Schwartz’s committee role provides vital communication link for Mission Bay revitalization efforts
San Diego, January 25, 2016 –
San Diego Audubon announces that its Conservation Program Manager Rebecca Schwartz has joined nine representatives to form the De Anza Ad Hoc Committee of the Mission Bay Park Committee, which informs City of San Diego’s De Anza Revitalization Plan. After dozens of public comments and a majority vote from the Mission Bay Park Committee, Schwartz was selected in late 2015 to help guide a multi-year planning process for the northeast corner of Mission Bay.
The De Anza Ad Hoc Committee provides input, vet concepts and ideas, and serves as a voice for the community in the process of formulating the De Anza Revitalization Plan. Schwartz leads San Diego’s Audubon’s concurrent conservation initiative, ReWild Mission Bay, which aims to protect and restore up to 170 acres of wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay.
ReWild Mission Bay and the De Anza Revitalization Plan co-exist with intersecting geographies and timelines, as well as many mutually consistent goals. The Mission Bay Park Master Plan, which serves as the guiding document for the ReWild Mission Bay and the City of San Diego’s De Anza Revitalization Plan, states that planning for this area must consider wetlands restoration and “hydrologic improvements aimed at safeguarding the viability of marsh areas”. Schwartz now has the opportunity to ensure initiatives and work plans of both projects work together and produce a healthy northeast corner of Mission Bay that meets the needs of the city, community, and environment.
“The end goal is to have the two plans move forward to the San Diego City Council and the Coastal Commission as one amendment to the Mission Bay Park Master Plan,” said Schwartz. “It’s a long process, but we have the opportunity to find a sustainable and creative solution for the future of this area that so many San Diegans cherish.”
Schwartz’s familiarity with the Mission Bay Park Master Plan, land uses, recreational facilities, and environmental resources in the area, as well as close relationship with the community, make her a valuable asset on the committee. Additional members include representatives from the San Diego Park and Recreation Board, the American Planning Association, the Pacific Beach Planning Group, the Mission Bay Lessees Association and the Rose Creek Watershed Alliance, among others.
Community members are encouraged to attend the committee’s first community workshop to provide input on the De Anza Revitalization Plan on Thursday, January 28 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at Mission Bay High School.
For more information about ReWild Mission Bay, please visit www.rewildmissionbay.org. To learn more about the San Diego Audubon Society, please click here.
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ReWild Mission Bay is a project of San Diego Audubon in partnership with the CA State Coastal Conservancy and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program. ReWild aims to enhance and restore up to 170 acres of wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay, creating opportunity for wildlife to thrive and San Diegans to enjoy nature in their own backyard. www.rewildmissionbay.org