Thousands of visitors are flocking to a Bay Area salt pond with visions of Barbie in mind.
That’s because the pond at Alviso Marina County Park is pink. However, wildlife experts say the results have not been so rosy for birds in the area.
Rangers say about a thousand visitors a day have been going to check out the pond. But in the quest to get that perfect social media photo, they may be disrupting birds.
“Showing up with wardrobe changes and professional photographers doing full on photo shoots. We’ve seen a 100% increase in our visitation with these pink photo shoots,” said Miguel Marquez, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge ranger.
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Irene Chen of San Ramon says she decided to check out the pond for herself after her friend posted a photo on social media.
“She was wearing pink and it matched the background perfectly,” Chen said.
She said the real thing doesn't compare to the photos she saw online.
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But there is a dark shade to the pink. People have been ignoring the signs to stay off the beach, and that’s not all.
“They're actually going out there and taking photos in the pond stepping through the water,” said Marquez.
And that's creating problems for the wildlife there.
“These ponds are important for migratory birds to stop here for a safe place and introducing hundreds of people to this area is going to scare the birds away,” said Marquez.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is so concerned, the agency posted this warning on Facebook reminding people to stay on the trails to protect birds, including the western snowy plover -- a threatened species that nests there.
Rangers say some people have even been using drones to get pictures of the pink pond and that is also scaring away the birds.
So, what makes the water pink? You can thank microorganisms that live in the salty water. Rangers say because of the low water levels, the water is even more pink this year.
They just hope visitors can find a way to strike a pose without imposing on the wildlife who call this home.
