Protection sought for leatherback turtle

The leatherback turtle -- at 1,200 pounds, the world’s heaviest reptile -- is in such severe decline that it could become extinct in the Pacific Ocean within a few decades, according to Oceana, an environmental group seeking emergency protections for it and the other five species of sea turtle.

Of particular concern is the plight of the leatherback, which grows to a length of 5 feet and migrates about 6,000 miles each year from nesting beaches in Papua New Guinea and other Pacific islands to the coastal waters of California and Oregon to feed on jellyfish.

“We are pushing Congress to enact comprehensive sea turtle legislation as soon as possible,” said Elizabeth Griffin, Oceana’s marine wildlife scientist and fisheries campaign manager.

“One big problem is residential and commercial development of its nesting beaches. Another is that leatherbacks are getting caught in commercial fishing gear: nets, hooks and fishing line.”

Oceana and other groups have already petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to designate certain stretches of ocean between Point Conception, Calif., and Lincoln City, Ore., as critical migratory and foraging habitat for leatherbacks.

No one knows exactly how many leatherbacks dwell off the coasts of California and Oregon, but biologists estimate the number ranges from 150 to 380.

A month ago, the groups filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue over violations of the federal Endangered Species Act because the service failed to meet the legal 12-month deadline for responding to the petition.

“We’re trying to decide how to proceed,” Griffin said.

In the meantime, here are some ways that summer beachgoers can help sea turtles, which have been swimming in the world’s oceans for 110 million years:

* Recycle. Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for food.

* Pick up trash. Sea turtles can swallow it, fatally blocking their digestive systems, or become tangled in debris and drown.

* Keep vehicles off beaches. Sea turtle nests are often hidden in the sand and easily crushed.

-- Louis Sahagun

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L.A. energy project up for award

A renewable energy project on Terminal Island has qualified the city of Los Angeles as one of 50 semifinalists for the Innovations in American Government Award issued annually by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

City officials launched the Terminal Island Renewable Energy demonstration project two years ago, injecting “biosolids,” a spongy material that is the sterilized byproduct of sewage treatment, into depleted oil and gas formations more than a mile underground.

With pressure and high temperatures in those underground pockets, the material produces methane gas, which is captured and used to power fuel cells. The process also traps carbon dioxide that would ordinarily be released into the air. City officials say that keeps 82,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the air over five years -- equivalent to taking 16,000 cars off Los Angeles streets over that time.

By 2010, city officials have said, the project should be producing enough electricity to power as many as 3,000 homes. The project also cut down on trucking trips to Kern County, where the material was used as fertilizer for nonfood crops.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement last week that the project was setting “the green standard for innovation, clean energy and renewable power nationwide.”

Los Angeles competed against about 600 applicants for the award. Several other California cities, as well as the state, also qualified for the semifinal round.

California qualified for its Global Warming Solutions Act to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. Another contender is the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which allows customers to purchase -- in $3 and $6 per month packages -- renewable energy generated using wind, biomass and captured methane. The winners will be announced in September.

-- Maeve Reston

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Water supply still below average

The latest snow survey pegs the statewide snowpack at 81% of normal for the date -- a significant jump from early winter, but about the same as a month ago.

With precipitation at least 90% of average in the Sierra Nevada (90% in the northern range, 95% in the south), reservoir levels have been rising. At the end of February, Lake Oroville, the largest in the State Water Project system, was at 37% of capacity. It is now more than half full. Shasta Lake, a key federal reservoir in Northern California, is at 64% of capacity. Overall, statewide reservoir storage is at 80% of average for the date.

Winter storms have improved the water supply picture, but the state remains in the third year of a drought, and both federal and state water managers say they will have to cut deliveries this year. “We face severe water supply problems in many parts of our state,” Lester Snow, state water resources director, said in a statement released with the survey results. “Californians must continue to save water at home and in their businesses.”

-- Bettina Boxall

Read more about the California environment at The Times’ Greenspace blog, at latimes.com/greenspace.