Salton sea

Salton sea, originally uploaded by Britphoto.

In 1950, it was known as the “Salton Riviera”. The resilient residents who still make this area their home believe that it will rise again. The Salton Sea is a unique man-made body of seawater 60 miles outside of Palm Springs – 35 miles in length and 15 miles wide. In the 50’s and 60’s, the area showed tremendous promise and thousands of tourists visited the area each year. That was until 1976 when the banks overflowed and the yacht club and most of the waterfront businesses and home were flooded by storms and excessive run-off from the surrounding Imperial Valley farms.

Salton sea, originally uploaded by Britphoto.

So what… you ask? The ungodly smell, the unsavory characters in the trailer parks, the ’06 expiration date on the coffeemate at the Imperial market. Who cares and why save it? It needs to be saved for several reasons. First, it is one of the last California wetlands in existence. Over 60 species of birds call this area home. Even more disturbing than that, every summer, thousands of Tilapia literally die-out due to lack of oxygen and litter the beaches each year. Birds are dying of botulism by the hundreds, with wildlife personnel just barely keeping ahead of the devastation. Second, If the sea dies, the dry riverbed will become a health hazard that could threaten the entire Imperial Valley farming community and neighboring Palm Springs. Thirdly, it is a place of somewhat ethereal beauty and serenity.

Salton sea, originally uploaded by Britphoto.

As I sat on the bank of the North Shore, on the sand made of mollusks, next to a decaying shed, I was lulled into a sense of beauty and peace that I seldom find this close to Los Angeles. Sonny Bono was a huge champion of this area, his family dedicating a Bird Refuge area in his name. He too, believed this area could be restored to its former glory. It can - it should, we can not sit by and let another natural resource disappear from California. Look it up people, go see it for yourself.