Discover the ancient East Asian art of Sumi-e at this year’s Int’l Migratory Bird Day! The Tijuana Estuary is offering a 3 hour Sumi-e art workshop led by local artist and San Diego Friends of Wildlife Refuges board member, Gaye Lingley, and local artist, Nancy Lee. Participants will learn to paint “zen” birds using this brush painting technique. Take a walk, learn the history of Sumi-e, practice through exercises, then paint your masterpiece! No experience or materials necessary. FREE!

Space is limited to 15 adults. Reservations are required and will be taken on first come, first serve basis. For more information or to reserve your spot now call Marya at (619) 575-3613 x306.

To learn more about the local group of Sumi-e painters that Gaye and Nancy belong to click here.

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Stakeholder Working Group members click here for further resources.

Stakeholder Workshop Series

This workshop series is designed to generate input from regional stakeholders on the development of a climate adaptation strategy for the Tijuana River Valley.

Workshop #1

April 16, 2013 | Agenda

Meeting objectives included: 1) Providing foundational information on climate change and adaptation processes, and how it translates to CURRV.  2) Establishing a collective understanding of existing conditions in the River Valley and vulnerability assessments.

 Presentations:

• Introduction to the CURRV Project
• Collaboratively Planning for the Future: Science informing Climate Adaptation
• Rethinking our Relationship with the Planet

Exercises:

• CURRV Building Blocks
• Vulnerability Assessment Training

Click here for informational flyer.

Click here for updates on the progress being made by the CURRV Stakeholder Working Group.

Tijuana River Valley: A Threatened but Resilient Ecosystem

Tijuana River Watershed drains 1,700 miles to the Pacific Ocean through the Tijuana River Valley. (Map: TRV Recovery Strategy)

The Tijuana River Valley (TRV) contains the largest intact coastal wetland system in Southern California, despite intense pressure from development associated with being situated on an international border between two major metropolitan areas- San Diego (California, United States) and Tijuana (Baja California, Mexico). Unlike most other coastal ecosystems in the region, which have been fragmented or lost altogether, the Valley has contiguous beach, dune, salt marsh, riparian, and upland ecosystems. These habitats are largely in public ownership,  managed by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, US Fish & Wildlife, California State Parks, County of San Diego, and City of San Diego.

                                                                         Why this project*?

A Climate Adaptation Strategy will help resource managers effectively protect the habitats of endangered and threatened species throughout the TRV. For instance, the survival of the endangered Light-footed Clapper Rail (above) depends on the resiliency of salt marsh habitats to climate change.

Climate change will effect the long-term ecological viability of natural ecosystems, while impacting the social and economic health of the surrounding communities. Fortunately, the Tijuana River Valley has been the focus of major restoration, conservation, and research efforts, making it a regional system able to accommodate impacts associated with our changing climate. In order to maintain and improve the resiliency of the TRV, we must strengthen our understanding of local vulnerabilities to climate change and develop adaptation strategies to address the impacts that threaten the future sustainability of important natural ecosystems and human communities.

Project Objectives

The overarching goal is to begin a regionally committed process of adapting to climate change within the context of other environmental and socioeconomic changes. In order to achieve this goal, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) will collaborate with a diverse stakeholder group to conduct a vulnerability assessment that informs the development of an Adaptation Strategy addressing the impacts of climate change, specifically sea level rise and riverine flooding. This project will aid the Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team (TRVRT) in addressing one of its priority action areas listed in the Recovery Strategy as a way to help protect and enhance natural resources throughout the region.  The development and implementation of this Climate Adaptation Strategy will help local communities adapt to climate change and increase ecosystem resiliency by providing jointly developed recommendations to coastal decision-makers on how to consider climate change in managing our natural resources and built infrastructure.

Expertise from TRNERR’s primary programs will be drawn on throughout the development and implementation of this project, including Education & Community Outreach, Research, Stewardship, and Training.

A Collaborative Approach

In addition to being an important ecological resource, the Tijuana River Valley provides a wide variety of uses.

TRNERR will lead a team that builds on well-established partnerships through the TRVRT and is expanded to include perspectives among federal, state, regional, county, and local public agencies; universities; nonprofits; businesses; and landowners throughout the development and implementation of the Adaptation Strategy. This process will improve the ability of public agencies in the TRV to adapt to climate change, as well as offer tools for effective participatory ecosystem-based management in light of these changes.

*This project is funded by a grant from the Coastal and Ocean Climate Applications Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Program Office.  Also supported in part by a grant from the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative.

Tijuana Slough NWR Beach Cleanup - in partnership with WiLDCOAST

Event Information

Who? Open to the entire community – all ages welcome. Families, individuals, scout groups, local clubs and organizations are welcome to participate. All volunteers under 18 must bring parent-signed permission forms, available by request. Volunteers under the age of 16 must attend with a parent or guardian.

What? Help cleanup the edge of the  marsh at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve . No special skills necessary to volunteer – only a willingness to get your hands dirty.

What to wear/bring? Volunteers must work in long pants and boots or sturdy, closed-toe shoes. We also recommend bringing sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats. The Tijuana Estuary provides work gloves and tools.

Where to meet? For projects held at the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge (TSNWR), meet at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center.

For more information:

All new long-term volunteers must first complete a mandatory 10-hour Information Ambassador training. Long-term volunteers must be willing to commit to serving a minimum of 4 hours per month.

Information Ambassadors can assist with special events tabling, as Visitor Center and Speaker Series greeters, and more. This is the prerequisite course to all other volunteer training courses.

Topics include:

• Intro to Reserve and Refuges
• What is an Estuary? Wetland Metaphors
• Intro to Watershed
• Intro to Estuarine Ecology
• Intro to Research and Monitoring
• Sensitive Species
• Injured and Orphaned Wildlife
• Experienceology
• History and Land Use
• Stewardship Program
• Education Programs

Supplemental training is required for Docents, Shorebird Stewards, Restoration Guides, and Water Quality Monitoring volunteers. Click here for more information on long-term volunteer programs.

Attendance of the Information Ambassador training does not guarantee a volunteer position. All volunteers must interview for open volunteer positions. Please fill out the online application to begin the process. Thank you.

To apply: Submit a Volunteer Application Form

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will lead key elements of a project addressing temporal changes in coastal wetland habitats and functions. This highly-collaborative project will steer local and regional wetland recovery efforts utilizing perspectives gained from historical ecology, current condition assessments, and climate change projections. Read more

Do you like to take photos, spend time outside, and are concerned about our coastal communities?

The California King Tides Initiative is asking members of the public to photograph extreme high tides along their local coastline.

The next king tides dates of the season are February 7-9, 2013.

To learn more click here to view flyer, or visit californiakingtides.org.