Saving the California Least Tern - In my view

I have learned about the California Least Tern and I want to share facts and what I did to save it.

The Audubon Society asked many people to volunteer to help the California Least Tern. My parents and I volunteered to help. We were meant to pull out a non-native plant called the Filaree from the Tern nesting grounds. They offered us gloves but I didn't want any because I wanted to get my hands dirty and I liked that feeling.  I did this in Mission Bay. I picked about at least 3 big buckets with my family. They needed help finding good plants within the Filaree. Good plants were Coastal Wooly and Lotus (which is all I remember).

The California Tern is endangered. They are ground nesters and that is why they have more predators. Their predators are hawks and you could say people. Tern eggs are sand colored. Predators could eat the eggs if they were exposed by the green Filaree. Another thing is, since the Filaree can grow so tall, the Terns won't be able to see their predators coming their way.

I felt really proud that I did my part (and I felt hungry). Every little bit counts!

Another thing I did at a different time was pull out trash (with gloves of course!). It was in a special location in Chula Vista at Sweetwater Marsh. There was a lot of water in the marsh and so I saw a bunch of coots, shorebirds, and while picking up trash, I saw two Royal Terns!!! I not only did this for the terns, but also for the Snowy Plover because the chicks run to the marsh on instinct. We picked out specifically plastic (also a bunch of thermocol) so that Terns and Plovers don't eat them and don't get stuck in them. The trash got here by people throwing trash into the water and the trash washes up on the shore because the tide comes in.

I learned a lot about the Tern.

I felt really glad that I did my part even though I stayed for only 1 hour for the trash pick up. Now I am waiting for the Terns to arrive, and then I will go Tern watching and I will tell you my results.