Earlier this summer, walking along Crown Point Park and the nearby marsh, you would be met with a cacophony of cries from the residents of the island facing the area. Elegant Terns (ELTE), in the tens of thousands, chose the crescent of land as a suitable nesting ground this year, and have been returning to nest in greater numbers since the pandemic in 2020. They were joined by hundreds of pairs of Royal terns and tens of Forster’s and Caspian terns, while sharing the shore with the 15 million users of Mission Bay Park and its shorelines.
Elegant Terns are a larger bodied, sleek looking shorebird listed as Near Threatened and a Species of Conservation Concern, nesting mainly in the southern Gulf of California, but more recently found along the northern coast. Isla Rasa, MX hosts almost the entire population of these terns, but when conditions aren’t suitable for nesting in Mexico or their other known sites, they search for a better home. However, this year’s population faced its own difficulties in Mission Bay, with large fireworks shows, recreational boating, and a thunderboat race that circled the island still hosting fledglings in late September. All of these impacts urged us to take a critical look at the way in which management and enforcement of recreation may be failing these birds.
It’s a curious and common question, why they chose to nest in Mission Bay with the amount of disturbance that occurs in the summer. Over 150 fireworks shows are set off less than a mile away, and Elegant Terns are much more sensitive to noises than the resident Least Terns we monitor. Adding in the amount of boats, people, and even dogs that disturb them, you would think they made a mistake with their choice of home. However, these terns have already had to relocate, much of them coming from the San Diego Bay Saltworks, where increased predators made their site uninhabitable for raising their young. Plus, West Ski Island sits adjacent to a buffet of young fish who live within Kendall-Frost Marsh. It’s great news for bird enthusiasts that they chose Mission Bay, but as we anxiously await if they return after such a tumultuous summer, it’s bittersweet that they may have to move to yet another nesting ground continuing to search for safety.
If the terns and skimmers do decide to return this year, we’re hoping it’s with a warmer welcome. After dead ELTE adults, chicks and eggs washed ashore Kendall-Frost following July 4th, we quickly mobilized with the support of the community and volunteers to demand greater protections for the species. Elegant Terns are covered by the City’s Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP), yet due to their relatively new appearance, managers hadn’t quite caught up to enforcing these protections. The controversial nightly fireworks shows didn’t seem like they were going anywhere, despite widespread community support to limit or cease them. Then, to really add insult to injury, the San Diego Bayfair hosted their Thunderboat races during nesting season. Yet, these birds seem to have some powerful allies, as summer of 2025 is looking a lot more tern-friendly in Mission Bay.
Our advocacy efforts spread across multiple fronts, writing letters, and speaking at public meetings like the California Coastal Commission, the City’s Environment Committee, and the Mission Bay Park committee. These actions gained significant traction: we were asked to recommend interim guidance for Parks & Recreation to improve seabird nesting habitat in Mission Bay in 2025, the Mission Bay Park Committee wrote a letter supporting the cessation of fireworks shows in Mission Bay. This momentum grew when Council President Joe LaCava recently came out against fireworks.
Looking toward longer-term protections, the California Coastal Commission will now require San Diego Bayfair to submit a Coastal Development Permit for this year’s event, ending over 20 years of grandfathered permitting. Additionally, our friends at the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) and San Diego Coastkeeper intend to sue SeaWorld over violations of the Clean Water Act, creating murky waters for the future of their fireworks shows. Most recently, our conservation team and volunteers took concrete action by preparing W. Ski Island for the terns’ return. None of this work would have been possible without our dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers, and our coalition partners including Fiesta Island Dog Owners, CERF, SD Coastkeeper, Surfrider, Clean Earth 4 Kids, Eco San Diego, and San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air.Â
Although we’re looking forward to seeing all this work in action this summer, we’re not nesting on our laurels anytime soon. Fireworks shows are still scheduled to occur this summer, and raising awareness about the importance of W. Ski Island as a sanctuary is no small feat. You can help protect these remarkable birds and their habitat by:
- Following ReWild Mission Bay and San Diego Bird Alliance on social media to stay updated on advocacy opportunities
- Joining us at volunteer habitat restoration events around Mission Bay
- Becoming a docent at Kendall-Frost Marsh or the San Diego River Mouth to support responsible recreating and raise awareness about our important habitats
- Consider joining this year’s advocacy training program Earth Advocates, to learn how you too can enact successful advocacy campaignsÂ
- Sharing the storing of the W. Ski Island terns with your community!