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Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge

Habitat

Subtidal Habitat

Subtidal zone is the shallow near-shore area below intertidal zone, the land between the high and low tide marks. Subtidal is permanently inundated, except for rare lowest low tide events. There are four tidal basins created for the restoration of wetland: Forrestal Pond, Case Road Pond, 7th Street Pond, and Perimeter Pond, which are currently supporting the subtidal habitat in the Refuge. Tidal water from Anaheim Bay supports the ponds.

Dominating plants in these subtidal habitat is eelgrass, and mudflat portions in the habitat is supporting many invertebrate species.

Intertidal Channels and Tidal Mudflat Habitats

The complex system of tidal channels delivers moisture and nourishment (oxygen and nutrients) throughout the habitat and providing food or pathway to food for fish and other organisms.

The soil of intertidal flats is a combination of clay, silt, sand, shells, and organic matter, with algae as dominant plants.

Mudflats contain organisms which are a major food source for worms and invertebrates. Fishes, sharks and rays would often come to the mudflats with the tides and feed on transient or permanent residing fish. Shorebirds also depend on preying invertebrates on the mudflats.

Coastal Salt Marsh Habitat

Coastal Salt Marsh habitat, situated above mudflats, contains salt tolerant vegetation. It is the predominant habitat in the refuge with 565-acre land occupied. It is a nesting, feeding and cover area for bird and fish including the endangered Light-footed Clapper rails and Belding’s savannah sparrow.

A study on Light-footed Clapper rail was conducted since 1979. One of the study area is in the salt marsh in Anaheim Bay, the coastal salt marsh located in the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The environment of salt marsh was described: “The surrounding land lands are flat or gently sloping and provide little drainage into the bay. Consequently there are very little fresh water input other than winter rains… Most of the vegetation is characteristic of the low and middle littoral zones(Purer 1942) and is completely inundated by a 1.8 m tide (Mean Lower Low Water).” A list of major plants in the marsh was also provided: cordgrass (dominate plants at lower elevation), pickleweed and saltwort (dominated in middle elevation), seablite, saltgrass, sea lavender, arrowgrass, Jaumea carnosa, and Frankenia grandiflora. The dominating plants in the upper zone are glasswort and pickleweed. In the highest elevation (which sometimes is referred to as wetland/upland transition), there is no remnant of native species remain.

Oil extraction beneath the bay led to marsh subsiding. From 1957 to 1970, elevation had dropped 12.5 cm and by 1984, 25 cm of dropping elevation was expected.

Upland Habitat

41 acres within 65 acres of the uplands areas were built into roads, railroad tracks or others manmade structures. Most of these areas were originally wetland but were replaced for agricultural or military practices in the 19th century. - Hog Island Situated in the southern part of the Refuge, Hog Island was the only place that supported native vegetation, although none of it has been left for today. There are three “arms” stretching out of the land(military used in the past) planted with native vegetation today, to support and shelter upland birds, especially during high tides. - NASA Island The island is completely manmade, built in the 1960s for rocket testing until 1977. It is leveled today and covered with sand to provide a nesting site for the Least Tern. - Non native upland One of these upland island located in the 7th Street Pond supports non-native vegetation including five-horn smotherweed, common thistle, Maltese star-thistle, milk thistle, tumbleweed, black mustard, and the native pickleweed. Another one in Case Road Pond supports native intertidal vegetation, and some of the non-native vegetation mentioned.

Studies

Study of the endangered Light-footed Clapper Rail was conducted in 1979. This study mainly focuses on the three remaining largest populations in Anaheim Bay, Upper Newport Bay and Tijuana Marsh in San Diego county.

Study of the California Least Tern nesting season was conducted in 1980. This study mainly focuses on previously color-banded Least Tern chicks nesting behavior in the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. A Least Tern nesting site was prepared in the refuge in 1978 for the study.

Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment

In March 2011, Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment (CCP/EA) was established to “describes and evaluates various alternatives for managing the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).”