The Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail is the focus of a binational, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional effort to conserve important coastal wetlands in Southern California and northwestern Baja California and protect this species from future declines.
Ongoing recovery efforts for Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail include protecting and restoring salt marsh habitat and a captive breeding program, but coordination of research and conservation projects is needed across their range to address knowledge gaps and enhance effectiveness of management actions.
Invasive species, feral dogs, the surrounding urban and agricultural growth, and climate change threaten the coastal wetland of Punta Banda and the Light-footed Ridgway’s Rail. We need a protection formula that allows Ensenada to care for its landscape, because the rail’s health depends on the health of the ecosystem.