UCI to get money for Back Bay study

Paul Clinton

UPPER NEWPORT BAY -- A state agency is set to award a $330,000 grant

to UC Irvine for the study of a new freshwater wetland that would add a

mix of birds and other animals and act as a filter for urban runoff

heading into the Back Bay.

The California Coastal Conservancy on Thursday is expected to award

the money to the university to assemble a report analyzing the conversion

of dry land into the wetlands, conservancy spokesman Dick Wayman said.

The conversion of the 202 acres of cattail weeds would complement

Upper Newport Bay as a nesting area and habitat for a variety of birds

and other wildlife, Wayman said.

The wetland also would attract different wildlife than the Back Bay, a

saltwater estuary.

“Often when you put very different habitats in the same area, you get

an extra effect of being able to support a wider variety of wildlife,”

Wayman said.

Studies of such changes can be expensive, Wayman said, because the

creation of the wetland is a complex and delicate process.

“You never want to jump into these things without knowing what you’re

doing,” Wayman said. “It could cause more harm than good.”

The San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve, as it is known, is one of 34

parcels of land owned and operated by the UC Regents as the Natural

Reserve System. The 130,000 acres of protected land near the universities

across the state is used for university-level instruction, research and

public outreach.

It is separate from the Irvine Ranch Water District’s San Joaquin

Wildlife Sanctuary, a freshwater wetlands area installed in the late

1990s to filter reclaimed water heading into Back Bay.

The proposed wetlands, to be owned and operated by UCI, has been

endorsed by Defend the Bay founder Bob Caustin, who successfully sued to

stop the water district from sending reclaimed water into Back Bay.

“This is a habitat for the critters and would let them flourish in an

urban environment,” Caustin said. “This will add to the biodiversity.”

The water district’s wetlands area, which is also a freshwater body,

is on the north side of Campus Drive. The university’s land is on the

south side of Campus.

The cost and timetable of the project will be determined by the study,

Wayman said.

The coastal conservancy is set to meet at 10 a.m. Thursday in San

Diego.

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .