Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve

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Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve
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Location San Diego, California
Coordinates 32°47′N117°13′W / 32.783°N 117.217°W / 32.783; -117.217 Coordinates: 32°47′N117°13′W / 32.783°N 117.217°W / 32.783; -117.217
Area20 acres (0.031 sq mi)
Governing body University of California, San Diego
Website http://nrs.ucsd.edu/reserves/kendall.html

The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve is a 20-acre (16 hectare) University of California Natural Reserve System reserve on the northern shore of Mission Bay in San Diego County, California. Administered by UC San Diego, the site is owned by the University of California and managed for teaching and research.

Contents

The reserve protects some of the last remaining coastal salt marsh in Mission Bay. The city of San Diego’s adjacent Northern Wildlife Preserve expands this wetland habitat to approximately 40 acres (32 hectares).

History

In 1952, Lena Kendall and the A. H. Frost estate donated two parcels of the upper marsh to the University of California. In 1965, the site became one of the first seven reserves in the newly established Natural Lands and Water Reserve System, now known as the University of California Natural Reserve System.

Ecology

The reserve ranges from high marsh to submerged shoreline and include coastal salt marsh, mudflats, tidal channels, and salt flats. Subtidal habitats feature eelgrass beds that shelter juvenile fish and invertebrates. Algae and bacterial mats coating mudflats exposed by high tide feed shorebirds and other species. The salt marsh supports California cordgrass ( Spartina foliosa ) and perennial pickleweed ( Salicornia pacifica ). Slightly higher in elevation is the midmarsh zone, with salt-tolerant plants such as sea lavender ( Limonium californicum ) and saltmarsh daisy ( Jaumea carnosa ). The drier high marsh is dominated by plants such as rambling sea-blite ( Suaeda californica ) and saltgrass ( Distichlis spicata ).

As one of few wetlands in the San Diego area, the reserve attracts many bird species. These include many shorebirds such as long-billed curlew ( Numenius americanus ) and one of California's rarest birds, the light-footed clapper rail ( Rallus longirostris levipes ). Artificial nesting platforms at the reserve were established for the rail in 1987; these keep eggs and chicks dry during high tides yet safe from land predators such as feral cats and raccoons.

The tidal channels of the marsh shelter native fishes such as the California killifish ( Fundulus parvipinnis ), which live in hypersaline pools, and longjaw mudsuckers ( Gillichthys mirabilis ), while arrow gobies ( Clevelandia ios ) live in burrows often occupied by ghost shrimp ( Neotrypaea californiensis ). [1]

Use

The marsh is used by students and scientists to study salt marsh ecology and practice field research techniques. Restoration efforts, such as a project to rid the marsh of invasive mangrove, have helped to improve the functioning of the habitat and improve conditions for native species.

Related Research Articles

Salt marsh Coastal ecosystem between land and open saltwater that is regularly flooded

A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated by dense stands of salt-tolerant plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh in trapping and binding sediments. Salt marshes play a large role in the aquatic food web and the delivery of nutrients to coastal waters. They also support terrestrial animals and provide coastal protection.

Mudflat Coastal wetlands where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers

Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal flat ecosystems are as extensive globally as mangroves, covering at least 127,921 km2 (49,391 sq mi) of the Earth's surface. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries; they are also seen in freshwater lakes and salty lakes alike, wherein many rivers and creeks end. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of estuarine silts, clays and aquatic animal detritus. Most of the sediment within a mudflat is within the intertidal zone, and thus the flat is submerged and exposed approximately twice daily.

Tidal marsh Marsh subject to tidal change in water

A tidal marsh is a marsh found along rivers, coasts and estuaries which floods and drains by the tidal movement of the adjacent estuary, sea or ocean. Tidal marshes experience many overlapping persistent cycles, including diurnal and semi-diurnal tides, day-night temperature fluctuations, spring-neap tides, seasonal vegetation growth and decay, upland runoff, decadal climate variations, and centennial to millennial trends in sea level and climate. Tidal marshes are formed in areas that are sheltered from waves, in upper slops of intertidal, and where water is fresh or saline. They are also impacted by transient disturbances such as hurricanes, floods, storms, and upland fires.

Goleta Slough

The Goleta Slough is an area of estuary, tidal creeks, tidal marsh, and wetlands near Goleta, California, United States. It primarily consists of the filled and unfilled remnants of the historic inner Goleta Bay about 8 miles (13 km) west of Santa Barbara. The slough empties into the Pacific Ocean through an intermittently closed mouth at Goleta Beach County Park just east of the UCSB campus and Isla Vista. The slough drains the Goleta Valley and watershed, and receives the water of all of the major creeks in the Goleta area including the southern face of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

University of California Natural Reserve System Network of nature reserves in California

The University of California Natural Reserve System (UCNRS) is a system of protected areas throughout California.

Ridgways rail Species of bird

Ridgway's rail is a near-threatened species of bird. It is found principally in California's San Francisco Bay to southern Baja California. A member of the rail family, Rallidae, it is a chicken-sized bird that rarely flies.

Mission Bay (San Diego)

Mission Bay is a human-made saltwater bay located south of the Pacific Beach community of San Diego, California created from approximately 2,000 acres (810 ha) of historical wetland, marsh, and saltwater bay habitat. The bay is part of the recreational Mission Bay Park, the largest man-made aquatic park in the country, consisting of 4,235 acres (17.14 km2), approximately 46% land and 54% water. The combined area makes Mission Bay Park the ninth largest municipally-owned park in the United States.

California's coastal salt marsh is a wetland plant community that occurs sporadically along the Pacific Coast from Humboldt Bay to San Diego. This salt marsh type is found in bays, harbors, inlets, and other protected areas subject to tidal flooding.

Seal Slough

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Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

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Marys Point

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References

  1. Fiedler, Peggy L.; Rumsey, Susan Gee; Wong, Kathleen, eds. (2013). The Environmental Legacy of the UC Natural Reserve System. University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-5202-7200-2.