Zamore explains:
Well, yes, you are right that this is not a turkey.
This is a young California brown pelican who lives happily in the twin Ports of San Pedro. The twin ports — the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — handle 40 percent of the goods imported into the US and face proportionate air pollution – from the ships, the port equipment, the freight trains, and the diesel tractor trailers that bring these consumer goods to the rest of us throughout the US.
Sometimes the imported goods layover in the warehouse districts of the LA basin which are so extensive they can be seen from space. Most days a thick brown haze lies over the Ports and spreads over the communities between them and downtown LA, mixing with more traditional mobile pollution from highways, unfortunately trapped by the mountains to the north and east.
The California brown pelican is happy if there is an ocean nearby with plenty of anchovies. Throw in a family to pass along the tricks of the trade, some peers to pal around with, a few barren Channel Islands for nesting, and some colorful boats for local flavor – we are probably talking a great life in pelican terms.
But like most living things with whom we co-exist, the health of the brown pelican’s environment is entirely dependent upon the efforts of conscientious people. This bird is about to be removed from the Endangered Species list. It was first declared to be on the brink of extinction in 1970, nearly 40 years ago.
In 1969 there were only 4 fledglings who lived, out of over 1200 nesting pairs of brown pelicans in the Anacapa Island area. On Los Coronados, the second most active nesting grounds within the “California Bight”, no fledglings lived despite 375 nesting pairs. Due to DDT build-up in the food chain, there were broken shells everywhere, with none able to make it through incubation.
It took the banning of DDT, a significant pelican recovery program and decades of time to restore the California brown pelican population.
He goes on to lay out one of our generation’s challenges.
It will be more difficult to clean up the air near US highways, ports, airports and major freight corridors. Over 20 million Americans live within a few hundred meters of these large pollution sources. But with a little integrity, smarts, and will, we can do it.
Let’s hope Zamore is right.
