On Friday, January 12th, Kendall-Frost Marsh presented a unique spectacle, vastly different from most days of the year. The usual expanse of pickleweeds and cordgrass disappeared, and for a few dangerous hours, the 40 acre marsh had only 132 square feet of dry land for Ridgway’s rails to hide in. Over 50 attendees, alongside Audubon Staff, witnessed this extraordinary astronomical phenomenon, with our resident Ridgway’s Rails tucked in their nests, waiting it out. The alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun causes the highest and lowest tides all year during the winter in San Diego, and this nearly 7-foot-high tide, significantly above the average tide level of 2.96 (NOAA) gives us a unique opportunity to glimpse the future of our coastlines, and how our local species will respond.
Around 7AM, Audubon Staff and volunteers gathered at the edge of the marsh to begin our annual survey of the endangered Belding’s Savannah Sparrow and Ridgway’s Rail. SDAS staff and volunteers conducted three land surveys and two water surveys between 7:30AM and 10AM, to get a grasp on how our local population is faring, and give us better data on the marsh as a whole.
From 8-9AM, over 40 members of the community, representatives from San Diego Coastkeeper, and Council President Pro Tem Joe LaCava joined us at the north end of the marsh to discuss the future of our marsh and sea level rise. We then proceeded documenting king tides for the Coastal Commissions’ King Tides project throughout the marsh and the Rose Creek inlet. We sipped on coffee provided by our coalition member, Coffee Cycle, and got to watch the magic of the marsh as it was engulfed in water. We also contributed to California Coastal Commissions King Tides Project throughout the morning, seen here on their interactive map of images. It’s important to have this historical data to visualize how king tides increase over time with sea level rise, and take note of what infrastructure, buildings, residences, and open spaces will look like in the coming years.
Photos by Craig Chaddock and Al Abut
During our species survey, we got a glimpse at the local inhabitants being pushed to the edge of their habitats and observed 8 Ridgway’s Rail and 27 Belding’s Savannah Sparrow, as well as 6 Sora, a small marsh bird closely related to the rail. Without increased tidal wetlands and greater protection in place, these birds will continue to be pushed closer to the limit, and be unable to survive. The cordgrass that Ridgway’s Rail use to build their nests is very limited in the marsh, and they currently all reside in nesting platforms due to lack of resources. At the upcoming Love Your Wetlands Day on February 3rd, volunteers will be assisting in repair and building of even more rail platforms, to prepare for this year’s nesting season, beginning in late February.
Council President Pro Tem Joe LaCava spoke at the event and said “The King Tides are a visible reminder that we need a significant expansion of wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay. For San Diego to lead the state in successfully adapting to sea level rise, we must do what our communities need and what the Climate Action Plan requires. Mission Bay continues to demonstrate its versatility, and with King Tides as a reminder, the natural elements of this park can provide the most effective and resilient solutions.”
LaCava threw the gauntlet down, saying “I need you all to tell the Council that we need more wetlands right here!”
LaCava is requesting community member submit priorities for the environmental committee to joelacava@sandiego.gov by February 8th.
Lesly Gallegos, San Diego Coastkeeper’s water quality expert (Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator), spoke and said “Our data shows that the Bay is still burdened with pollution, with some sites’ levels of bacteria, copper, and phosphorus exceed water quality standards. We expect to get drastic results during the stormwater season that will highlight hotspots of pollution. Expanding the tidal wetlands would help improve the water quality in the Bay, protecting the wetland habitat, public recreation, and public health.”
Karina Ornelas, San Diego Audubon Society’s Conservation Outreach Coordinator, offered Spanish-language training on the Coastal Commission’s community science project gathering state-wide data on our King Tides . She commented, “the ReWild Coalition has shown that over 300 acres of restored habitat are needed to restore the northeast corner of Mission Bay Park. Kendall-Frost Marsh almost disappears on King Tides, and it will permanently disappear if we do not invest in tidal wetland restoration.”
King Tides offer a glimpse into the future impacts of sea level rise on San Diego’s coastal communities as these tide levels become more common, and our climate crisis increases our sea level. The ReWild Mission Bay Project, with its more than 90 coalition members, has been pushing for WILDEST restoration of wetland in the northeast corner of Mission Bay. That restoration could protect the area from the effects of sea level rise, improve water quality, maximize carbon sequestration, reconnect Native American communities to the coast, increase the diversity of recreational uses in the park, and protect the habitat for birds and other wildlife that benefit from Kendall-Frost Marsh.
This year’s King Tides garnered significant media attention, covered by ABC10 News, SDToday, CBS8, and NBC San Diego. Our survey found eight Ridgway’s Rails, an increase from the 2023 count of seven. Our Belding’s Savannah Sparrow count stayed similar to 2023 where we tracked 28, with 27 in 2024. At our event we were able to share with community members copies of See Your Home? This is where we belong. A coloring book designed in collaboration with Renascence Inc., a Kumeyaay-led nonprofit, and UCSD NRS. This will also be shared at this year’s Love Your Wetlands Day, join us 9AM-3PM on February 3rd for marsh clean-up, tule boat repair, rail platform building and even more marsh matters.
We’re grateful for all of our community members who could join us, as well as our speakers, Joe Lacava and Lesley Gallegos for joining us to Wander the King Tides. The survey was supported by Coalition members Aqua Adventures and CoffeeCycle Roasters.
To register for Love Your Wetlands Day: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/LYWD
For more information about the King Tides Project: https://www.coastal.ca.gov/kingtides/