There is a sea in the middle of southern California: a Salton Sea! It is a sea that has died and been reborn, a sea that plays host to hundreds—even thousands—of birds every year, in short, a sea to shining see!
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The road from Joshua Tree National Park south is lined with the most wonderful, silver ridges of rock, like a path through another planet! After twenty miles of winding road, suddenly, the sea, and all its surrounding palm farms and vineyards, melts into view! The roads around Mecca and North Shore are pretty easy to navigate; those that aren’t main roads have nice signs telling you so. All you have to do is stay straight along the east coast until you come to the Salton Sea State Recreation Area.
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At the Visitor Center, I learned that the Salton Sea was originally connected to the Gulf of California but lost touch and dried up over many years, kind of like the Baha Men. In the early 1900s, though, the sea made a comeback when the Colorado River flooded and poured water into the Salton Basin, which sits 226 feet below sea level! Since then, sediments from runoff have poured into the sea, making it salty and therefore perfect for introducing ocean-dwelling game fish. That’s right! In 1950, huge saltwater fish, like the corvina, were introduced to the Salton Sea and became very popular among sport fishers. Now, though, as agricultural runoff brings more and more salt into the sea, the corvina and most other fish have died off, leaving only tilapia. As the sea grows even saltier, that will spell trouble for both the fish and the birds!
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There are almost as many fish skeletons as there are sand grains on the beaches here, but the Sea isn’t a graveyard yet. It is still a very important rest stop for seagulls, egrets, pelicans, and herons. In fact, over half of the known bird species in the United States stop at the Salton Sea during their annual migration! Wow! It was really neat seeing flocks of white pelicans and Arctic terns darting over the expansive waters. Just seeing them was enough to take my mind off the sea’s characteristic smell, but really, my nose alone told me I wasn’t going to find George anywhere near here!
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If you want to watch them too, I suggest planning the trip soon. In the next two decades, the sea may be too salty for the fish to survive, and the birds will go away! Even sooner, the Salton Sea State Recreation Area is slated for closure in July 2012! If you’re looking to watch some birds and listen to the waves, now is the time!
Flying away!