According to the Sierra Club Seal Society, the installation of planned municipal signage urging people to keep away from sea lions at Point La Jolla and La Jolla Cove may be imminent.

Seal Society docent Robyn Davidoff told the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board on June 28 that two new signs were “in the works” and would be posted “in the next week or so” near the railing of the gazebo and near the stairs that lead to La Jolla Crique. She said a plan was also underway to put a message on the small wall that separates the sidewalk from Point La Jolla.

The exact renderings, sizes, location, and wording were not available at the board meeting, but the overall message would encourage people to keep their distance from pinnipeds.

Sea lion calving season is recognized from June 1 to October 31, and guides have reported people getting too close to sea lions and their young during this time.

“The crowds that come in the evening, especially on weekends, are quite unruly,” she said. “We had to call the police to help control the crowd. We also have a few sea lions that seem to want to jump the wall because it’s mating season and the bulls want to claim territory and chase each other around the cliffs.

San Diego City Councilor Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla, and the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation Director Andy Field announced on June 1 that the city will design, manufacture and install signs in La Jolla Cove encouraging visitors to stay away from sea lions that hang out there.

At the time, Field said the city planned to “lock down” the locations of the signs in the coming weeks and that language for them was being drafted to “better inform the public about calving season and births. actions they can take to maintain themselves.and surrounding marine life [apart]. “

“The language has to be quick and easy to read, like ‘No smoking’,” he said. “The idea is to have similar signs on the need for social distancing with sea lions [and] leaving them a little space while admiring them from afar.

LaCava told the La Jolla Light on June 17 that the signs and stencil were “in the final stages of approval and should be posted soon”.

Other LJP & B news

Closing update: After sending a letter to the city in mid-June requesting that construction fences be reduced and moved closer to the toilets under development at Scripps Park to allow more spaces in the park during the summer, the LJP & B member, Bob Evans said there was another obstacle the city had to clean up before it could do so.

“There is going to be a period of establishment of the factories, so before the city allows full access… the factories have to be established, which they say would take 90 days,” Evans said.

He said a meeting was scheduled with a landscaper on the scope of work and plans for the area and whether planting could wait until after the summer.

“I hope to have positive news at the next [board] meeting, ”Evans said.

LJP & B voted unanimously on May 24 to request that the fence be moved. His letter included asking the city to expedite the completion of a sidewalk in the park between Coast Boulevard and the Bridge Club, remove the fence adjacent to the Bridge Club, and reduce the construction fence footprint, open the Bridge Club and adjacent facilities and expand the usable area of ​​the sidewalk overlooking La Jolla Cove.

Taste of the Cove Approved: After being canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, the Taste at the Cove fundraiser is expected to return this year to Scripps Park.

“We are delighted and happy to try to come back,” said candidate David Chao. “We do not plan to occupy more space than in previous years, unless, for some reason, the [restroom facility] construction encroaches on our old space. It may change slightly if construction fencing is getting in the way of our space. “

The September 23 date is later than usual, he said, to “give us as much room as possible given what’s going on in the state and the region, to give us more cushion. to be as safe as possible against COVID “.

The event raises funds for the San Diego Sports Medicine Foundation, which supports a medical safety net for injured youth who have limited financial means.

LJP & B unanimously adopted a motion to support the event. For more information on the foundation, visit sdsmf.com.

Cleaning of the Avenue Fay hill: Steve Hadley, representative of the LaCava office, thanked the clean-up team who recently cleared the debris from the hill overlooking the Fay Avenue bike path.

Among the items cleaned up were debris, beer cans nailed to trees, and makeshift seats.

Next meeting : The next meeting of La Jolla Parks & Beaches will be on Monday July 26 at 4 p.m. It is not yet clear whether the meeting will be online, in person, or hybrid. Learn more about lajollaparksbeaches.org. ◆