I am a Californian and I stand with the Salton Sea #LagunaesVida

The Coachella Valley is generally known as home to the music festival that draws nearly 200,000 attendees each April. As the festival-goers stagger back to their normal lives, they likely pay little attention to the nearby Salton Sea or the vibrant, living communities surrounding the Sea.

However, the Sea and these communities are threatened by an ecological and human health crisis.

Communities surrounding the Salton Sea already have some of the worst air quality in the nation and the situation is about to get much worse. The flow of water to the Salton Sea has recently been reduced and areas of the lake are already drying up. As this continues, more and more fine dust from the exposed lakebed will be kicked up into the air, putting local communities at risk -- particularly the children and the elderly.

Although those closest to the Sea will be most affected, dust impacts will be felt by over 1,6500,000 people in Southern California and Mexico.

Protecting the Sea is also about protecting our ecosystem. In California, we've lost over 95% of our wetlands, so the Salton Sea -- California's largest lake -- plays a critical role in supporting the survival of four hundred species of birds as they migrate from Canada to South America.

Tell your public officials that you stand with the rest of California and want to see the Sea protected. No one should have to fear their home will become a place where it's dangerous to breathe the air.

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I am a Californian and I stand with the vibrant, living communities and wildlife at the Salton Sea. Communities surrounding the Salton Sea already have some of the worst air quality in the nation and the situation is about to get much worse. The Salton Sea is reaching a critical point, as water inflows were reduced this year, and the lake is expected to start to recede even faster, resulting in a further collapse of the local ecosystem and exposure to desert winds of a dry lakebed with toxic dust. Protecting the Sea is critical for local community members, particularly children and the elderly, who will be hurt when areas of the lake will dry up and fine dust from the exposed lake bed will be kicked up into the air. Although those closest to the Sea will be most affected, dust impacts will be felt by over 1,6500,000 people in Southern California and Mexico. Protecting the Sea is also about salvaging our ecosystem. Four hundred species of birds (that's half the bird species in North America!) depend on the Salton Sea. In California, we've lost over 95% of our wetlands, so the Salton Sea plays a critical role in supporting birds as they migrate from Canada to South America. Averting harm at the Sea is important for California's economy. The local tourism industry brings in $5 billion dollars and 50,000 jobs per year. These visitors, both domestic and international, benefit all of California. Workers in surrounding agricultural fields, many of whom live at the Sea, feed our entire nation. Failure to enact dust control measures now at the Sea could result in public health costs exceeding $1 billion each year before 2025. I stand with the rest of California and want to see the Sea protected for community and ecology. There are great projects to create habitat and address air quality at the Sea -- we just need you to push in Sacramento to make sure these happen and that the Salton Sea gets the attention it deserves. This is something that we in California can control -- it's on us. Please be the voice for California on this important issue.

Image: Brown Pelicans Feeding at Salton Sea, December 2014

Photo credit: http://www.goodthingfactory.com/ (Creative Commons)