Mission Bay

This guide to Mission Bay in San Diego starts with the Kumeyaay families who once worked these tidal mudflats at low tide for clams, mussels and fish, calling the shifting estuary a pantry rather than a landscape. It follows the shift after World War Two, when San Diego's leaders decided the marsh should serve tourists instead of clam diggers, and brought in dredges to remake the bay floor. You'll hear how many years the dredging ran and what it took to turn a working estuary into the shoreline you see today. Listen for the mention of the Kendall Frost reserve, a short walk north, before you decide whether to go find it.