We know this, but the Desert Sun provides a nice reminder of how important the Salton Sea remains for birds along the Pacific Flyway:

It’s one of the last rest stops and breeding grounds left for millions of migrating birds, representing more than 400 species, that travel the Pacific Flyway — a bird superhighway that runs the western length of North America.

The birds, some of which are already endangered, rely on the Salton Sea’s tilapia-filled waters to survive as wetlands, rivers and lakes elsewhere have been lost to development in the past century. Experts have warned for years that more species would see their numbers plummet — with more becoming endangered and even extinct — if nothing is done to curb the rising salinity at the sea.