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Thirty-two years ago, in a triumph of ecological restoration, ocean water rushed into a small, newly restored marsh along the heavily developed coast of Huntington Beach.

That day was greeted with great fanfare, since it was a milestone: A new wetland, created out of degraded scrub, in Southern California, where most coastal marshes have been lost to development.

The little tract of habitat known as Talbert Marsh provides a rare refuge for at least 90 species of shorebirds that forage and rest there — all within sight of oil platforms, barges and tankers off the coast.

Now, for the second time in its short history, Talbert Marsh is slicked with oil. Completed in 1989, the 25-acre marsh is one of a string of rare pearls that make up the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy’s 127 acres, nestled along Pacific Coast Highway. 

Continue reading the article from CalMatters here.