The Salton Sea and Desert Program has had a historic 12 months. From taking part in a pivotal function within the designation of Chuckwalla Nationwide Monument to launching our Salton Sea Management Program, the group continues to seek out new methods to preserve birds, construct neighborhood capability, and protect the ecosystems which might be important to our communities and to the birds that depend on them as they journey alongside the Pacific Flyway and throughout the hemisphere.
The Salton Sea program combines all of Audubon’s objectives of habitat conservation, local weather motion, coverage, and neighborhood constructing via the lens of the distinctive landscapes of California’s deserts. Supporting over 300 species of birds, the Sea is likely one of the most necessary habitats within the state of California, however the Sea can also be altering quickly as a result of Twenty first-century modifications in water use patterns and drought within the Colorado River. Every member of our group brings private ties to the Coachella Valley’s various ecology, and a shared love for birds, public lands, and the communities that decision this distinctive panorama residence.
After years of tireless advocacy, Chuckwalla Nationwide Monument was designated on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Audubon performed a key function, alongside many companions and native organizations, within the safety of greater than 624,000 acres of public land. Chuckwalla is a biodiversity hotspot, residence to Golden Eagles, Verdin, bighorn sheep, and lots of different uncommon and endangered species. Importantly, Chuckwalla is of nice significance to native Indigenous nations, who’ve since fashioned the primary Intertribal Fee in California to have jurisdiction over federal lands.
“Via our on-the-ground outreach efforts over the previous few years, we’ve talked to 1000’s of people who find themselves excited to find out about these pure wonders proper of their backyards,” mentioned Rhian Reyes, campaign organizer for Audubon California’s Deserts and Salton Sea Program. “We all know that that is an funding in our communities’ future – defending a singular and resilient ecosystem, increasing entry to the outside, and acknowledging its particular previous.”
This 12 months marked the profitable launch of our first-ever Salton Sea Leadership Program (SSLP), coordinated by Lindsay Rowe, Senior Training Coordinator for Audubon California’s Salton Sea & Deserts Program. 12 contributors from throughout the Coachella Valley had been chosen to be part of this primary cohort, collaborating in classes ranging in subject from conventional ecological information to native wildlife, to native points akin to lithium extraction. Our group led six subject journeys through the course of the program, visiting native landmarks such because the Cahuilla Fish Traps and birding on the Sonny Bono Nationwide Wildlife Refuge. This system is having a long-lasting influence even past the contributors themselves – academics locally reached out to Audubon about providing an identical program in excessive faculties all through the area.
