Projects and Programs

MISSION BAY

Citizens, Science, and Conservation in Mission Bay San Diego Audubon has been selected as one of three pilot sites nationwide to engage senior and youth volunteers in citizen science activities to benefit the conservation of the Mission Bay Important Bird Area. Volunteers will take part in experimental design, planning and implementation of conservation projects, threat analysis, monitoring of site characteristics and critical species, analyses of bird populations, and more. This program will be an opportunity to integrate more citizen science activities into our existing portfolio of conservation actions, while providing enhanced protection for Mission Bay’s sensitive species and habitats.

Sponsor: National Science Foundation, National Audubon Society

TogetherGreen Volunteer Days

SDAS has been awarded a Volunteer Days grant from TogetherGreen, a dynamic and innovative Audubon initiative, funded by Toyota. This grant will allow us to engage over 200 new volunteers in conservation projects to benefit the Mission Bay Important Bird Area, a globally significant IBA that hosts several endangered bird species and large numbers of migratory shorebirds. With TogetherGreen support, new volunteers, and IBA stakeholders, we will expand our conservation actions to incorporate an expanded selection of conservation activities, including habitat restoration and citizen science projects that will help us better protect Mission Bay’s sensitive species and habitats.

Sponsor: TogetherGreen

Restoring Nesting Habitat for the California Least Tern at Mariner's Point

SDAS is dedicated to restoring and protecting an important California Least Tern nesting site at Mariner's Point in Mission Bay. We've worked with the City of San Diego to install protective fencing for terns and chicks and to host restoration work parties that remove encroaching invasive plants from nesting areas. This habitat restoration project also includes a variety of family-oriented components, such as refurbishing Least Tern decoys and installing Tern ‘condos' (curved roof tiles).

San Diego River Restoration

SDAS has adopted a section of the San Diego River in support of the San Diego River Park Foundation's effort to restore the River. We maintain this site by removing invasive plants, planting native species, picking up trash, and maintaining protective fencing. This stretch of river, located between Dog Beach and Interstate 5 is an excellent birding area and important upland habitat.

Mangrove Removal in the Northern Wildlife Preserve

The conservation objective of this project was to remove the invasive Grey Mangrove plant from the Northern Wildlife Preserve using volunteer work events and follow-up monitoring activities. Volunteers learned how the non-native plants were adversely affecting the endangered Light-Footed Clapper Rail's nesting habitat and then took part in hand-pulling them from the marsh. Although the Mangroves have been largely removed, continued efforts of this project focus on building community capacity for continued stewardship and monitoring activities at the marsh. Funded has been provided by the Wetlands Recovery Project. Visit the UC Natural Reserve System's website if you'd like to learn more about the Northern Wildlife Preserve.

Sponsor: Wetlands Recovery Project

SAN DIEGO BAY

Emory Cove

We have been working in partnership with the Port of San Diego and the San Diego Oceans Foundation to restore Emory Cove for resident and migratory wildlife. Emory Cove provides important upland habitat for shorebirds and In this last year, we’ve hosted a total of 10 volunteer work events to remove over 12 tons of invasive ice plant and plant over 2,000 salt marsh and coastal sage scrub plants. We’ll be continuing our work to restore this site in the coming year by watering the plants during the dry summer months, weeding, and planting even more native plants.

Sponsor: Unified Port of San Diego

D-Street Habitat Restoration to Benefit the California Least Tern & Western Snowy Plover

In collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Friends of San Diego Wildlife Refuges, and with funding from the Port of San Diego, we're working to improve nesting habitat at the D Street Nesting Site. This area is part of the Sweetwater Unit of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge and one of the most productive nesting sites for the endangered California Least Tern in southern California. The project includes removing invasive plants that serve as perches for birds that prey on terns and improving salt grass habitat used by the threatened Belding's Savannah Sparrow. A follow-on project has benefited the threatened Western Snowy Plover by grading and removing vegetation along a segment of shoreline, thus enhancing foraging opportunities for Plover chicks, and allowing the Western Snowy Plovers to use this site for nesting. Volunteers have also distributed shell fragments which the Plovers use to construct and camouflage their nests.

Sponsor: Unified Port of San Diego

SAN DIEGO NWR OTAY-SWEETWATER UNIT

South County Student Education and Stewardship Initiative

We are collaborating with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish & Game, and other conservation organizations to improve community access to and care of Otay-Sweetwater conserved lands by implementing education and stewardship programs that serve local students. The conserved lands in the Otay-Sweetwater region (hereafter referred to as South County conserved lands) represent the largest block of protected and undeveloped coastal habitats in Southern California, and yet this resource remains undiscovered and under-appreciated by much of the San Diego County community. This project proposes to provide opportunities for elementary and high school students to participate in educational programs and stewardship activities on these lands. We will establish relationships with local elementary schools and take steps to establish high-quality nature programs at selected school sites, including our OutdoorExplore! and Nearby Nature School Field Trips programs. Area high school students will be invited to participate in a service learning program that supports restoration and citizen science projects on conserved lands, while providing students with a hands-on learning opportunity. Stewardship activities that students may take part in include invasive removal to support rare plant recovery, oak plantings and watering, building and installing bird boxes for sensitive species, supporting the development of a native plant nursery, restoring a trail system, and assisting in the creation and installation of bilingual interpretive signage.

Sponsors: The San Diego Foundation, Union Bank Foundation, REI

Landscaping for Wildlife in Chula Vista

This is a project of the San Diego Flyway Cities Coalition, aimed at raising community awareness and capacity for installing native, drought-tolerant landscapes in the eastern Chula Vista community of Eastlake. We've partnered with the City of Chula Vista, Eastlake III, Recon Native Plants, and Garden Retreat Design and others to carry out this community-sized project. This spring, with the help of over 90 volunteers and community residents, we converted a 1.4 acre community green space into a demonstration native plant garden for wildlife. An educational component, adapted from the City of Chula Vista's NatureScape Program, was also offered at each work event to help get the word out on sustainable, wildlife-friendly landscaping. This project was generously supported by the TogetherGreen program, an alliance between National Audubon and Toyota.

Download a How-to Guide to Working with Homeowners Associations to Promote Nature-friendly Landscaping (pdf of guide)

Sponsor: TogetherGreen, Union Bank Foundation

TIJUANA RIVER RESERVE

Volunteer-based Monitoring at Border Field State Park

SDAS has partnered with Border Field State Park and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve to carry out a volunteer-based monitoring project. Utilizing a combination of vegetation and photo monitoring activities, baseline data was collected for sensitive habitat areas that may be negatively impacted as a result of the recently constructed U.S. – Mexico Border Fence. Volunteers worked with trained botanists to identify and document the effects of fence construction on invasive species colonization within a twenty-five acre study area. Monitoring protocols and baseline data resulting from this study may be utilized to compel and inform future remediation activities in the reserve. Program funding has been provided by the USFWS Coastal Program and an anonymous donor.

Sponsor: US Fish & Wildlife Service