Estuary Script

SFX: Estuary sounds, birds chirping, footsteps crunching on gravel trail.

LUNDSTEN: Early-morning hikers forge a path through tall native grasses, pausing here and there to point out birds.

SFX: �I think that�s an Osprey.�

LUNDSTEN: They�re taking their daily walk at the Tijuana River Estuary Research Reserve. An *estuary is basically where the river meets the sea. Located in Imperial Beach, California just south of San Diego, it�s a few miles from the U.S./Mexico border. In the distance, the border fence and city of Tijuana are visible...though they seem worlds away from the hikers. On the trail, it�s quiet and peaceful.

SFX: More chirping and estuary sounds.

LUNDSTEN: But it wasn�t always this tranquil.

SFX: Birds fade out.

LUNDSTEN: Back in the 1970s, the estuary was a political war zone. Mike McCoy is president of the Southwest Interpretive Wetlands Association, which formed to preserve and restore wetlands. He says developers had big plans for the area.

MIKE McCOY: ...to work with local government to dredge the estuary and develop it and make it into a residential marina.

LUNDSTEN: McCoy says he couldn�t let that happen.

McCOY: The Tijuana Estuary was one of the last estuaries that was relatively pristine � there weren�t roads crossing it, railroads, power lines, etc, etc, that create the deterioration of wetland eco-systems in Southern California.

LUNDSTEN: In fact, he says 90% of Southern California wetlands have been lost mostly due to development. So he got together with like-minded folk, environmental groups, and even rallied the support of the federal government. He says it took nearly a decade, tons of determination, unwavering perseverance...and even courage...

MCCOY: It got violent, literally violent � to the point where I know my life was threatened, other people�s lives were threatened, one man got shot...

LUNDSTEN: But McCoy says it was worth it to save the area.

McCOY: It was not an easy battle, but nothin�s easy...if you believe in it ya gotta do it.

LUNDSTEN: Clay Phillips is Superintendent of the South Sector of the San Diego Coast District for California State Parks and manager of the Tijuana Estuary Research Reserve. He says saving the estuary only happened because of hard-won partnerships.

PHILLIPS: I mean this is kind of a magical place � not only is it a cool natural resource, but it�s magical because we actually have federal agencies working side by side with state agencies and it actually works.

LUNDSTEN: Those agencies are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California State Parks, who work with several local, federal, bi-national and international groups -- like the City of San Diego, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association, Border Patrol, and the Cities of Tecate and Tijuana, among others.

LUNDSTEN: The Tijuana River flows 120 miles along the northern coast of Baja[JE1] , emptying into the wetlands just across the U.S. border. In fact, *three-quarters of the reserve�s watershed is *in Mexico. ~~Clay Phillips is Superintendent of the South Sector of the San Diego Coast District for California State Parks and manager of the Tijuana Estuary Research Reserve.�~~ He Phillips says estuaries are vital to the environment[JE2] .

PHILLIPS: The reason these estuaries are so important is because well, one, they�re Mother Nature�s natural filter for the sake of water pollution in the ocean and in the other direction, they�re Mother Nature�s natural storm surge protection for the sake of coastal flooding[JE3] .

LUNDSTEN: He says they�re also important for both fisheries and wildlife.

PHILLIPS: Many coastal fishery species, like halibut, find they�re nursery in estuaries. Estuaries are a major stopping-off point for migrating bird[JE4] species up and down the Pacific Flyway.

LUNDSTEN: Birders can spot more than 370 species, including six endangered. Even though saving the estuary was a success, Phillips says there are still challenges facing the wetlands.

PHILLIPS: One of the problems is sewage in the estuary and the coastal waters. Our beaches are often closed because of sewage pollution. Second problem is trash and tires � one year we took 4000 tires out of the estuary.

LUNDSTEN: But he says the biggest problem is *sediment � caused by runoff from development across the border in Tijuana, where laws governing building and waste management are much less strict. On top of that, the area in Tijuana near the River � called Los Laureles Canyon � is a haven for the homeless, who build shacks out of everything from abandoned garage doors to tires. When a storm hits, all that waste, plus erosion, runs straight down into the estuary.

PHILLIPS: Only a half a foot of sediment can choke out that tidal exchange and basically make it a non-functioning system and that�s what�s happened in many parts of our estuary.

LUNDSTEN: Phillips says there are some current projects going on to help. One is developing *sediment basins � basically, storage receptacles � to trap excess sediment.� Another is figuring out where to dump waste collected in the estuary and maybe create a place for it to go *before it even gets into the Tijuana River. Another plan is getting the word out to Tijuanans. Ben McHue is Program Manager for Wildcoast, a community non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving coastal areas in California and Latin America. He says his organization does a lot of outreach, including a weekly radio show in Tijuana that discusses issues affecting both Mexico and the U.S.

McHUE: So we�re really trying to advocate for bi-national solutions � increase planned community development in Tijuana, increased resources for trash and sewage collection and treatment and disposal. As well as getting some of the local community here involved in the protection of the estuary and the protection of the watershed and to get them to understand their connection to the health of the estuary � basically, the health of our environment here determines the health of our communities.

Another plan is getting the word out to Tijuanans. Ben McHue is Program Manager for Wildcoast, a community non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving coastal areas in California and Latin America. He says his organization does a lot of outreach, including a weekly radio show in Tijuana that discusses issues affecting both Mexico and the U.S.

LUNDSTEN: McHue says the response from Mexico citizens and the government have been positive. Superintendent Clay Phillips says it�s important for Californians to protect the estuary, too. ~~too~~.

PHILLIPS: The most important mechanism for natural resource protection is public advocacy. If people don�t know about it, then legislators aren�t going to care about it and if legislators don�t care about it, then we�re not going to see the regulations and funding needed to protect these places.

~~LUNDSTEN: He says saving the estuary only happened because of hard-won partnerships.~~

~~LUNDSTEN:~~ Those agencies are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California State Parks, who work with several local, federal, bi-national and international groups -- like the City of San Diego, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association, Border Patrol, the Cities of Tecate and Tijuana, and the International Boundary and Water Commission, among others. LUNDSTEN: Phillips says he can wax poetic about why the Tijuana River Estuary is important to California, but his message is simple.

PHILLIPS: Come and visit and see for yourself. (This is said in a really sweet and nice way...the cadence makes it interesting...)

LUNDSTEN: Visitors can explore four miles of trails � on foot or horseback[JE5] , as well as check out the adjoining Border Field State Park or hit the nearby Imperial Beach. The Visitor�s Center offers hands-on educational exhibits and interactive activities. You can find out more about *visiting the Tijuana River Estuary at parks.ca.gov.

OUTRO: If you want to find out more about *supporting all of California�s state parks, visit the California State Parks Foundation website and join our 90,000 members. This podcast was brought to you thanks to a generous donation from Susan Stuart.