California Wetlands and The Batiquitos Lagoon :: Environment Ecology Ecological Essays

California Wetlands and The Batiquitos Lagoon As the importance of wetland property has been brought to light by ecologists it is a wonder why so much of it is still being destroyed. In California there are development trade- off's that are made that will destroy one wetland while saving another. This will be seen using the Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad, California as an example. In 1987 an agreement was signed with the Port of Los Angeles and the state of California. This agreement allowed part of the Port of Los Angeles to be filled in for commercial development, if the Batiquitos Lagoon was restored. The Port of LA traded their funds to restore the Carlsbad Lagoon for the ability to fill in part of the LA harbor. This fill in project was to kill a large marine life, and to compensate for this the Port of Los Angeles was to forever protect the wildlife (mostly bird species) of the Batiquitos Lagoon. The restoration of the Batiquitos Lagoon would include reintroducing tidal flow to the lagoon. After several years of commercial development and abusive farming on the shore of the Lagoon the tidal port had become blocked with sediment. However, during the years of blockage the Lagoon had converted from a saline environment to a freshwater one. The restoration of tidal flows to the Lagoon would alter the ecosystem to the Lagoon. With the filling of the 383 acres of the Port of Los Angeles certain safe guards to the agreement had to be complied to. Since the filling of the Port and the killing of the marine life was a permanent process so must the restoration of the Lagoon be permanent. The key element of the agreement were as follows: . The Port of Los Angeles would be allowed to fill 383 acres of deep water habitat in the Outer Los Angeles Harbor . All existing habitat of the Lagoon must be protected . The restoration of coastal and tidally influenced species must be established. . The Restoration Project is Forever . The Lagoon will be preserved as an Ecological Reserve by the State of California . The Lagoon must be maintained with a fund set up by the Port of LA and done by the California Department of Fish and Game.