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.
The first refuges were established to preserve and protect the rare birds of Southern California's coastal marshes. In the mid-1990s, the system was expanded to protect larger areas of coastal and inland open space under the Multiple Species Conservation Program, a cooperative project involving city, state, and federal authorities. The wildlife refuge complex now supports a diverse array of habitats including coastal marshes and uplands, chaparral, coastal sage scrub, oak woodland, freshwater marsh, vernal pool areas, and breeding and nesting grounds for migratory and resident birds. [1]
This refuge is located on the grounds of the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station in Orange County. It includes 965 acres of saltwater marsh in the Anaheim Bay estuary. It was established in 1972 for the benefit of migrating birds up and down the Pacific Flyway as well as a variety of local birds, fish, and plants. Public access is limited to once-a-month guided tours. [2]
This is an inland refuge in San Diego's back country. Habitats include coastal sage scrub and chaparral to oak woodland and freshwater marsh. It is part of the Multiple Species Conservation Program and includes 44,000 acres.
This area was dedicated in 1999 and includes 3,940 acres. It includes intertidal salt marsh and submerged areas with eelgrass beds. It is the largest remaining contiguous mudflat in southern California and is an important stop for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway. The area has walking and biking paths as well as vantage points for bird watching. [3] It includes some former salt evaporation ponds which the wildlife service is trying to turn back into natural wetland. [4] The state Wildlife Conservation Board contributed a grant in 2010 to try to restore 65 acres of highly damaged habitat in the refuge. [5]
The Sweetwater Marsh area comprises 316 acres of salt marsh estuary where the Sweetwater River enters San Diego Bay. It was established in 1996. Some highly endangered species have been seen returning to the marsh since its establishment as a refuge. [6]
The Living Coast Discovery Center is located at the marsh. Formerly known as the Chula Vista Nature Center, the independent Living Coast Discovery Center is dedicated to providing environmental education on coastal resource conservation. Exhibits include many aquariums and displays of local marine life and reptiles, a sea turtle lagoon, outdoor aviaries of rescued birds, a shark and ray exhibit, and hiking trails. [7] Guided hikes are available as well as educational programs for elementary school children. The center is located at the foot of E Avenue in Chula Vista, just west of Interstate 5. [8]
The Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge is a 1,051 acre wetland where the Tijuana River enters the Pacific Ocean. It is also part of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. It is the only coastal lagoon in California which does not have any roads or rail lines built across it. More than 370 species of birds have been recorded in the refuge and the adjacent Tijuana River valley. A visitor center is open to the public featuring educational programs and exhibits, four miles of trails, and a native plant garden. [9]
Vernal pools are temporary pools that form for a few months during the wet season and are dry the rest of the year. They house some of the area's rarest animals, including the San Diego fairy shrimp and the Western spadefoot toad, which lie dormant under the ground during the dry season and emerge when the pools refill with water. Vernal pools are of special interest within the complex because they are so rare. It is estimated that only 3% of the area's original vernal pools remain. [10]
Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a 27,300 acre (110 km2) national wildlife refuge located in Sevier County, Arkansas. Pond Creek NWR is one of three refuges forming an administrative complex, which also includes Felsenthal NWR and Overflow NWR to the east.
The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex is part of the United States system of National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). It is located in northern California, in the valley of the Sacramento River.
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, encompassing part of the Montezuma Swamp at the north end of Cayuga Lake. The 10,004-acre (40.48 km2) preserve is composed of swamps, pools and channels and is a stopping point for migratory birds. It is the largest contiguous wetland complex in the northeastern United States and comprises a portion of the larger Montezuma Wetlands Complex, which is a partnership between the USFWS, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as several other non-profit support organizations.
The Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a 15,978-acre (64.66 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located along the eastern coast of Kent County, Delaware, United States, on Delaware Bay. It was established on March 16, 1937, as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory and wintering waterfowl along the Atlantic Flyway. The Refuge was purchased from local land owners with federal duck stamp funds.
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.
The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California near Klamath Falls, Oregon. It consists of Bear Valley, Klamath Marsh and Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southern Oregon and Lower Klamath, Tule Lake, and Clear Lake NWR in northern California.
The South Bay, also known as South County, is a region in southwestern San Diego County, California, consisting of the cities and unincorporated communities of Bonita, Chula Vista, East Otay Mesa, Imperial Beach, Lincoln Acres, National City, and South San Diego.
The Sweetwater River is a 55-mile (89 km) long stream in San Diego County, California. From its headwaters high in the Cuyamaca Mountains, the river flows generally southwest, first through rugged hinterlands but then into the urban areas surrounding its mouth at San Diego Bay. Its drainage basin covers more than 230 square miles (600 km2), all of it within San Diego County.
The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge is a 950-acre (384.5 ha) National Wildlife Refuge in ten units across the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge spans 70 miles (110 km) of Connecticut coastline and provides important resting, feeding, and nesting habitat for many species of wading birds, shorebirds, songbirds and terns, including the endangered roseate tern. Adjacent waters serve as wintering habitat for brant, scoters, American black duck, and other waterfowl. Overall, the refuge encompasses over 900 acres (364.2 ha) of barrier beach, intertidal wetland and fragile island habitats.
The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge is a 31,551-acre (12,768 ha) National Wildlife Refuge located in Chatham and Effingham counties in Georgia and Jasper County in South Carolina. Of the total area, 15,395 acres (6,230 ha) is in Georgia and 15,263 acres (6,177 ha) is in South Carolina. The refuge was established to provide sanctuary for migratory waterfowl and other birds and as a nature and forest preserve for aesthetic and conservation purposes.
The Atlantic Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in North America. The route generally starts in Greenland, then follows the Atlantic coast of Canada, then south down the Atlantic Coast of the United States to the tropical areas of South America and the Caribbean. Every year, migratory birds travel up and down this route following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or traveling to overwintering sites.
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.
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.
The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is a wildlife conservation area along the coast of Texas (USA), west of the town of High Island, Texas. It borders East Bay, part of the Galveston Bay complex, behind Bolivar Peninsula at the Gulf of Mexico.
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex is located in the northern San Joaquin Valley, within Merced County and Stanislaus County of California. The complex, with four federal National Wildlife Refuges, is managed by the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service.
Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge in the most southwestern corner of the contiguous United States. As a National Wildlife Refuge, it is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was established in 1980.
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.
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.
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.
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