Prado wetlands
Dog trainer Paul Doiron “roads” his Brittany bird dogs along a levy in the newly restored wetlands behind Prado Dam near Corona. Part of the 460-acre wetlands is leased to local duck hunting clubs. The wetlands will act as a filtration system, removing nitrates and improving water quality for millions of people in Orange County. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
A bird glides low over vegetation that is beginning to flourish around a battery of large ponds created at the Prado Dam wetlands, regarded as the largest man-made wetlands in Southern California. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Bonnie Nash of the Orange County Water District stands near gates that will allow Santa Ana River water to flow into the newly restored Prado Dam wetlands. The wetlands, built in 1996, were wiped out two years ago when the Santa Ana River changed course during near-record rainfall. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Heavy earth-moving equipment sits on the shore of one of the ponds. Recent rains have delayed the diversion of river water into the new ponds. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
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A red-tailed hawk eats a pigeon along a waterway in the Prado Dam wetlands. Prado is hardly a household name in Southern California, but it is well-known among birders and environmentalists in the Inland Empire. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
