If you would like to see first hand what a comprehensive tidal restoration of the Ballona Wetlands will look like, join the ranger-led tour of the San Dieguito Wetlands this Saturday, December 14th. If you leave L.A. at 7AM, you’ll arrive in time for the 9AM tour, which lasts an hour and a half. You can be home by noon, or spend a pleasant afternoon in Del Mar or Solana Beach. The tour is led by Natalie Borchardt, Ranger for the San Dieguito River Park JPA. The JPA is the agency that manages public access to the wetlands on a system of trails.
To get to the meeting point, take any freeway south to Interstate 5 towards San Diego. Exit at Via De La Valle in Del Mar. Turn left from the offramp. Go two blocks to San Andres Drive and turn right. Park at the dead-end, which is the tour meeting point. More information is available at http://www.sdrp.org/activities.htm
The San Dieguito Wetlands are a 440-acre tidal wetland and upland habitat restoration constructed by Southern California Edison between 2006 and 2010. Hundreds of acres of former wetland that were previously filled in to build an airfield and agricultural land were unfilled by a massive excavation and grading project. Over 2 million cubic yards of fill dirt were removed from historical wetland areas so the incoming tides could again flood the land. Wetland vegetation was salvaged prior to grading, propagated in a nursery and replanted. Upland areas where all that fill dirt was relocated were also planted with native vegetation. Only a few years later, the restored wetlands are a thriving ecosystem supporting biological abundance and diversity that equals or exceeds natural wetlands in the region.
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Go see for yourself. Bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and water. This is what our Ballona Wetlands will look like if the state ever gets off its duff and moves its project forward!!!
Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!
