For Immediate UseContact: Garrison Frost
September 27, 2008(323) 951-9620

 

Sacramento, CA – Representatives from Audubon California today expressed hope that Governor Schwarzenegger’s signing of Senate Bill 187 (Ducheny, San Diego) could mark the beginning of a new era for the long-troubled Salton Sea. The bill provides important funding and leadership mechanisms to perform dust control and ecosystem restoration.

“We believe the signing of the bill marks the end of the ongoing environmental tragedy that has been the recent history of the Salton Sea,” said Dan Taylor, Audubon California’s director of public policy.

The Salton Sea is one of the state’s most important bird habitats, and it has long been a vexing conservation issue. As water has been diverted away from the Sea for agricultural and urban use, dust emissions have increasingly threatened public health and dramatically altered the quality of the water that migrating shorebirds rely upon for survival.

Salton Sea is home to at least 19 sensitive species including Brown Pelican, Least Bittern, White-faces Ibis, Wood Stork, Clapper Rail, Long-billed Curlew, and many others.
The conservation issues at Salton Sea are several. Increased salinity is making the Sea less hospitable for fish which means less food for fish eating birds. Disease, contamination and human encroachment are other major concerns. There have been several major die-offs of birds at the location, with major recent kills including 150,000 Eared Grebes in 1992, 9,000 White Pelicans in 1996, and more than 11,000 waterbirds in 1998.

Making matters worse has been decades of inaction on the part of policymakers. A 2003 agreement with the federal government to allow the transfer of 370,000 acre feet of water per year from the Salton Sea and Imperial County to San Diego and other areas complicated the issue tremendously. Although California agreed to provide for habitat restoration and dust mitigation, the state had failed to follow through on these promises, and the situation at Salton Sea only got worse.

“We give a lot of credit to Senator Ducheny who worked hard to make sure that the State Legislature lived up to its commitments on the Salton Sea,” added Taylor. “Because of its remote location, it’s easy for folks in Sacramento to overlook this important asset of California’s environment.”

About Audubon California 
Audubon California is building a better future for California by bringing people together to appreciate, enjoy and protect our spectacular outdoor treasures. With more than 50,000 members in California and an affiliated 49 local Audubon chapters, Audubon California is a field program of the National Audubon Society.

More information is available at www.ca.audubon.org.