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Port and Partner Agencies Celebrate Completion of Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve Restoration

Friday, 25 March 2011
Contact: Marguerite Elicone (619) 787-6391

The Port of San Diego, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the California Coastal Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are celebrating the completion of a project which restored 70 acres in South San Diego Bay.

The 70 acres include 55 acres at the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve and 15 acres at Emory Cove, just south of the Coronado Cays, off of the Silver Strand Highway.

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WHAT: Dedication ceremony for the completion of a 70-acre restoration project at the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve.

WHEN: 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 29, 2011

WHERE: The Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve, located behind the South Bay Power Plant, 990 Bay Boulevard, Chula Vista, CA

WHO:

• Scott Peters, Chairman, Board of Port Commissioners

• Dr. Cindy Lin, EPA Liaison and Environmental Scientist, United States Environmental Protection Agency

• Bob Hoffman, Assistant Regional Administrator for Habitat Conservation, National Marine Fisheries Service

• Sam Schuchat, Executive Officer, California State Coastal Conservancy

SIGNIFICANCE:

As part of the project, 67,000 cubic yards of material were removed from the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve and transported to Pond 11, which is currently being restored to salt marsh habitat by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as part of a larger project that will ultimately restore 280 acres in South San Diego Bay.

The material was dredged to lower the elevation, resulting in the creation of tidal channels that provide new habitat for fish. The new tidal channels also promote the growth of salt marsh, which creates new habitat for birds. There are an estimated 300 species of birds and more than 89 species of fish in San Diego Bay. Many of these are on the federal and state endangered species list.

Volunteers from the San Diego Oceans Foundation, Coronado Rotary Club, the San Diego Audubon Society and Ocean Discovery Institute spent hundreds of hours removing debris and invasive plants from the Emory Cove area. They also planted native plants at the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve and Emory Cove as part of this project.

The Port of San Diego used about $1.3 million from its Environmental Fund to pay for the project. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Port a $1 million West Coast Estuaries Initiative Grant to help fund the project. Other funding for the project came from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This amounted to just under $3 million.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the California Coastal Conservancy each contributed $1 million to the overall project.

The funding will also cover the costs for the entire 280-acre South Bay Restoration Project, which includes restoring three commercial salt ponds, in addition to restoring the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve area.

Please note: To access the media event area, you must check in with the security officer at the South Bay Power Plant. Please contact Marguerite Elicone and she will get you on the list.