S1: Welcome in San Diego. It's Jade Hindman. On today's show , it's California State Parks Week. We'll look at the stewardship , preservation , restoration and accessibility at the Tijuana River and estuary. This is KPBS Midday Edition connecting our communities through conversation. Today marks the beginning of California State Parks Week. It's an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our parks and the abundant nature that our region has to offer. And did you know the Tijuana River estuary is actually part of that? Well , my next three guests are with the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. They're all doing the work to preserve the estuary and make it more accessible to all. Jeff Crooks is the research director at the reserve. Jeff , welcome.
S2: Thank you very much.
S1: Also with us is Kristin Goodrich , who? Who's their training and engagement program director. Kristen , welcome to you too.
S3: Thanks so much. I'm so excited to be here.
S1: Glad to have you here. And last but not least , we have education coordinator Haley Calhoun. She also works with the San Diego Coast District. Haley , it's good to have you here. Hi.
S4: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
S1: So , Haley , I'll start with you on this one. Some people might be a bit surprised to find out that the Tijuana River estuary is managed by California State Parks. Can you talk more about the relationship there? Yeah.
S4: Yeah. So the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve is one of 30 National Estuarine Research reserves across the United States. And those are a partnership between NOAA , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , and a state agency or a university , and in this case , here at the Tijuana River estuary. It is managed by California State Parks , as well as some other agencies such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
S1: And federal funds impacted how this all works at all.
S4: Yeah , I'm going to pass that one to my colleague Kristen , who can talk a lot more about that. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. Thanks , Haley. Federal funds are extraordinarily important to our ability to manage the Tijuana estuary. Our operational award is really the heartbeat of what allows us to provide the research , the training , the education programs that we have. But it has been at great risk in this administration. We are not currently in the presidential budget , but we are very grateful that we have great advocates and supporters in Congress who have voted to put us back in the budget.
S1: Oh that's great. Well , Jeff , paint the picture for us. What does it take to preserve and restore the the Tijuana River and its habitats?
S2: Yeah , it's a very special place. I mean , the first thing is that this the estuary in the state that has been in the works for decades , and the fact that it's conserved and there is critically important. It's really the largest intact coastal wetland in Southern California , um , where you have ocean to beach , to sand dunes , to tidal channels , to salt marsh up into the fresh water. There's really no other system like this in Southern California that's protected like this. So just just the fact that it's there through decades of work at the federal level , state level , local level , individual level , to be a space where we can try and protect the system , to try and restore it , um , is remarkable. It's a great opportunity for me as a scientist type , to be able to work with the folks at these , this table and other other folks to be able to bring science to bear , to help understand and protect the system.
S1: For those who don't know , I mean , can you break down what an estuary is? Yeah.
S2: Yeah. An estuary , technically , is where the river meets the sea. Um , and I like to think about it as really the one place on Earth where land , sea and fresh water come together. So I'm an oceanographer by training , but I spend a lot of my time thinking about what's happening on the land , what's happening in the river , that sort of thing. So it's the one place on Earth where land , sea and freshwater come together.
S1: Okay , so there's a very interesting like biodiversity there , right? Yeah.
S2: Yeah. It's very rich habitats , uh , from all of these habitat types coming together in this system , we have a rich diversity of species , a lot of interactions going on there. It's a complicated place. You can't just think about what's happening in the estuary. You need to think about what's happening in the ocean and on land and on and on the freshwater side of things. That's all coming together and meeting in the estuary.
S1: So , Kristen , there's also , you know , a rich cultural heritage at the estuary. I mean , what does the Tijuana River mean to the three nations , the , the US , Mexico and Kumeyaay.
S3: Oh , absolutely. It's such an incredible diversity of values that our communities hold and and and and hold dear. I think , you know , in terms of their relationship to the estuary , you know , I'm a social scientist , so I have this amazing opportunity to get to work in these interdisciplinary settings with scientists like Jeff and others who study the the place from a biophysical perspective. But what what we're really interested in also studying is , is just the the unique cultural heritage that we're situated within. Like you mentioned , um , we are situated in a , in a multinational setting , the US , the Mexico and Kumeyaay Nation , and each of those communities have really diverse perspectives to bring to bear as to how we think about how to protect this place , but also how we think about what action means in the face of a changing climate. So , you know , these practices or traditions and values that are passed , passed down from , from , you know , between generations. It feels like a really important thing for us to be kind of understanding better and helping to direct and manage what the future looks like for the estuary. Wow.
S1: Wow. And Kristin , part of what makes this restoration work so important is it gives people a place to connect with nature. Um , walk me through that. And what this restoration work really consists of?
S3: Yeah , I think the we see the estuary as a place for restoration of the natural habitats , but also of ourselves and of our community cohesion and our bonds. The the restoration of this place means so much to so many people. Um , and I think it just offers an opportunity for us to think about what repair looks like in a really severed environment. You know , we have the US-Mexico border running through our watershed and separating communities from each other. And , you know , in many cases , separating communities from these natural resources that can provide them the opportunity to. To benefit from them. Whether that's mental health , um , public health , whether that's , uh , access , recreation , our ability to enjoy this place and heal within it. And so , um , this idea of access and our , our attention to access is , is one that feels really important for what we mean when we say restoring the Tijuana estuary.
S1: So what does that look like? Yeah.
S3: Yeah. Well , some of our access projects are being led right now by Haley and our team , um , our education team. And thinking about , um , one unique ways to be able to overcome some of the great challenges that we face related to physically accessing the place. Um , you know , flooding is a huge issue for us in the Tijuana River Valley , and we're trying to think of ways that we can , um , just improve some of the infrastructure to allow folks to be able to access the park , border Field State Park more regularly. But there's also other really creative access projects going on right now. Maybe. Hayley , you can tell us a little bit about what's happening with Navey lens as an example.
S4: Yeah , definitely. So the education team at the Tijuana Estuary is working on a project that started off with a docent named Ron Petersen , who has been a docent at the Tijuana estuary for many , many years before. When he first started , he was cited , but then he lost his sight over time , and so he was inspired to find a way to help others like himself , that are blind or low vision , be able to enjoy the estuary in the same way that he has always. And so he really got the ball rolling with this project. And what we've been doing is we've been working with Ron and we've been working with USD , um , students , engineering students from the Engineering Exchange for Social Justice program. And we've been working with a accessibility technology called Navi Lens , and Navi Lens is a series of codes. They look like QR codes , but they're colorful and high contrast , and they pick up from a farther distance and more quickly than a regular QR code. And we're trying to help the blind and low vision navigate the North McCoy trail from start to finish using these codes , as well as provide them information , interpretive information about the native plants and history and birds at the estuary.
S1: And so this is all part of of what you're doing for California State Parks Week. Yes.
S4: Yes. So our California State Parks Week event is this Saturday on June 13th at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and it's called All Are Welcome celebrating accessibility at the Tijuana estuary. And it's our soft launch of this project. Uh , we'll also be having two nature walks that are co-led by American Sign Language interpreters , as well as offering sensory kits. And we created a social story for neurodivergent learners to go up on our website.
S1: That's great. And , Jeff , can you walk us through some of the history of the estuary because the reserve didn't always exist , right?
S2: Again , we're very fortunate there. Um , it was the legislation that enabled the National Estuarine Research Reserve System starting in the early 1970s , where there was all this important environmental legislation being passed at the federal level. Clean Water Act , Clean Air Act , Endangered Species Act , recognising the importance of these shared resources. And one of those pieces of legislation is the Coastal Zone Management Act , which recognizes that we have shared coastlines across the country and we need a sort of uniform approach to dealing with those. So the our coastal zone program and the state of California , we have a regulatory agency , several regulatory agencies that address the regulations. But what they realize when they establish the the research reserve system is that these asteroids , as I mentioned before , are really complicated. Land , sea and freshwater come together , and there's a lot going on in order to better understand them. Excuse me. In order to better manage them , we need to better understand them. And they establish a research reserve system , which is a living lab , a place where science can be done to inform this management of the coastal zone. And management can be like on the ground land stewardship , restoring tidal channels , restoring salt marsh. It can be worth working with Haley and trying to get this information out to the public. K-12 education , all these different things. So it's a really it was a really wonderful idea trying to embed science into the management of a system.
S1: And oh , go ahead. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. And we were established in 1982. So we've been around for a while.
S1: Yeah , well , I mean , Jeff , we can't talk about the Tijuana River without bringing up the ongoing sewage crisis , which has really impacted public health in the region. How has the sewage crisis affected the restoration efforts? Right.
S2: Right. I mean , it's not a new issue. Actually , I started working in the Tijuana estuary when I was a student here at San Diego State. And I'll date myself 35 , 36 years ago. And the program was about trying to understand the impacts of cross-border sewage flows on the fish and invertebrates , shellfish , birds , wildlife. So it's not a new issue. It's received a lot of attention recently and has gotten particularly thorny recently. But a lot of what we're trying to focus on is the ecosystem health angle of this and what our program , research and monitoring program does is try to come up with these indicators , these things we can track to see how the system is responding to management intervention or lack of intervention. What would have this vital signs monitoring program? We're taking the pulse of the estuary because ultimately , one measure of success for these efforts to deal with the transboundary flows won't be just how many miles of pipes or pump stations or how much sewage is is treated. Those are all critically important , but we need to understand how the ecosystem is responding and to those interventions. And that's what part of what we're trying to do.
S1: Well , how how are they responding.
S2: Yeah , we've definitely seen impacts. And I'll admit that I was a little slow on the uptake in terms of of what might be happening with these increased flows we've seen in recent years. Again , I started working there in the 90s where we had sewage contaminated flows all the time. And I thought , okay , I know what's going to happen. If the system is resilient , it's going to there's going to be impacts. But , you know , it'll probably hang in there. And it is resilient , but resilient doesn't mean immune. So we've definitely seen impacts from these increased flows. I was wrong both the amount of the flows coming across the border in recent years has been increased. So we're seeing impacts related to that , especially related to low dissolved oxygen in the water , which is necessary to support life. Um , but we've also seen recently some some improved management and decreased flows. And we've seen signs of recovery. We're nowhere near where we want to be at all , but we're starting to see the ecosystem respond to some of these interventions. So I would say more , please bring it on.
S1: Right , right. Well , Kristen , how has the sewage crisis impacted the communities who rely on the estuary and are connected to it?
S3: Oh , significantly. And I think , you know , we talk about measuring and monitoring our our biophysical indicators. But , you know , the social indicators are also critically important to think about how communities can span boundaries , to come together to work on these issues. We've seen extraordinary community work happening and advocacy happening in the region. One example of of an effort that we are are trying to to convene and hold a container for is is an example , just one example of the kinds of amazing community work that's happening. It's called the Marine Debris Leadership Academy and has recently evolved into a coalition. So nearly 100 folks and representing organizations across nations and across borders , coming together to try to figure out , you know , how do we think about different ways of knowing , including our science? But but we know that there's there's so much more to draw from as we figure out how we work our way through these issues and solve these problems. So bringing folks together is is a key role , I think of of hours or at least what we see as , as our role in the region. To have these tough conversations and to think about what adaptive leadership is in the context of extraordinary , extraordinary challenge , but also extraordinary possibility. We've seen in just nearly , you know , a couple of years here now , um , folks coming together in these unique ways , that gives me a lot of hope about the power of community and community voices. And in these issues.
S1: And , Haley , I'm sure there's a lot of hope in , you know , the power of the next generation from an educational standpoint. Do you have anything to add to that?
S4: Yeah , definitely. Um , we just had a teachers on the estuary training at the Tiana Estuary , and about 28 teachers came to learn from the place. We took a Tijuana River Valley tour. Um , one of them commented that they were surprised that to find that despite the many challenges we're facing , like the estuary can be a really fun place to experience and learn about and share with their students. And so , um , the fact that that surprised them made me think , like , wow , it's really important that we communicate this message to the wider group of , of teachers and students and everybody else , right? That , you know , it is still an incredible place to visit. Um , I've been growing I've been going there since I was a child. So it means a lot to me. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And it's like , you know , you create this culture of appreciation , um , for this , this space and land and the ecosystem , um , and how it's the same sustains us as well , right? I mean , what are your hopes for the future of the Tijuana River estuary? Yeah.
S2: Yeah. My hope is that , you know , we keep on keeping on. Again , this is a long standing issue with the , um , the transboundary flows of not just sewage , but of sediment. And , as Kristen mentioned , trash , marine debris. We have this program in place that's been there for 40 years. We worked with tremendous partners who are there helping us push along and help , you know , both protect the place but really demonstrate how special it is. Again , like Haley mentioned , you hear you hear a lot about what's going on in the Tijuana River Valley. And then people are surprised when they come down. Like there's a lot going on there. Um , I like I like to quote Jurassic Park get , get really get really a sort of , you know , erudite about this life will find a way , right? We're asking too much of this ecosystem , what we're trying to do to it. Um , the impacts we're having , the transboundary flows , but yet it's there , it's resilient. And I see our job is to help the system help itself and then help us in return. I think we can do that.
S1: And , Kristin , I.
S3: Have many hopes. I think , you know , my most immediate one and one that causes , I think , all of us , a fair bit of anxiety is just that. We will continue to be funded in the federal budget. We we this we are halfway through the appropriations process. We have great signals that Congress continues and has historically supported us and kept us whole. But you know , more immediately like we will we really need to stay here to be able to keep doing this work. So that's a that's a real immediate one. But my greater hope is that we just continue to explore and experience the ways that we can be in a reciprocal relationship with this place. So , you know , our health depends on the estuaries health and vice versa , vice versa. And so , um , our ability to keep protecting this place , keep exploring what cultural heritage means to the many communities that depend on it , how we can think about cultural heritage as a bridge from the past to the present to the future feels really important. And we have some exciting things on the horizon about how we hope to integrate some of that into our planning for what's ahead. So , um , those are just some of them. Wonderful.
S1: Wonderful. Haley , any quick final thought?
S4: Yeah , I think my my hope for the estuary is , as an Imperial Beach resident myself , that more residents know that this amazing resource is just in their backyard and the same for teachers and students , and that we can welcome more groups to the estuary and , um , teach them all the amazing things that we have come to love about it.
S1: All right. I've been speaking with Jeff Crook's research director at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. Kristin Goodrich , Goodrich Training and engagement program director and education coordinator , Haley Calhoun the reserve will have its wayfinding event for California State Parks Week on Saturday , June 13th at 10 a.m. and of course , we'll include more details at KPBS. Jeff. Kristin , Haley , thank you so very much. You all.
S3: Thanks for having us.
S4: Thank you.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
