Photo
by Phil Roullard |
South
Bay
A
unit of the San Diego Bay NWR
The
South Bay Unit, dedicated in June of 1999, was the dream of San
Diego's environmental community for over 20 years. With 90 to 100
% of submerged lands, intertidal mudflats, and salt marshes eliminated
in the north and central Bay, the new South Bay refuge will preserve
and restore the remaining wetlands, mudflats and eel grass beds
to ensure that the bay's thousands of migrating and resident shorebirds
and waterfowl will survive into the next century. The approved refuge
boundary is 3,940 acres.
The bay supports numerous endangered and threatened species of plants
and animals and is a vital link to other wildlife areas. Rare eel
grass beds, thousands of resident and over-wintering waterfowl,
seabirds, shorebirds and the largest contiguous mud-flat in southern
California make this refuge a supermarket for avifauna, and an important
stop on the Pacific Flyway. Currently, the South Bay is undergoing a dramatic habitat change. Please click on "Salt Pond Restoration Project" on the site navigation to learn more!
Visitors can bird-watch from several vantage points, walk and/or
ride bicycles along a bike path bordering a good portion of the
south bay from Coronado to Imperial Beach. Please call 619-575-2704 for more information and directions.
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