and wild lands," said Van de Hoek, 50, of Playa del Rey.

The proliferation of such vegetation in ecologically sensitive areas has become a major issue with conservationists, who worry that it squeezes out native plants. Though the trend in landscaping has been toward planting native foliage, even natural areas such as the Ballona Wetlands still have many nonnative plants that have taken root over the years, from seeds carried by birds and the wind.

The Friends of Ballona Wetlands, which has assumed a major role in the restoration of the onetime marshy area, has condemned what it calls "its continuing deterioration because of nonnative plant invasions."

The dispute illustrates the deep passions that continue to surround the 600-acre preserve despite what seemed three years ago to be a peaceful conclusion to an emotional 20-year campaign to save the wetlands.

The state agreed in 2003 to spend $140 million to purchase acreage in the wetlands from the developers of Playa Vista. As part of the deal, builders of the residential project scaled back their plans and donated hundreds of additional acres as open space.