FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2019
San Diego, Calif. – Two San Diego-based environmental organizations, San Diego Coastkeeper and Climate Action Campaign, have signed onto the ReWild Mission Bay letter of opposition to a pair of proposed leases for Campland On the Bay in the northeast corner of Mission Bay.
Approval of the leases will be discussed and voted on by San Diego City Council this Monday, June 24, in the 2 p.m. session.
The ReWild Mission Bay coalition will hold a press event prior to the meeting at Civic Center Plaza at 1 p.m. on the 24th. Supporters are encouraged to wear their ReWild Mission Bay shirts and arrive beginning at 12:30 p.m.
On June 12, the Land Use and Housing Committee voted to recommend the leases to the full council, with the exception of Land Use and Housing chair Vivian Moreno (D-8), who voted against the recommendation.
According to Matt O’Malley, executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper, water quality is a critical issue.
“We know this corner of Mission Bay Park has water quality problems, not only in Rose Creek but also at Campland and in De Anza Cove,” said O’Malley. “The 1994 Mission Bay Park Master Plan calls for water quality improvements as the foremost consideration for plans for this area, and the public has prioritized this over and over again.”
O’Malley added, “Water quality benefits to all the users of Mission Bay Park should be the metric Council uses to determine if these proposals are worth supporting, yet these lease proposals do nothing to improve water quality.”
Sophie Wolfram, director of programs at Climate Action Campaign, says the city is missing an opportunity to advance its Climate Action Plan goals.
“As our climate crisis escalates, our leaders have a responsibility to use every opportunity to reduce emissions and increase resiliency,” said Wolfram. “Restoring wetlands in northeast Mission Bay would sequester carbon and mitigate the impact of sea level rise, which are both critical needs in our city.”
“The lease proposals on the table today, rather than supporting the city’s climate goals, would likely have a significant environmental impact that should be fully analyzed,” said Wolfram. “We need and deserve for every city decision to be made in support of building a climate safe future for kids growing up today.”
ReWild Mission Bay coalition members are concerned about the granting of an all-new lease to Campland to manage the Mission Bay RV Resort on De Anza Point for five years, after the current operator announced their intent to cease management of the site June 30. De Anza Cove and De Anza Point have similarly been identified as ripe for wetland restoration, in part to improve water quality and climate resiliency.
San Diego Audubon and the ReWild Mission Bay campaign do not oppose the existing affordable guest housing in the northeast corner of Mission Bay. However, the organizations oppose expansion of this land use while the city and surrounding communities debate land uses via the ongoing De Anza Revitalization planning process.
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ReWild Mission Bay is a project of the San Diego Audubon Society and our coalition partners to enhance and restore wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay, thereby creating new opportunities for wildlife to thrive, and for San Diegans to enjoy nature in our collective backyard.