40 Years of Restoration at Tijuana Estuary, California

Tijuana Estuary, located in the southwestern corner of the continental U.S., has a complex history; ecologically, politically and geographically. While the estuary is located entirely within San Diego County, three fourths of its watershed is within Mexico. Each of many stressors have been identified by resource managers and scientists who work at Tijuana Estuary and measures have been implemented to control and reverse their effects on the ecosystem.

The objective of this report is to summarize restoration activities at Tijuana Estuary during approximately the last 40 years (1976-2016) with an emphasis on the lessons learned as they may inform future restoration efforts and resource management decisions. The intended audience includes resource managers and regulatory agencies, the Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team, Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve staff, future funding agencies and the general public. This report will also serve to memorialize a comprehensive list of restoration projects in a single document.