ON THE WATER -- Finding the wonder in the Back Bay

June Casagrande

Eight endangered species of bird live in the Back Bay. Rita McCoy can

name them all. She can even spot them all. And she does, much to the

delight of anyone lucky enough to be on the water with her when she leads

canoe, kayak and walking tours for the Newport Bay Naturalists and

Friends.

McCoy works 20 hours a week as a volunteer coordinator for the

organization, a joint unit of the Department of Fish and Game and the

Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks. But work doesn’t end when she

clocks out. McCoy is also one of about 20 people who volunteer to take

groups out in kayaks and canoes and on foot to learn about the bay.

“I’ve always been interested in nature, so this has come very

naturally to me,” the Dana Point resident said.

Administered from the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, the

group’s tours usually begin on Shellmaker Island. From there, volunteers

like McCoy guide fascinated tour-goers through a natural wonder many

hadn’t known existed.

“A lot of people drive near here for years and never realize what’s

here,” she said. “I think a lot of people are really surprised.”

McCoy shares their awe and supplements it with her own appreciation of

the bay’s natural beauty and a crash course in the environment.

She points out the cord grass that is the basis of many food chains in

the area. At certain times, she can point out birds that migrate to and

through the bay.

Pin-tail ducks, for example, make a winter stop here before heading

off to points in Mexico and South America. But lease terns, an endanger

species, stay here all winter long. Another endangered species, the

clapper rail, nest on islands of cord grass and pickle weed and in

man-made spots.

The bay also hosts about 70 species of fish, many of which use it as a

nursery.

“It’s amazing how much activity there is while it’s so serene at the

same time,” McCoy said. “It’s so peaceful and so important.”