Love Your Wetlands Day 2022 at Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve, San Diego Audubon
Held once a year, Love Your Wetlands Day is a time when the reserve welcomes the public to learn about the last remaining segment of tidal marsh in Mission Bay. Catch a close-up glimpse of shorebirds, visit the different types of marsh and upland habitat, and learn about the animals and plants that call this wetland home.
Reserve manager describes the close connection between salty ocean waters, plant composition, and the success of the marsh’s populations of endangered clapper rails.
Reserve manager Isabelle Kay shows how uplands and marsh channels provide both protection from high tides and places to hide and hunt for plants and animals. Trace metals in the water may be collecting at particularly high concentrations due to the marsh’s sediment composition.
Marshes have long been outflow points for municipal sewage and storm drain systems; Kendall-Frost is no exception. While the sewage line is being rerouted, storm outflows remain a major source of marsh pollutants.
Reserve manager Isabelle Kay provides an overview of one of Mission Bay’s last remaining tidal wetlands.