Newport Beach is a beautiful place to live, and the view overlooking Upper Newport Bay is one of the best in all of Newport Beach. The development around the bay will not go away, however its impacts can be moderated. Small measures, like harsher punishments for people who let their dogs off leash on trails surrounding the bay, need to be implemented. Educating the people who live around the area is also key. Teaching these people the ramifications of their behavior is a necessary precursor to the changing of behavior. For example, encouraging people to landscape with more native species and use less harsh pesticides will have a positive impact on the bay. Most importantly, steps need to be taken to improve the quality of the water that is fed into Upper Newport Bay from San Diego and Bonita creeks. Ideally, the water would go through a water processing plant that would eliminate trash, fertilizers, sediment, and other contaminants before it was allowed to enter Upper Newport Bay. This would lessen the amount of dredging that had to occur while also improving the quality of the water and consequently the status of aquatic wildlife living in the bay. If at all possible, the government should continue to try and buy any additional wetland area that is for sale and restore it. There is potential to return the Upper Newport Bay into a thriving wetland ecosystem, and to capitalize on this potential would mean protecting so many plants, animals, birds, and fish from disappearing forever.
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