Chapters 1 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Refuge Resources
were capped with sand. Over the years, additional improvements have been made to enhance the
quality of the site for nesting least terns.
The triangular area located to the southeast of the 7 th Street Pond currently supports
predominately non-native, weedy vegetation such as fivehorn smotherweed (Bassia hyssopifolia),
common thistle (Cirsium vulgare), Maltese star-thistle (Centaurea melitensis), milk thistle
(Silybum marianum), tumbleweed (Salsola paulsenii), and black mustard (Brassica nigra), as
well as patches of native pickleweed. Another upland island, created in Case Road Pond as part of
the Port of Long Beach mitigation project, supports native intertidal vegetation at its lower
elevations and predominantly non-native, weedy vegetation on the upper elevations near the center
of the small island.
The largest undeveloped upland area within the Refuge, occupying about 21 acres, is located to the
north of Case Road Pond. In 1977, a portion of this area was planted with crested wheatgrass, a
non-native bunchgrass intended to provide food and cover for wildlife. Since that time, the area
has been reinvaded with non-native annual grasses and other weedy species. Additional native
shrub plantings have been initiated in this area over the years; the site continues to support a mix
of native and non-native species.
4.3.3.5 Sensitive Plants
A number of sensitive plants have been previously recorded on the Refuge including estuary
seablite (Suaeda esteroa), seaside calandrinia (Calandrinia maritima), and southern tarplant
(Hemizonia parryi ssp. australis). Coulter's goldfields (Lasthenia glabrata ssp. coulteri) has also
been recorded on NWSSB immediately to the east of the Refuge and although not yet documented
could also be present on the Refuge in appropriate habitat areas.
4.3.4 Wildlife
The extensive subtidal, intertidal mudflat, and salt marsh habitat on the Refuge supports a diverse
array of species. The fish, benthic invertebrates, and other marine organisms supported on the
Refuge provide important food sources for migratory birds and various marine organisms,
including species important to commercial and recreational fishing interests. Also important to
many fish, birds, and marine organisms are the extensive eelgrass beds present in the subtidal
channels and large mitigation ponds.
4.3.4.1 Birds
Seal Beach NWR and several nearby coastal wetland areas have collectively been recognized by
the National Audubon Society as the Orange Coast Wetlands Important Bird Area (IBA). The
areas within the Orange Coast Wetlands (each of which could qualify as a separate IBA) protect
some of south California’s most extensive wetlands, wetlands that provide essential foraging,
resting, and nesting habitat for a variety of coastal-dependent migratory and resident bird species
(California Audubon Society 2008).
Monthly high and low tide bird counts have been conducted on the Refuge since 1996. As a result
of these surveys, approximately 190 bird species have been documented on the Refuge. Of these,
approximately 32 species of birds are known to breed on the Refuge and 32 additional species of
birds have been recorded on the adjacent NWSSB, which includes open grassland, ocean shoreline,
and other habitats not present on the Refuge. A complete species list of the birds observed on the
Refuge is included in Appendix F.
Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment 4-47