UPPER NEWPORT BAY UPDATE:Annual Back Bay cleanup effort needs you

Coastal Cleanup Day, which falls Sept. 16, is an international event at which thousands of volunteers pick up trash in coastal areas. This year marks 20 years that the center has been collecting debris and data in and around the Back Bay and, come the day, we’ll be out removing trash just as in the years before.

Our goal for Coastal Cleanup Day at Upper Newport Bay is not only to pick up every piece of trash we can reach, but also to educate the public about the bay’s watershed — and we need your help.

People are often surprised to learn that there are eight cities within the bay’s watershed (Newport Beach, Irvine, Tustin, Orange, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana) and that urban runoff from all these communities gets washed right into the bay.

The center analyzes samples collected from the bay on data cards designed by the Center for Marine Conservation. It then uses the data to prepare reports for testimony on Capitol Hill and at International Maritime Organization meetings in London. These reports help them figure out how certain types of trash should be handled by ships at sea and at ports around the world.

Please join us on Sat., Sept. 16 to remove trash from the Back Bay. Come to the cleanup headquarters and main registration point at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, 2301 University Drive, on the corner of Irvine Avenue and University Drive in Newport Beach. Shuttle service is provided to various locations around the bay. Volunteers receive a free lunch at the Interpretive Center. Individuals, families and groups are all welcome. Wear old clothes and shoes. For more information call Rita McCoy at (949) 923-2296. For group assignments, call Candice McIntyre at (949) 923-2295. On-the-water cleanup is organized out of the Back Bay Science Center on Shellmaker Island. Please call John Scholl at (949) 640-9956 for more information.

Water-quality testing coming to bayAs reported earlier, construction has begun on a new Back Bay Science Center on Shellmaker Island, which includes a state-of-the-art Orange County Health Care Agency water-quality testing laboratory.

An area of about 154 square miles of urban and rural Orange County drains through the upper and lower bays to the Pacific Ocean. Storm water and “dry weather” runoff from this watershed brings with it trash and pollutants including fertilizers, pesticides, bacteria, other pathogens and sediment. Additional information is available at www.ocwatersheds.com.

The link between the teaching laboratory and the agency’s water-quality testing laboratory is an essential component of the science center. Linking these will allow students, researchers and the general public to better understand how the health of the bay’s water quality and marine life are directly connected to human actions at home and the workplace.

Native habitat parks serve communityNative habitat parks serve our community in many ways not usually associated with the common concept of a park. Educationally, these parks allow people of all ages to learn about our environment and the processes of nature. Native plants link us to our cultural heritage and are symbols of ecological restoration and environmental protection. Wildlife, such as butterflies and birds, depend upon native plants for their existence. An example of this type of park is the Castaways Park on Dover, just above East Coast Highway.

Non-native, or invasive, plants require significant amounts of water and chemicals to mimic their own native environments. There are hundreds of attractive, hardy native California plants that are well-adapted and don’t require additional irrigation after they’re established, which takes three to five years. Non-uniform blooming time is inherent in native plants as a survival mechanism, so using native plants can provide sustained periods of color and bloom.

Water scarcity and cost increases, concerns over pollution from urban runoff, effects of lawn and garden chemicals and fertilizers all contribute to the disadvantages of using invasive plants. Ongoing maintenance costs are much greater for parks with non-native plants.

Restoration of native habitat is a slow and deliberative process requiring much care at the beginning. After three to five years, the natives are established and can thrive. Native plant parks are a wise investment in the future. Patience in the short term will pay off as excessive use of water, energy and agro-chemicals is decreased.

The Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends, in cooperation with the California Coastal Commission, continues to work on native plant restoration projects. More details are at www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced /UNBweb/restore.html.