San Diego National Wildlife Refuge

Last updated

San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Coastal sage scrub and riparian habitat at San Diego National Wildlife Refuge (6033289259).jpg
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Map of the United States
Location San Diego County, California, United States
Nearest city San Diego, California
Governing body U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website San Diego National Wildlife Refuge

San Diego National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in California. It is part of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex. A variety of habitats from coastal sage scrub and chaparral to oak woodland and freshwater marsh describe this inland refuge in San Diego's backcountry. [1]

The Living Coast Discovery Center is located in the Sweetwater Marsh Unit adjacent to the administrative headquarters for the US Fish & Wildlife Service. The center features exhibits of marine life, birds and plants found at San Diego Bay, and partners with the refuge to offer environmental education programs. There are 1.5 miles of trails with access to the bay.

The Otay-Sweetwater Unit of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System's contribution to the Multiple Species Conservation Plan, a program designed to conserve enough open space and habitat for species survival while enabling orderly development to occur where necessary. It is closed to the public.

San Diego National Wildlife Refuge's abundance of coastal sage and chaparral are an important addition to other inland preserves established to conserve and restore fast diminishing habitat. This inland refuge is home to such endangered birds as least Bell's vireo, California gnatcatcher, a rare butterfly, the Quino checkerspot and to the San Diego horned lizard. Biological surveys for other species are ongoing as new land is acquired. The approved refuge boundary is 44,000 acres (180 km2), with 8,000 acres (32 km2) for the Vernal Pools Unit.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge</span> More than 40,000 acres of southern New Jersey Coastal Habitats and tidal wetlands

The Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge located in southern and south-central New Jersey, along the Atlantic coast, north of Atlantic City, in Atlantic and Ocean counties. The refuge was created in 1984 out of two existing refuge parcels created to protect tidal wetland and shallow bay habitat for migratory water birds. The Barnegat Division is located in Ocean County on the inland side of Barnegat Bay. The Brigantine Division is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of Atlantic City along the south bank of the mouth of the Mullica River. The two divisions are separated by approximately 20 miles (32 km). The refuge is located along most active flight paths of the Atlantic Flyway, making it an important link in the network of national wildlife refuges administered nationwide by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Forsythe Refuge is a part of the Hudson River/New York Bight Ecosystem and The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. The refuge is named for Edwin B. Forsythe, conservationist Congressman from New Jersey. The refuge was named as a Ramsar Site of international importance in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge</span> United States National Wildlife Reserve in San Francisco Bay

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (DESFBNWR) is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located in the southern part of San Francisco Bay, California. Its headquarters and visitor center are in the Baylands district of Fremont, next to Coyote Hills Regional Park, in Alameda County. The visitor center is on Marshlands Rd, off Thornton Ave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal sage scrub</span> Shrubland plant community of California

Coastal sage scrub, also known as coastal scrub, CSS, or soft chaparral, is a low scrubland plant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion, found in coastal California and northwestern coastal Baja California. It is within the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.

Wildwood Canyon is a canyon and California state park in the eastern foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, within San Bernardino County, southern California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweetwater River (California)</span> River in California, United States

The Sweetwater River is a 55-mile (89 km) long stream in San Diego County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Flyway</span> Major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas

The Pacific Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in the Americas, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Every year, migratory birds travel some or all of this distance both in spring and in fall, following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or travelling to overwintering sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napa Sonoma Marsh</span> Wetland in San Francisco Bay, California, USA

The Napa Sonoma Marsh is a wetland at the northern edge of San Pablo Bay, which is a northern arm of the San Francisco Bay in California, United States. This marsh has an area of 48,000 acres (190 km2), of which 13,000 acres (53 km2) are abandoned salt evaporation ponds. The United States Government has designated 13,000 acres (53 km2) in the Napa Sonoma Marsh as the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge</span> Wildlife refuge in California

The Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge encompassing 965 acres (3.91 km2) located in the California coastal community of Seal Beach. Although it is located in Orange County it is included as part of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It was established in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willapa National Wildlife Refuge</span>

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located on the shores of Willapa Bay in Washington, United States. It comprises 11,000 acres (45 km2) of sand dunes, sand beaches, mudflats, grasslands, saltwater and freshwater marshes, and coniferous forest. The refuge includes Long Island with stands of old growth Western red cedar and hemlock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Elijo Lagoon</span> Coastal wetland in San Diego County, California, United States

San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve is one of the largest remaining coastal wetlands in San Diego County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge</span> Wildlife refuge in Kern County, California

The Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge is located in the foothills of the southwestern San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. The refuge is one of four units of the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex for California condors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parker River National Wildlife Refuge</span> Protected area in Massachusetts, United States

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife sanctuary encompassing the majority of Plum Island in northeastern Essex County, Massachusetts, 5 miles southeast of Newburyport. It was established in 1942 primarily to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitats for migratory birds. Located along the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge is of vital stopover significance to waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds during migratory periods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge</span> National Wildlife Refuge in California

San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is an urban refuge located on San Diego Bay in San Diego County, California. It is part of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex. It was dedicated in June 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge</span> One of the largest coastal dune systems in California

The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge is a 2,553-acre (10.33 km2) protected area located along the Central Coast of California, in southern San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara Counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge</span> National Wildlife Refuge in California

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located on Humboldt Bay, on the California North Coast near the cities of Eureka and Arcata. The refuge exists primarily to protect and enhance wetland habitats for migratory water birds using the bay area, including tens of thousands of shorebirds, ducks, geese, swans, and the black brant. Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, along with other public and private lands around Humboldt Bay, is one of the key stopovers for the millions of migratory birds that rely on the Pacific Flyway. More than 200 bird species, including 80 kinds of water birds and four endangered species, regularly feed, rest, or nest on the refuge or other areas around the bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California coastal sage and chaparral</span> Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion in Mexico and the United States

The California coastal sage and chaparral is a Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub ecoregion, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, located in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California (Mexico). It is part of the larger California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. The ecoregion corresponds to the USDA Southern California ecoregion section 261B, and to the EPA Southern California/Northern Baja Coast ecoregion 8.

The San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a series of wildlife refuges established by the United States National Wildlife Service beginning in 1972. The complex incorporates five refuges in San Diego County and Orange County in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego-Scripps Coastal Marine Conservation Area</span> Marine protected areas on Californias coast

San Diego-Scripps Coastal Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) and Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve (SMR) are adjoining marine protected areas that extend offshore from La Jolla in San Diego County on California's south coast. The two marine protected areas cover 2.51 square miles (6.5 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollenbeck Canyon Wildlife Area</span> Located near Jamul in California

Hollenbeck Canyon Wildlife Area is located near Jamul and Dulzura in California. The former cattle ranch was designated a wildlife area in 2001, and forms a wildlife corridor between Otay Mountain Wilderness and Jamul Mountains under the protection of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The approximately 6,100-acre area is open to the public for activities including hunting, equestrian use, hiking, mountain-biking, and (hunting) dog training.

The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve is a 20-acre 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.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service .

  1. Fox, Maura (December 23, 2023). "Hike of the week: An easy, family-friendly walk through the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 26, 2023.

32°36′9″N117°6′53″W / 32.60250°N 117.11472°W / 32.60250; -117.11472