Successful ecological restoration depends on a clear understanding of the history of local species loss and colonization. One area of California where this can be uniquely achieved is the Ballona Wetlands, one of the best-studied coastal habitats in the state, recently acquired by the State of California for restoration and protection as a proposed Ecological Reserve. Though birds are among the primary beneficiaries of this effort, the avifauna of Ballona Wetlands has not been critically examined in more than 60 years. In an effort to guide future restoration projects, I present a review of bird taxa that have been extirpated, reestablished or that have newly colonized the Ballona area since 1900. This information should facilitate the development of target species to be monitored as the Ballona ecosystem is restored, and should help set local and regional restoration goals.

We present a quantitative study of the effects of sea surface temperatures on eelgrass productivity variables. We compared standing stock variables for Zostera marina for the strong El Niño event of 1986–1987, previously published by other workers for San Quintín Bay, Baja California, to our previously unpublished data for the “normal year” of 1992–1993. We found significant differences for most of the variables measured, which included Leaf Area Index, leaf length, width, dry weight and area, biomass, shoot density, and number of leaves per shoot. Inspection of the multivariate ENSO index (MEI) and sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies for each of these years showed that the differences could be explained by the warm SSTs associated with the ENSO event. We were able to explain the observed differences from a dynamic perspective by using a leaf-growth model forced by SSTs. We conclude that sea surface temperature summarizes the fundamental environmental influences on eelgrass leaf dynamics observed in our study site. That is, higher SSTs explain the reduction in mean leaf lengths and the corresponding diminution in related productivity variables. This study also strengthens the view that the onset of an El Niño event provides anticipatory evidence for the effects that a rise in global temperature is expected to elicit in eelgrass beds.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of a small marine reserve (established 1988) on a temperate rocky reef fish assemblage at Santa Catalina Island, California. Fish surveys on SCUBA were conducted at two reserve and two non-reserve sites from October 2002 to January 2004. Sites were similar in fish density, species richness and biomass of the entire fish assemblage. However, the adult densities of two important fishery species, California sheep-head (Semicossyphus pulcher; 7.6 ±0.5 and 5.5 ±0.4/100 m² inside versus outside) and kelp bass (Paralabrax clathratus; 3.6 ±0.4 and 2.9 ±0.4 inside versus outside), were significantly higher within the reserve. The reserve appears to be effective in increasing density and biomass of two impacted species that were readily observed and surveyed on SCUBA.