Bev-Sue Powers, all rights reserved AGENDA 1. Wetlands Background 2. Meet the Birds 3. Meet the Fishermen 4. The Catch 5. Calls to Action Part 1. Wetlands Background BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 1
This has been the seasonal flow, for tens of thousands of years: same bird species, same family lineage, all with deep, intimate, genetic knowledge of place We are in the midst of the 6 th species mass extinction: and the only one caused by human activities On the west coast alone, the number of acres of wetlands have been reduced by 95% in the past 50 years, and continue to disappear at a rate of about 1% each year Per Audubon, between 1950 and 2010, 70% of the world s seabird population have disappeared. Original wetlands Had over 2,100 acres of fresh and salt water marshlands, sand dunes, and meandering creeks & tributaries. BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 2
In little more than a century, over 70% of the original wetlands habitat has been destroyed What remains of its original ecological functions are extremely suppressed and are under tremendous stress Though there is still much variety, alarmingly very few of most species remain: Many of the Ballona Wetlands seabirds are on the rapidly declining watch list (i.e., expected to be extinct within the next 40 years) Remaining wildlife have a very fragile and tenuous existence due to extreme & constant stressors Mitigating stressors and restoring its original ecological functions will be fraught with challenges Once restored, the mosaic of different habitat will need vigilant monitoring and ongoing modifications to provide enough Food & shelter for wildlife to survive and persist Protection from intentional and unintentional harm of human activities In other words, our pearl will be on life support for the foreseeable future: We need all hands on deck! Political/Economic pressures Severe environmental degradation Increasing impacts from climate change & sea level rises Harmful Urban Recreational Activities Recreational shore fishing has caused significant, unintentional harm to the environment and to wildlife BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 3
Stressors & Risks due to unmonitored recreational shore fishing This story reveals how local, recreational fishing contributes to the phenomena of mass extinction, day by day, under our noses It s about the survival of our wetlands and adjacent areas: By mitigating harm and destruction of wildlife s food supplies By identifying education and outreach solutions By supporting & participating in reviving its ecological functions & mitigating further harm Part 2. Meet Your Water Birds Neighbors Mussels, clams, & oysters, small fish, crustaceans, and more along the jetties, & levees Snails, tiny crabs, tiny fish (1/4-2 ) and more in the Del Rey Lagoon and in the creek, salt pan rivulets, the marina, and in the beach waters Aquatic plants, insects, frogs, reptiles, and small mammels living throughout the Ballona Wetlands BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 4
Buffleheads Common Loon Red-Breasted Merganser BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 5
Surf Scoter Long-Tailed Duck On Audubon s List Common Bird in Steep Decline Western Grebe BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 6
Eared Grebe Pied-Billed Grebe Cormorant BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 7
Cormorant Village Great Egrets Great Egret Families BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 8
Snowy Egrets Snowy Egret Great Blue Herons Audubon Watch List (Red) BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 9
Great Blue Heron Audubon Watch List (Red) Black-Crowned Night Heron Black-Crowned Night Heron Youngsters BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 10
Brown Pelicans protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Brown Pelican protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act Bird Food: Ballona Creek Levees BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 11
Osprey Jetty Peckers & Aquatic Nibblers Willet Audubon Watch List (Yellow) BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 12
Black & Ruddy Turnstones Audubon Watch List (Yellow) Willet & Black Turnstone Both on Audubon Watch List (Yellow) Marbled Godwit BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 13
Whimbrel Audubon Watch List (Yellow) Wandering Tattler On Audubon s List Common Bird in Steep Decline Surfbird BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 14
Sanderlings Audubon Watch List (Yellow) Black Oyster Catchers Oyster Catcher Habitat Watch Audubon Watch List (Yellow) Black Oyster Catcher Oyster Catcher Habitat Watch Audubon Watch List (Yellow) BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 15
American Oyster Catcher Audubon Watch List (Red) Part 3. Meet the Fishermen Fishermen in Action: Jetty Fishing BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 16
Fishermen in Action: The Leftovers Fishermen in Action: Ballona Creek Levee Fishing Fishermen in Action: No-Fishing Zone BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 17
Fishermen in Action: Bird Food Plunder Fishermen in Action: Food Plunder Fishermen in Action: Bird Food Plunder BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 18
Fishermen in Action: Bird Food Plunder Part 4. The Catch Fishermen in Action: The Catch BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 19
Fishermen in Action: The Catch Fishermen in Action: The Catch BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 20
Fishermen in Action: The Catch Fishermen in Action: The Catch Fishermen Discards: Hook, Line, & Sinker BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 21
Part 5. We Can Fix This!! It s All Local And It s All Urgent! The planet is in midst of 6 th Mass Extinction. What you ve seen today shows actions contributing to this, little by little, day by day, foot by foot. It s All Local. AND WE CAN FIX THIS. Let s Fix This: Calls to Action Put a moratorium on fishing & take along the Ballona Creek jetties and levees Until fishing moratorium starts and after it s lifted: Replace the PVC fishing line collection box with more effective solution BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 22
Let s Fix This: Calls to Action Add more garbage cans (with lids) along the Jetty, Levees, and Pacific Avenue bridge Put up more effective signage (in multiple languages) about fishing hazards prevention and Watch-List species protection laws Enforce existing trespassing & littering laws. For those caught breaking these laws, include mandatory wetlands educational classes ALONG WITH mandatory restoration-related community service hours Monitoring & Enforcing: areas used by fishermen When is a fishing permit needed in the Ballona Wetlands areas? Who is in charge of educating & communicating with fishermen? When is harvesting mussels, oysters, crabs, and other crustaceans permitted in the Ballona Watershed & how much of each? Whose Jurisdiction? Who enforces Let s Fix This: Calls to Action Join me & other Stakeholders in understanding, monitoring, protecting, & restoring sea bird foraging areas to be better protected and ecosystem restored to help mitigate harm to seabirds from fishing activities Identifying what regulations need to be updated Who can fish and when How can existing recreational shore fishing and mussel/oyster /crab Take laws be changed and/or better enforced? BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 23
Let s Fix This: Calls to Action Participate with & support local wildlife organizations Become Citizen Scientists: Explore, get to know & celebrate your wildlife neighbors, what makes them thrive, and vigilantly protect their right to exist! Choose wildlife-friendly recreation Spread the word! Appendix Nature Services - earth s biological & geochemical systems - are the working parts of our ability to exist Human-caused disruptions & destruction to Nature s Services are causing an extreme, rapid decline in Nature s ability to keep these systems running This is literally cutting off the lifeline upon which our existence depends BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 24
Healthy Wetlands Services Are natural sponges for watershed & coastal flood protection, and are an increasingly important buffer to climate-change related sea level rising Recharge groundwater supplies, and are a natural filter for mitigating harmful nutrients and pollution that taint water quality Support a huge variety of life by Providing primary habitats and nurseries and the food sources on which wildlife depends Storing carbon dioxide, helping regulate climate change Serving as refueling destinations along the world s migration flyways Wetlands are the most productive of all natural habitats. Compare the pounds of plant growth per acre per day generated: 175 lbs: Wetlands 90 lbs: Grasslands, Forests, and Lakes 15 lbs: Oceans: 10 lbs: Deserts: Birds play a vital role in contributing to the vitality and productivity of wetlands by grazing & fertilizing habitats, controlling insect populations, spreading seeds, & being a food source to other wildlife BallonaPhotography@gmail.com www.ballonaphotography.com 25