ReWild Coalition Group Photo Best CC 041923

ReWild Mission Bay Coalition Rally Media Round-Up

April 19, 2023•Tommy Hough

Click here to send your comments to the city via this pre-formatted Audubon California page.

A big thanks to the ReWild Coalition organizations and community groups that joined us for our press event at Mission Bay Park on the day before the deadline to comment on the city’s draft EIR for their De Anza Natural wetland restorstion proposal, including San Diego Audubon, Outdoor Outreach, San Diego Coastkeeper, the San Diego and Imperial counties chapter of the American Association of Pediatrics, San Diego Sierra Club and the San Diego Surfrider chapter.

Thanks also to these local San Diego media outlets for joining us to cover the story and our rally, and to San Diego Audubon’s Brandon Weber for compiling this list.

Thanks as well to long-time reporter Dave Schwab from the San Diego News Group for joining us.

At 75 members and growing, the ReWild Coalition is now the largest community coalition EVER assembled for a San Diego environmental initiative! It’s clear San Diegans are ready, and have been ready, for this restoration.

But in order for it to succeed, we need the greatest volume of restored wetlands at the Wildest level – then we’ll have the green infrastructure in place for our city to truly benefit from the natural filtration, habitat preservation, and protection offered our city and park by wetlands.

If you haven’t made your comments yet to the city, you have until 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 20th, to do so. Click here for more on how to make your comments, or use this pre-formatted California Audubon link.

Finally, we need your support at two city meetings today:

  1. The San Diego Parks and Recreation Board will meet from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Balboa Park Club Ballroom, located at 2135 Pan American Way. The city will present its De Anza Natural plan as an informational item to the board as Item 201 – that’s the item you’ll want to comment on. You can attend the meeting in person, or attend virtually via this Zoom link.
  2. You can make non-agenda public comments at the City of San Diego Environment Committee meeting beginning at 6 p.m. on the 12th floor at City Hall. Nothing regarding Mission Bay is on the agenda, but if you could make non-agenda comments at the beginning of the meeting in-person or via Zoom in support of ReWild Mission Bay and maximum wetland restoration, it would be a great help.

Scroll to the bottom of this linked ReWild Mission Bay page for additional talking points and things to consider in addition to your own experiences for supporting ReWild.

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to restore and prepare Mission Bay Park for the next 100 years of conservation needs and sea level rise realities. We know northeast Mission Bay is the BEST place in the city for restored wetland habitat, and we need to implement the maximum volume of restored wetland acreage at the Wildest level NOW.

Thank you again to every member organization and community partner for their ongoing support of wetland restoration, clean water, increased shoreline resilience to rising sea levels, carbon sequestration, expanded public access, habitat preservation for threatened and endangered species, and expanded recreation opportunities for all San Diegans – including low-cost camping options.

ReWild Rally photo © 2023 Tommy Hough and the San Diego Audubon Society, all rights reserved.
Love Your Wetlands Day photo © 2023 Sandeep Sandhar, not intended for republication.