Celebrate California Biodiversity Day 2020 at a National Wildlife Refuge. Visit a National Wildlife Refuge in California from September 5-13 and record any animals or plants you observe using the iNaturalist app.

Founded by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 and administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Wildlife Refuge System is a diverse network of lands and waters dedicated to conserving America’s rich fish and wildlife heritage. Within California, 40 refuges across the state provide habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunties for people. To locate a refuge near you, go to https://www.fws.gov/refuges/visit/.

Due to the COVID19 pandemic, this is a self-led bioblitz. Although most refuge and hatchery lands and outdoor spaces have remained open for the public to enjoy, we encourage you to:

Review our state-by-state update page and check local refuge and hatchery conditions before
visiting
Follow current CDC safe practices by maintaining a safe distance between yourself and other groups
Wear a cloth face mask/covering over the nose and mouth, especially when social distancing is
difficult
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
Most importantly, stay home if you feel sick

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-biodiversity-day-2020-usfws-national-wildlife-refuges

While the wildlife found in the Salton Sea have evolved to survive in the high salinity of the lake, in January of last year the mitigation water that had been flowing into the Salton Sea began to be diverted to larger urban areas in California, drastically changing the ecosystem of the Salton Sea. Without the great inflow of mitigation water, and because of high temperatures in the area contributing to near constant evaporation, the salinity of the Salton Sea will only continue to rise dramatically.

https://www.ivpressonline.com/life/desertmuseum/land-of-extremes-wildlife-of-the-salton-sea/article_887a3648-cba9-11e9-a578-83d127208335.html

Hot weather is on its way, and with it, potentially toxic bacteria could bloom rapidly in California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea, and other waters on the receiving end of runoff from farms and golf courses or sewage spills. With temperatures across the desert expected to climb high into the 90s by Monday, experts say telltale signs will quickly appear.

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2019/04/04/salton-sea-bacteria-algae-warm-weather-fertilizer-sewage-runoff-toxic-dogs-kids/3343891002/

Spectacular landscapes are part of California's natural identity. I recently led a group on a tour of the Salton Sea and it prompted me to think that we should consider the sea one of these treasures. There’s nothing in California like it.

https://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/2019/03/18/now-californias-can-save-the-salton-sea-frank-ruiz-valley-voice/3205846002/

The Imperial Irrigation District wants $200 million for the Salton Sea, a massive, briny lake in the desert southeast of Los Angeles created when the Colorado River breached a dike in 1905 and flooded a dry lake bed. The money would help create habitat for migratory birds and suppress dust in communities with high rates of asthma and respiratory illnesses.

https://ktla.com/2019/02/26/colorado-river-drought-plan-imperial-valley-district-demands-feds-fund-salton-sea-restoration-before-it-will-sign-on/

This year, the tilapia are all but gone, and so are millions of migratory birds that fed on them. There are no more stinking piles of dead fish piled high, only an ever-widening shoreline and dried up canals and harbors where boat docks that once floated on water now hang mid-air. The lake and its wildlife have also been left high and dry by 15 years of broken promises on restoration projects, critics say.

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2019/02/08/salton-sea-california-fish-bird-die-off-winter/2818025002/

The most recent report of thousands of birds dying of avian cholera has left many looking for solutions.
The Salton Sea was home to a countless amount of birds as they migrated south. Since the sea has receded, more birds are dying. Experts said time is running out for the species.

https://www.kyma.com/news/experts-weigh-in-on-avian-cholera-outbreak-at-the-salton-sea/1002465032

The death of a couple thousand birds of an infectious disease at the Salton Sea earlier this month has helped underscore the impact of diminished quality and quantity of the habitats there.

https://www.ivpressonline.com/news/a-suffering-habitat-death-of-thousands-of-birds-highlights-sea/article_2e18a97c-2457-11e9-8ca3-f74eaac2f81b.html

Authorities say thousands of migrating birds have died at California’s Salton Sea this month from avian cholera.

The California Department of Fish and Game says ducks, gulls and other birds were found dead at the south end of the state’s largest lake between Jan. 8 and last Thursday.

http://www.tribtown.com/2019/01/22/ca-salton-sea-bird-die-off/

For decades, the Imperial Valley, where the hardpan Sonoran desert meets the verdant agricultural fields that stretch from Mexico to the Salton Sea, has provided an improbable refuge for these owls. They were once relatively scarce here, but now the valley harbors 70 percent of the state’s population, thanks to a 3,100-mile irrigation system that transformed this stretch of desert into a multibillion-dollar agricultural industry.

https://www.hcn.org/issues/51.1/wildlife-water-savings-may-cause-suffering-for-burrowing-owls-california