San Diego Mission Bay
San Diego鈥檚 coastal wetlands are home to rich biodiversity, critical migratory bird habitats, and culturally significant lands. Thanks to a generous two-year grant from the Dorrance Family Foundation, 探花精选 California and our partners, including the and the , will continue making important progress in restoring key estuarine habitats in the region. , the Dorrance Family Foundation has awarded significant funding to 探花精选 California and our partners to restore critical habitat along San Diego County鈥檚 Mission Bay and Buena Vista Lagoon.
This funding ensures that we can continue working alongside community members and Indigenous partners to restore these vital ecosystems, improve conditions for endangered species like the Ridgway鈥檚 Rail, and increase public access to these spaces. Explore what鈥檚 been accomplished so far and what鈥檚 ahead below.
Both project sites hold vital ecological and cultural significance for birds, other wildlife, and communities, as part of a vital wetland network supporting waterfowl and shorebirds along the Pacific Flyway.
- Mission Bay Estuary includes dunes and eelgrass beds that support spawning fish, mudflats, and salt marshes鈥攅ach essential for wildlife and coastal resilience. This area in particular is a critical habitat for the endangered Ridgway鈥檚 Rail, a species severely impacted by sea-level rise and habitat loss.
- is gradually filling with cattails and sediment due to a weir (low-head dam) constructed in the 1970s, which severed its connection with the ocean. Restoring this estuary to a saltwater marsh and enhancing the adjacent wetland will protect essential habitat for resident and migratory birds and strengthen water quality.
These sites also provide essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, pollution mitigation, and coastal protection. And beyond the environmental and natural impacts of these beautiful places, they both hold deep cultural significance for the Cahuilla, Cupe帽o, Kumeyaay, and Pay贸mkawichum peoples, highlighting the need to restore access and connection to these lands.
鈥淭his generous two-year grant from the Dorrance Family Foundation enables us to complete the complex permitting and planning necessary for our Buena Vista Lagoon wetlands project to become restored to a healthy ecosystem. This also allows healing of people: by bringing the original inhabitants of the land, the Pay贸mkawichum people, into the restoration project on an equal footing with the engineers and permitting agencies, healing of past traumas and injustices can begin.鈥
鈥 Natalie Shapiro, Executive Director, Buena Vista 探花精选 Society
, the San Diego Bird Alliance (SDBA) restored five acres of coastal habitat, working with Kumeyaay community members to harvest culturally significant plant species like tule and willow for traditional boat-making community events.
In partnership with Renascence, a Kumeyaay-led nonprofit that works to connect the Kumeyaay people to their traditional coastal lands, a digital was released highlighting the life of Delfina Cuero, a Kumeyaay woman whose story is interlocked with Mission Bay and the water, plants, and animals that were found then and now.
- Achieved 65% design completion for the Wetlands Reserve along Buena Vista Lagoon.
- Secured key permits, including a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) permit, and advanced city approvals.
- Collaborated with Indigenous partners, such as and , to exchange knowledge and integrated community and Indigenous feedback into the design, including gathering spaces, culturally significant plants, and accessible trails.
- At high tides and especially at king tides, the Rails鈥 habitat is completely inundated except for floating platforms. Community members built 12 new protective raft covers for these Ridgway鈥檚 Rail floating platforms.
- Installed nine wildlife cameras for continued monitoring of these elusive birds.
- Captured footage of a Ridgway鈥檚 Rail nest with four chicks hatching in June 2024!
鈥淟ast year, over 15,000 Elegant terns nested in Mission Bay making it one of the most important nesting sites in the world. This support will help us get this nesting site protected, restored, and monitored so that it can be a critical nesting site again. And just a few hundred feet from this site is the last remaining Ridgway鈥檚 Rail habitat in Mission Bay. Again, this funding will help us protect, restore, monitor and share this species and the habitats鈥 long cultural connections to the Kumeyaay Native Americans, with the public.鈥
鈥 Andrew Meyer, Director of Conservation, San Diego Bird Alliance
What鈥檚 Ahead
Looking to the next two years, we aim to:
- Expand restoration in Mission Bay at West Ski Island, a critical nesting site for Elegant Terns.
- Monitor Elegant Terns at this site to understand urban disturbance impacts and fledgling success.
- Engage 2,500+ community members in restoration and education efforts.
- Make Ridgway鈥檚 Rail footage publicly available to inspire conservation advocacy.
- Finalize the Wetland Reserve Restoration Plan at Buena Vista Lagoon by 2026, ensuring Indigenous knowledge-sharing remains central.
- Install a permanent wetlands education display at Buena Vista Nature Center to educate visitors on the importance of wetlands and the restoration work happening to improve habitat for people and birds.
Want to support this critical work? Here鈥檚 how:
- to stay updated on conservation efforts.
- Volunteer with local chapters, including , , and the .
- Learn about efforts by Indigenous peoples to re-connect to their ancestral homelands, accessing culturally important areas, and helping their youth heal from generational trauma: , San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians, California Indian Basketweaves Association.
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