The community is invited to join hundreds of people Saturday in Mission Bay to help endangered birds, although the program is not without controversy.
The San Diego Audubon Society is hosting the annual event, which focuses on restoring coastal dune habitat for the endangered California least terns.
The project is supported by the San Diego Association of Governments, and San Diego Gas & Electric employees and their families are scheduled to participate in great number. Volunteers interested in joining the effort can participate with the group Saturday between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. at Mariner’s Point, Mission Bay, 3300 Mariner’s Way.
According to the San Diego Audubon Society, the least terns play a crucial role in San Diego’s local ecosystem.
“These birds are a vital part of healthy coastal dune habitat, which buffer our communities from sea level rise, reduce coastal erosion, and support plants that help shrink carbon emissions,” the society reported. “While this endangered species has rebounded since the 1970s, they still remain fragile. Warmer ocean temps can reduce their food source, invasive plants crowd out their nests, and urban predators threaten their young.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service warns that if the terns’ nesting sites throughout California are not thoroughly protected, managed and monitored, habitat loss and predators could reverse the recent population recovery.”
San Diego Audubon reports that its volunteers donate over 2,000 hours to remove invasive weeds and make sites tern-ready before the birds arrive to breed in mid-April.
The program has caused controversy because the California least tern and light-footed Ridgway’s rail are safeguarded in part by trapping and shooting other wildlife, such as cats, gulls, crows and rats, according to some welfare organizations, including the Sierra Club.
–Staff
