Opinion: Strong state oversight needed to ensure California’s wetlands are protected
When the first European explorers arrived in California’s Central Valley, they found a vast mosaic of seasonal and permanent wetlands, as well as oak woodlands and riparian forests. What remains of those wetlands are still the backbone of the Pacific Flyway; along with flooded agricultural fields, they support millions of migrating waterbirds each year. According to a just-released study from Audubon, tens of millions of land birds rely on the Central Valley as well… But today, the situation is dire. More than 90% of wetlands in the Central Valley – and throughout California – have disappeared beneath tractors and bulldozers.
-Written by Samantha Arthur, the Working Lands Program Director at Audubon California and a member of the California Water Commission.Related article:
- Brinkwire: Over 65 million migrating birds stop in the same California town on their way south for the winter