SAN DIEGO — Wildlife biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released an endangered bird species at the Kendall-Frost Marsh Reserve Tuesday, a habitat where they can thrive.
Seven Light-footed Ridgeway’s Rail birds are now running and flying free in their new habitat.
"This is a rare event and a great mark of the importance of this habitat in the county. It is a critical habitat, as it is the only kind of habitat that Ridgeway Rails survive in," said Andrew Meyer, Director of Conservation at San Diego Audubon Society.
The rails were in a captive breeding program and raised at the Living Coast Discovery Center in Chula Vista until they were old enough to be set free Tuesday.
"We care so deeply. It is bittersweet, and it's tough to see them when you’ve raised them since little chicks, but we know it's for an amazing purpose. That’s the sweet part; the bitter part is saying goodbye. We care so deeply," said Aiyana Reissman, Animal Care Manager at the Living Coast Discovery Center.
ReWild Mission Bay, a San Diego Audubon Society project, hopes to restore and enhance wetland areas in Mission Bay to ensure endangered species, like the Light-footed Rideway’s Rail, can survive.
"We're pushing the City of San Diego to restore wetland habitats in Mission Bay so these endangered birds can have enough space to survive," said Meyer.
City Councilmember for District 1, Joe Lacava, helped release one of the birds and said they are working on it.
"The City's long-term plan is to convert the existing Campland recreation vehicle to wetlands as well, and what we will be doing is to move it to that low-cost camping accommodations to the other side of Rosecreek as part of a long-term plan," said Lacava.
As the people in attendance watched the last bird set free, they were hopeful for a bright future.
"We hope we can work with our partners here to keep the habitats natural so they can survive and thrive," said Reissman.
ReWild Mission Bay hopes to restore wetlands in the northeast corner of Mission Bay. The City plans to talk with the Planning Commission this Fall about the Mission Bay Master Plan.
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