Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge

  In 1930, President Hoover signed an Executive Order establishing the Salton Sea Wild Life Refuge as a 32,766-acre sanctuary and breeding ground for birds and other wildlife. At the time of establishment, nearly 60 percent of the Refuge consisted of open saline lake. The remaining areas included shoreline alkali flats, freshwater marshes, native desert scrub, and farm fields. In 1940, management of federal wildlife refuges was shifted from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Interior and the refuge name was changed to the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge name was changed again in 1998 in memory of Congressman Sonny Bono, who was very active in the efforts to restore the health of the Salton Sea.  

Between the 1930s and the mid-1940s, agricultural runoff into the Salton Sea increased, gradually inundating the land that had been set aside for the Refuge in 1930. To address these land losses, the Imperial Irrigation District in 1947 leased approximately 24,000 acres of land just to the south of the Salton Sea to the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), U.S. Navy, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today, about 2,500 acres of manageable habitat are included within the Refuge boundary, with approximately 920 acres managed as wetlands to support resident and migratory birds and another 940 acres farmed to provide forage for wintering geese and other migratory birds. The remaining area includes dikes, shoreline, nesting islands, and salt flats.  

The manageable habitat areas of the Refuge are included in two units located approximately 18 miles apart. Each unit contains managed wetland habitat to support shorebirds, seabirds, and other water-dependent bird species, as well as areas of intensely managed crop fields. The Refuge’s managed wetlands also provide for the needs of yearround resident species such as the federally listed endangered Yuma clapper rail (Rallus longirostris yumanensis). Over 400 species of birds have been recorded at the Refuge and at least 93 species have nested here, including several species of nesting seabirds. About 41 species of mammals, 18 species of reptiles, four species of amphibians, and 15 species of fish have also been documented. One fish species of note on the Refuge is the federally listed endangered desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius).  

Public uses include waterfowl hunting, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, interpretation, and research. Opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation have been enhanced through the construction of photo blinds and elevated observation platforms. Interpretive trails provide information about the existing habitats and associated species.