Sen. Barbara Boxer speaks to stakeholders and the media at the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Aug. 18 regarding the need to continue restoration efforts.

On Aug. 18, as temperatures in the Imperial Valley soared past 106 degrees, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif, visited the Salton Sea to receive an update on projects and to urge both the state and federal governments to move more quickly toward addressing the issue of restoration at the sea. Boxer, whose long career in office is nearing an end, met with local, state and federal officials at the Sony Bono National Wildlife Refuge for a roundtable discussion, then toured the earth work underway at the Red Hill Marina wetlands project, and ended her visit with comments to the media in which she called for immediate action. She praised local efforts in the region. She also voiced support for the state’s Salton Sea Management Program

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A 2015 file photo from the shores of the Salton Sea.

At a recent Salton Sea Authority Board meeting there was a very clear declaration from Board members that there is finally a reason to be optimistic about movement toward restoration at the State’s largest inland lake that stretches from Imperial to Riverside counties. Such statements of optimism came after an audience member urged caution toward becoming overly optimistic about plans when perhaps there needs to be greater focus on how successful those plans can be. Each of the Board members who responded agreed that it needs to be clearly shown through proof of concept that the projects proposed for the Sea can achieve their desired goals. However, they went on to say that after years of perceived inaction, the recent steps by Governor Edmund G. Brown’s administration and proposals under the state’s new Salton Sea Management Program should

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Bruce Wilcox, Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy for the California Natural Resources Agency, presents the State’s Salton Sea Management Program phase one during a public workshop held at the Imperial Irrigation District auditorium in El Centro on June 16.

If you have an interest in learning about the steps the State is taking to address Salton Sea issues, it would be worth attending at least one of a series of community workshops being held almost weekly throughout this summer led by Bruce Wilcox, Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy for California Natural Resources Agency. Working with a Salton Sea Task Force outreach advisory committee, Wilcox has organized these public workshops to introduce what is being touted as Phase One of the State’s Salton Sea Management Program.

Since May, workshops have been held at venues in Imperial County, Riverside County, and will be held in Los Angeles and San Diego

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