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Community Corner

How Craig Sap Helped Heal the Malibu Lagoon

The superintendent of the California State Parks Angeles District persevered in a restoration project near and dear to his heart. Sponsored by Grape-Nuts.

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Craig Sap knew the Malibu Lagoon was sick. Determined to restore it to full ecological health, the superintendent of the California State Parks Angeles District soon became the public face of the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project.

Used as a dump site for fill and waste material by Caltrans and others in the 1950s and '60s, the lagoon needed a revitalized circulation, clean water returned to the surf, and fish and native plants reintroduced. Aside from answering questions at innumerable Malibu City Council meetings and facing challenges from the public, Sap took his involvement a step further when he rescued scores of young, native coreopsis from around his home near Malibu.

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With the help of his 10-year-old son, Sap then replanted them in the Malibu Lagoon, adding to the 80,000 native plants already taking root since the project’s start in June of last year.

Here, Craig shares the most difficult parts of shepherding the restoration project from beginning to end.

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Q. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve taken on? Or, what's a goal you're trying to achieve right now? 

The Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project has been one of the most challenging (and rewarding) experiences in my career. I want to be clear that the success of the Malibu Lagoon Project goes to the State Park staff, our partners and the contractor. My role was primarily community/political outreach and project coordination. 

Q. What inspired you to take on this challenge? Or, how do you plan to achieve this goal? 

Although I work for State Parks, I was inspired in large part by my personal involvement with the community of Malibu. I live, work, recreate and shop there, and my son goes to school in Malibu. Thus, I consider myself to be a part of the fabric of this tight community. So when the start of the Malibu Lagoon Project neared and began tearing at the fabric of the Malibu community, I felt it was both my civic and official public servant duty to get out in front of the turmoil being created by this much-needed project. I did this by engaging both the opponents of the project and the community leaders. I made myself accessible to answer questions and to listen to their concerns, and in many cases, acted upon their recommendations. One of the reasons I was mostly successful in diffusing the communities distrust in the project was by being candid, open and willing to admit my mistakes. 

Q. Did you succeed? Or, what will you do when you succeed? 

How does one measure success? There are several measures of what determines whether or not I was successful. After all is said and done, one of the measures is: What does the community of Malibu think of my credibility and sincerity? Do they think I am credible? Or do they believe that I was simply a salesmen sent out to the community willing to say anything to get the project completed?    

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