Today, Mission Bay is the largest aquatic recreational facility in the country – an expanse of grassy parks and white beaches, where you might go to rent a catamaran or try out a water-powered jetpack.
But a hundred years ago, it looked very different. At the turn of the century, Mission Bay was 4,000 acres of San Diego wetlands, home to a huge variety of fish and wildlife species. That was before city officials began dredging the salt marsh and piling the earth into islands and peninsulas, forming the water facility we know today. Now, the San Diego Audubon Society wants to return the bay – or at least 150 acres of it – to its former glory.
The benefits provided by wetlands are numerous. What might look like useless swampland actually plays a valuable role in stabilizing the coastline, sequestering carbon, and filtering toxins from the water. That’s to say nothing of its impact on the ecological diversity of San Diego. The rights to Mission Bay have always been in contest between commerce, recreation, and environment. “Now it’s about how we can have these different uses benefit each other,” said Rebecca Schwartz, conservation program manager for San Diego Audubon Society. “How we can have recreation that supports wildlife, or ecosystem that benefits commerce.” The ReWild project intends not only to restore the wetlands, but to make them more accessible through the construction of boardwalks and overlooks that allow visitors to experience the environment without disrupting it.
ReWild’s efforts are universally supported, but that doesn’t mean their job is easy. As Schwartz put it, “It’s simple to come in and make pretty pictures,” but harder to make a robust plan that will ensure the stability of the wetlands for years to come. To that effect, ReWild is creating three comprehensive plans for restoration, and presenting them to the Coastal Commission in August so that a final plan can be chosen. Restoring wildlife on this large a scale is incredibly technical – experts in a number of fields have to be called in, from ecology to engineering, to ensure that all of the plan’s elements are feasible and none of them interfere with one another. Places outside the protected area also have to be studied. ReWild needs to determine what effect nearby recreational areas will have on the wildlife, and see what they can do to reduce the pollution coming down Rose Creek. And that’s not even touching on the political difficulties of restructuring an area overseen separately by the city, the Coastal Commission, and the University of California Reserve System. Despite these obstacles, the Audubon Society is confident in their attempts. One of their techniques is reaching out to the public through presentations, workshops, and community leaders. Not only does this help them spread the word about the project, but it lets them hear the opinions of the public, so they can adjust their plans based on the feedback they receive. The first public workshop was held in March, and was about the present and historical conditions of the bay. The next one will be held June 14, and will discuss the project’s goals of bringing Mission Bay – or at least a corner of it – back to the environmental haven it used to be. Public workshop
– San Diego Audubon Society will hold its second public workshop on the ReWild project from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 14 in the Mission Bay High School Cafeteria, 2475 Grand Ave.
– ReWild Mission Bay is a project of San Diego Audubon and partners to enhance and restore up to 170 acres of wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay.
– The purpose of the four planned stakeholder meetings (this is meeting No. 2) is to give community members an opportunity to learn more about the project and share thoughts on restoration plans.
– Visit rewildmissionbay.org for more information.