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DDTs and PCBs dumped in the ocean decades ago at
White Point, near Los Angeles continue to contaminate natural resources in the
Southern California Bight. The Montrose Settlements Restoration Program is
taking action to restore those resources.
Learn more about the Montrose site,
the southern California bight and nearby Channel Islands.
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Balance Returns to Huntington Beach Wetlands
This year MSRP funded a portion of the restoration at the Brookhurst Marsh, part
of the Huntington Beach Wetlands system. This effort is helping to restore
important fish habitat in southern California. The weltands site has been
returning back to life quickly after contractors breached a portion of the
levee to let ocean water flow into the marsh back in April. This short film
shows the restoration process and the importance of this habitat for many
species of fish and birds. Video
transcript.
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If you cannot view the video,
click here to install the latest Adobe Flash Player
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Cassin's Auklets Returning to Santa Barbara Island
This year scientists are doubling efforts to perform surveys of Cassin's
Auklets on Santa Barbara Island (SBI). As a result they are discovering that
more seabirds than previously seen in the last few years are using historical
nest sites on the islands. There are a number of reasons why nesting on this
island has declined over the years and one of them was a feral cat population
that is no longer present. MSRP has been restoring some known historical
nesting sites on SBI since 2006. The restoration efforts involve removing
invasive plants and planting native ones that provide better habitat for
nesting Cassin's Auklets. Scientists are also using sound vocalization
techniques which are recordings of Cassin's Auklets that are placed near the
restored nest areas to attract new individuals. Seabirds have not returned to
these restored sites yet but scientists did capture a few Cassin's Auklets
flying within ear shot of the vocalizations during monitoring surveys this
Spring.
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Brood patch of a Cassin's
Auklet.
A team of scientists using a spotlight to
stun a seabird and then catching it with a net.
During
a recent seabird monitoring research trip at Santa Barbara Island a team of
scientists conducted at-sea night captures of seabirds to band and document
them near Landing Cove. Scientists capture the seabirds from a small boat by
shining a spotlight to stun them and then get close enough to capture the
stunned seabirds with a net. The seabirds that are captured get shuttled back
to the NOAA vessel, RV Shearwater, where they were banded. Birds were also
examined for brood patches, which are the bare vascularized areas on the belly
of the birds that they use to keep their eggs warm. Many of the birds captured
had brood patches indicating they were breeding adults.
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