{"id":315427,"date":"2022-09-29T09:11:25","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T16:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/?p=315427"},"modified":"2022-09-27T13:27:39","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T20:27:39","slug":"rewild-coalition-encourages-city-council-to-prioritize-wetlands-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/rewild-coalition-encourages-city-council-to-prioritize-wetlands-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"ReWild Coalition encourages City Council to prioritize wetlands funding"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ReWild Coalition representing over 70 environmental and conservation groups rallied on Sept. 20 outside City Hall to request that the City Council earmark $250,000 in next year\u2019s budget for ReWild Mission Bay wetlands restoration.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter almost 30 years of inaction on the master plan, the City must show leadership, vision, and decisive action to restore the lungs of the bay, reconnecting us and protecting our communities from the climate crisis. It\u2019s time to ReWild Mission Bay,\u201d said Andrew Meyer, director of conservation at San Diego Audubon Society, at the wetlands rally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis investment in the restoration momentum that the project has built would bring the City a strong return from outside grants and opportunities. There are multiple state and federal agencies that want to fund coastal resilience, habitat restoration, improved access, and carbon sequestration \u2013 all benefits that come to San Diegans through the ReWild project.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWetlands sequester and store more carbon than terrestrial forests, but only 10% of California’s historic wetlands remain,\u201d said Mary Liesegang of environmental nonprofit Wildcoast. \u201cWe must protect remaining wetlands and restore degraded wetlands so that they will continue to be carbon sinks for thousands of years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expansive restoration of tidal wetlands has far-reaching benefits to the health of our communities,\u201d said Rachel Abbott from San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air. \u201cBy expanding Mission Bay\u2019s wetlands, we will address climate change, improve air and water quality, and amplify our City\u2019s natural space to positively transform our community\u2019s health and wellness. With the approved Climate Action Plan that calls for 700 acres of tidal wetlands in San Diego by 2035, this down payment could ensure we reach our legally binding climate goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Naomi Webb, president of City College SACNAS, speaking at the rally in support of ReWild Mission Bay. PHOTO BY KARINA ORNELAS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mission Bay is a microcosm of the worldwide battle being waged to save the remaining dwindling wetlands. That battle is being played out locally with ReWild Mission Bay, a project of San Diego Audubon and its partners to enhance and restore wetlands in Mission Bay\u2019s northeast corner.
\nReWild Mission Bay\u2019s proposal is to enhance and restore more than 150 acres of wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay, including the enhancement of 40 acres of existing tidal wetland habitat. The project will also create approximately 100 acres of tidal marsh and mudflat habitat and 30 acres of transitional\/upland habitat.<\/p>\n

Mission Bay\u2019s wetlands supply habitat for hundreds of local wildlife species and protect San Diego from climate change impacts such as flooding while improving area water quality.<\/p>\n

Over the last several decades, science has confirmed that wetlands are critical to maintaining a balanced, oxygenated, diverse set of habitats, while the public has come to appreciate the value of wetlands as an aesthetic choice and \u201cgreen infrastructure\u201d that provides clean water, improved habitat, and climate resiliency.<\/p>\n

Following the wetlands rally, Meyer of San Diego Audubon pointed out that a draft budget memo including early funding requests will go out at the end of September for next year\u2019s City budget deliberations beginning in May.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ReWild Coalition is strongly encouraging the City to prioritize wetlands funding in next year\u2019s budget,\u201d said Meyer adding, \u201cThe City is moving in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ReWild project would ultimately have to be approved by both the City Council and the California Coastal Commission.<\/p>\n

Bah\u00eda de la misi\u00f3n ReWild<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is a project of San Diego Audubon and its ReWild Coalition partners to enhance and restore the natural wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay\u00a0for cleaner water, greater climate resiliency, carbon sequestration, and improved access to public space, including for Native Americans, along San Diego\u2019s shared bayfront.<\/p>\n

Mission Bay is the largest man-made aquatic recreational area in the United States with:<\/p>\n