Wetland Expansion Prevails at San Diego City Council

San Diego’s City Council unanimously agreed to remove some Mission Bay campsites in exchange for restored wetland Tuesday afternoon. The changes to De Anza Cove are a result of eight years of negotiating how to move or remove recreational uses in the northeast corner of the bay to make way for natural habitats. But adding […] The post Wetland Expansion Prevails at San Diego City Council appeared first on Voice of San Diego.

May 16, 2024 - 21:25

Wetland Expansion Prevails at San Diego City Council

San Diego’s City Council unanimously agreed to remove some Mission Bay campsites in exchange for restored wetland Tuesday afternoon.

The changes to De Anza Cove are a result of eight years of negotiating how to move or remove recreational uses in the northeast corner of the bay to make way for natural habitats. But adding new acres of wetland is in line with the city’s Climate Action Plan, despite some dismayed golfers and frequenters of Campland by the Bay which would lose space to wetlands.

“When it comes to the (Climate Action Plan), quite frankly, we’re not moving anywhere near the speed we should be to see those goals reached,” said Council President Sean Elo-Rivera.

Councilmember Jen Campbell argued against language that said the wetland restoration plans would be submitted to state and federal agencies for review. Representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spoke at Tuesday’s meeting cautioning that the federal agency favored adding more wetlands than the city’s plan.

“They don’t have to strike the kind of balance that cities do,” Campbell said.

The council agreed to take out the language, but Leslie FitzGerald at the city attorney’s office said both the state and feds would regulate the city’s De Anza plan no matter what.