UCSD - University of California - San Diego

02/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/17/2026 04:43

Love Your Wetlands Day: Where Research, Community and Conservation Converge

Published Date

February 17, 2026

Article Content

Last week, more than a thousand residents of the region gathered at the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve for Love Your Wetlands Day, an annual celebration of community science, habitat stewardship and discussions of coastal conservation.

What began in 2005 as a small, 50-person UC San Diego cleanup effort has evolved into a signature regional event that brings together residents, researchers, students and conservation partners to highlight the importance of Mission Bay's only remaining coastal salt marsh.

UC San Diego's Natural Reserve System and San Diego Bird Alliance, in partnership with the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve and the City of San Diego, host the annual celebration of wetlands appreciation.

This year's gathering drew more than 1,200 attendees, featured 54 participating organizations and included 11 science talks in Spanish and English by academics, scientists and researchers from across the San Diego and Baja California region.

Among the invited speakers to welcome attendees: Scott Peters US Congressmember, California's 50thDistrict; Joe LaCavaCouncil President, City of San Diego, D1; Randy Wilde Senior Policy Advisor on Climate and Environment for the Mayor of San Diego; members of the Kumeyaay Nation, Gregorio Montesof Mat Perhaw/San Jose de la Zorra who opened the event with a prayer and Michael Connelly Miskwish, a Kumeyaay storyteller and author; and Corinne Peek-Asa, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, who oversees the UC San Diego Natural Reserve System

Event lead organizers and welcome speakers (from left): Cristina Santa Maria (San Diego Bird Alliance), Andrew Meyer (San Diego Bird Alliance), Gregorio Montes (Kumeyaay Nation), Martha Rodriguez (Kumeyaay Nation), Joe LaCava (San Diego City Council President), Kellie Uyeda (UC San Diego Natural Reserve System), Scott Peters (U.S. Senator), Corinne Peek-Asa (UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation), Michael Connelly Miskwish (Kumeyaay Nation), Randy Wilde (City of San Diego Mayor's Office), Representative of Tasha Boerner (State Assemblymember). Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego.
Snowy egret wades through water hunting prey.

The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve is a 20-acre heart-shaped wetland and part of the University of California Natural Reserve System managed by UC San Diego. It is a remnant of the once expansive coastal marshes that lined Southern California estuaries. Despite dramatic alterations to the surrounding landscape, Kendall-Frost remains a surprisingly productive ecosystem, supporting thousands of migrating shorebirds each year and providing essential habitat for two endangered species, the Ridgway's rail and Belding's savannah sparrow.

This year's event theme aligned with the global initiative for 2026 World Wetlands Day, "Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage," underscoring the longstanding relationships between Indigenous communities and coastal landscapes. The site is near a historic Kumeyaay village, which was honored throughout the day with a display of a traditional handcrafted boat made from native grasses and reeds

Science in Action

Researchers from UC San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, the City of San Diego, the National Marine Fisheries Service and regional science and conservation organizations came together to share their work on wetlands, ecology, culture and conservation during presentations in both English and Spanish.

Participating researchers shared work on intertidal invertebrates, mosquito ecology, ant-plant interactions, genetic diversity in eelgrass, nest-relocation behavior in harvester ants, and faunal responses to wildfire.

Presentations by scientists covered topics ranging from how parasites affect host behavior and how that can influence geographic distribution to new microbial sensing technologies for detecting heavy metal pollution.

Spanish-language sessions featured wildlife conservation biologists and other scientists who explored insects and arthropods found in local wetlands, the hidden microbial activity in the marsh and introduced the role of pollen in understanding ecosystems.

The full program reflected a wide range of institutions and scientific disciplines, including ecology, cultural studies, engineering, conservation, genetics, and environmental planning, underscoring the importance of wetlands through multiple perspectives

Lone kayaker in the marsh.

A Landmark Community Cleanup Effort

A defining feature of Love Your Wetlands Day is the large-scale marsh cleanup. Volunteers this year removed 323 pounds of debris, equivalent to 480 gallons of waste or nearly 14 of San Diego's household trash bins. The vast majority, 86% of the material, was landfill-bound trash, 15% was recyclable, and 1% was e-waste.

Plastic dominated the waste stream, including cups, wrappers, bottles, bags, buckets, and even storage bins. Some of the more unusual finds included a couch cushion, beach toys, shoes, sandals, and a variety of lost sports balls: softballs, tennis balls, basketballs, volleyballs, and the ever-popular dog toy Chuck-its.

Cleanup calculations were mapped to reveal patterns in how trash enters and accumulates in the marsh. These findings will help guide future restoration and monitoring strategies.

The meticulous trash sorting and documentation effort continues a long-standing research tradition at the reserve led by Theresa Talley, an academic coordinator at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a Coastal Specialist with California Sea Grant, a collaborative program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the State of California. She has a keen interest in mitigating marine debris.

Talley's collection was generated by about 119 people on three walking routes around the marsh and the surrounding neighborhood. There was also a small collection from volunteers kayaking through the marsh.

Almost every aspect of the day's discussions reflected on understanding how everyday human activity in the region affects coastal ecosystems.

Audience for the science talk presentations by regional scientists, researchers and community partners.
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