No More Waiting in the Wings to Enjoy Irvine Wetlands Project

The water is so still that it serves as a flawless mirror for the hawk soaring overhead. In the background, young willows are taking root. And only the chatter of birds, the pounding of joggers’ soles and the occasional zoom of a departing jet disturbs the calm.

A wetlands oasis is taking shape in the heart of Irvine. The sanctuary, nearly two-thirds the size of New York’s Central Park, has been a decade in the planning. Now, a yearlong $6-million project is restoring and enhancing 150 acres of the 500-acre San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh, one of the largest coastal freshwater wetlands in Southern California.

Expanded ponds now glisten with fresh water, and native plants are returning as a result of the project by the Irvine Ranch Water District and the Irvine Co.

Starting this month, the marsh’s trails are open to the public, to bird-watchers and joggers, to anyone else seeking refuge from the nearby office towers and freeways. Only bikers and horses are barred.

On Tuesday, the state’s secretary of resources, Douglas Wheeler, toured the site and called it proof that other such projects are feasible--and needed. California has lost as much as 90% of its wetlands to development, a fact that scientists fear endangers birds and other wildlife.

But in San Joaquin Marsh, the birds are returning, delighting those who have sauntered in recent days along its trails.

“Most people expected it to take longer for the birds to come back. But they go out there, and the ponds are just filled with birds,” said Trude Hurd, project director of environmental education for Sea & Sage Audubon Society, which runs programs at the marsh.

“They walk away saying, ‘I’ve got to bring back my grandmother, who loves birds,’ or ‘I’ve got to bring my kids,’ ” Hurd said.

On any day, visitors can see from 50 to 70 species of birds, she said. They might spot a black-necked stilt, sandpipers, ducks like the northern shoveler and the cinnamon teal. The area also is home to coyotes, raccoons, rabbits, ground squirrels and bats.

Planning began in 1986 to restore and preserve the marsh, once farmed and used extensively by private duck clubs.

In December 1995, the Irvine Co. sold its marsh holdings to the water district, and the 150-acre project was launched officially last February.

Both public and private entities benefit from the project, officials say. For instance, the Irvine Co. earned the right to develop other land--such as the Bonita Canyon area--through its restoration work. But when comparing the marsh to the canyon, “we created more wetlands than we impacted,” said Sat Tamaribuchi, Irvine Co. vice president for environmental affairs.

During the tour, Wheeler and other officials peered at cormorants through a telescope and talked about the willows, alders and other trees to be planted in coming months.

“More people need to see this,” Wheeler said. He voiced support for a wetlands clearinghouse plan that died in Sacramento last year but has been resurrected in this year’s state budget proposal. Gov. Wilson is proposing $6.75 million for the Southern California clearinghouse idea, intended to develop a comprehensive plan for restoring and enhancing wetlands from Tijuana to Point Concepcion.

But on Tuesday, people talked less about budgets than birds.

Peer A. Swan, a director of the water district who helped spearhead the project, said that the marsh has certain similarities to New York’s Central Park. “You’ll have a ring of buildings around it, and under that, a ring of green, with open bodies of water. . . .

“The place is quiet enjoyment,” he said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Restoring Wetlands

The 500-acre San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh in Irvine is being restored as part of a sweeping $6-million project. Fully 150 acres are now being restored and enhanced jointly by the Irvine Ranch Water District and the Irvine Co. The area opened to the public this month with nature lovers and joggers exploring its trails.

PARKING

The public can enter the marsh by Riparian Way off Michelson Drive, following signs to the Sea & Sage Audubon House, where parking is available.

HOURS AND RULES

Open dawn to dusk, seven days a week, year-round. Free. Bikes and horses are not permitted.

INFORMATION

Available from the water district, (714) 453-5500.