I've got some beachfront property to sell you

Fans and Fannettes,

With much fanfare, we have returned triumphantly from a long road trip that did not involve accidents, food poisoning, or vandalism committed (at least, not that we remember). It did involve a business trip, chasing birds we did not find (and a few we did), and a few broken parts on the trailer, but all is well.

Our destination? The Salton Sea. Why? She had a business meeting there. Why? Because, Salton Sea! So, rather than be efficient and fly, we did the crazy thing by driving 10 hours there and camping in our Airstream trailer. Because, road trip!

The Salton Sea is one of the most fascinating, most disturbing, and least known places in California. It was formed about 110 years ago when some engineers said, "Hey, it's too dry in this desert. Why don't we reroute the Colorado River to get some water for our crops?" So, they cut a little hole in the bank of the Colorado, which said, "Ouch! That hurt, stop messing with me! I'll show you..." and proceeded to divert the entire river's outflow into the valley for 2 years before the Engineers could stop it. 

Geologic records show that the Colorado would get cranky every few hundred years and do this anyway, sometimes to a much greater degree. Moral of the story: Don't live in a valley that's nearly 300 feet below sea level.

Anyway, thanks to that little incident, we have this:

So, years pass uneventfully, when sometime in the '50s somebody thought, "Hey, there's a giant lake, an hour east of Palm Springs, in a sunny, dry climate, with no houses! And <gasp> no resorts or timeshares! What a travesty!" And, of course, if you build it, they will come!

To fill this vacuum, huge swaths of lakeshore were bulldozed and concreted into the shape of neighborhoods and resorts, and many lots and timeshares came for sale. Hollywood celebrities flocked there! It was Partyville, USA!

However, over time, the lake built up salinity and suffered from numerous fish die-offs, so wasn’t quite as appealing.

What, you'd prefer the Pacific's driftwood and majestic crashing waves, or Tahoe's pristine crystal blue? Where's your sense of adventure???

Today, you can still buy lots, land and homes, if you want:

But very few people do (note that prices are for lots or homes, and are in the THOUSANDS):

Yes, you, I mean YOU can be the proud owner of a 2 bed, 1 bath home near a lake for less than $2,000. Or not...

Over time, entropy and apathy won out:

Unfortunately for the lake and its inhabitants of all species, the pace of change is about to increase. Due to water use policy changes that are set to go into effect in 2017, more water will be diverted to human uses, and much less to the lake. It’s expected to shrink in area by 30% in the next 30 years, so that “lake front property” could be a mile or more away from the water.

As this occurs, salinity will increase to the point that most organisms can’t live in it. That’s bad news for the millions of birds that are resident or fly by the sea during their migration, as well as for the fish and other critters currently in the water.

For more on the Salton Sea, check out the excellent documentary, "Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea," narrated by John Waters. The trailer is on YouTube, and the video is available on NetFlix. There is a good episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations where he visits the Sea, probably also on Netflix.