As if the seabirds living in Mission Bay didn’t have enough to deal with beyond fireworks, boaters and jet skis, now vandals reportedly broke into a protected endangered bird nesting area on Mariner’s Point over the weekend.
A nesting ground for endangered California least terns at Mariner’s Point was heavily damaged overnight on Friday, July 19, according to a San Diego Audubon Society press release.
“Every object on site was either scattered, broken, or tossed into the riprap (a layer of boulders surrounding the shoreline) and cove,” the release reads. “Even worse, the nests inside the preserve were disturbed.”
Cristina Santa Maria, San Diego Audubon’s conservation manager, said she saw at least two nests had been trampled and the four eggs inside, smashed.
Andrew Meyer, San Diego Audubon’s director of conservation, said he wondered about the timing of the event after the organization accused Fourth of July fireworks from SeaWorld San Diego and Discover Mission Bay for causing elegant terns on another island further north in the bay to scare from their nests and die. The organization called on the city and state to revoke SeaWorld’s fireworks permit through the nesting season, which ends in September.
“It certainly makes us wonder if somebody was taking out their opinions of our advocacy on the California least terns,” Meyer said.
Meyer confirmed police were aware of the incident but haven’t identified any suspects.
Photos taken Saturday show uprooted signs warning humans against entering or trespassing in the nesting area, bird blinds used by researchers to monitor tern activity had been thrown toward the water, and dozens of clay roof tiles placed around the grounds to provide shades for fledgling chicks had been smashed with rocks. Vandals also ripped through protective cloth fencing lining the perimeter of the island that prevents chicks from falling into the water, Santa Maria said.
Mariner’s Point is one of four protected nesting sites for the endangered birds in Mission Bay. It sits west of Quivira Point and occupies the remainder of the peninsula south of Mariner’s Point Park. The city of San Diego and the U.S. Department of Agriculture also manage the nesting grounds.
These seabirds are protected under both California and federal law. San Diego County represents around 60 percent of these birds’ total nesting ground in the state, according to San Diego Audubon Society. The shy shore birds like to raise their young on coastal sand dunes between April and September, but coastal development shrunk their range. Only about 4,000 nesting pairs still exist, Meyer said.
San Diego City Council and Environment Committee Chair Joe LaCava, whose district includes these nesting grounds, had said last week he’d look into what occurred over the Fourth of July weekend affecting least terns at West Ski Island, which is not a protected nesting ground.
“It is troubling that among the many threats to an endangered species like the California least tern, they are victims to this disturbing incident of vandalism at their protected nesting grounds,” LaCava said. “I appreciate the swift reaction of City Rangers, Audubon Society, and our partner agencies to alert the San Diego Police Department and ultimately hold the individuals accountable for their thoughtless acts.”
In Other News
- Why Council President Sean Elo-Rivera pulled the plug on a ballot measure that would have raised money to fix San Diego’s crumbling and flooding stormwater system. (Voice of San Diego)
- The San Diego City Council is slated to review some major changes to its general plan that aim to reverse decades of racial segregation and encourage high-density development in the name of climate change. (Union-Tribune)
- California needs one million electric vehicle charging stations, an unrealistic pace according to some experts interviewed by CalMatters’ Alejandro Lazo.
- Following recent fires at battery energy storage sites in Otay Mesa and Valley Center, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is working on some new rules on where they can be located. (City News Service)
- After Voice of San Diego exposed how the Metropolitan Transit Service was losing money on its new Pronto ticketing app system, and complaints from groups like Ride SD, the transit authority added contactless pay which allows riders to bypass the app and pay their fare directly by credit card or Apple Pay, etc. (Voice of San Diego)
- Tired of cars parking in the bicycle lane? An app called Bike Lane Uprising allows users to submit reports of bike lane obstructions all compiled into a live heat map. (KPBS)
Thank you to whoever did that to the so-called nesting area lol because you’re not forcing your opinion on their advocacy they’re forcing their advocacy on everyone else.
I am unsure if you are serious with your comment..but thanking, in any way,
the destruction of a protected animals nest is simply wrong. The people who did this need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. A disgusting act.
I’m sorry Jessica I thought most people visited Seaworld for the “rescuing animals” and whatnot but clearly you don’t care about that.
And neither does Seaworld. Go to an actual organization like the SDZ who cares about animals, not a for-profit company.
I was shocked to read this article due to its failure to discuss the extraordinary growth in the number of Least Terns in Mission Bay over the last two years. What happened last weekend was inexcusable, but drunks will be drunks.
There is zero actual evidence that the damage was retaliation for anything nor that any of the acts in any manner endangered in any meaningful manner the return of the Least Terns to Mission Bay.
Perhaps I missed something in the reporting? The good news for me is that every day I walk along or ride along the Bay and am able to marvel at and enjoy the vast flock of Least Terns we now see there.
Vandalism indicates conflict between people Who, apparently like fireworks and birds in the area. While I personally support stopping fireworks, a workable plan involves educating people about bird conservation. They have to want the birds more than human activities that hurt the birds.