Chapters 1 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Refuge Resources
Reestablish bird’s-beak colonies in suitable marshes within its historic range; and
Develop and implement a public education and awareness program for the preservation of
the species and its coastal salt marsh ecosystem.
Herbarium records indicate that salt marsh bird’s-beak historically occurred at Anaheim Bay
(USFWS 1985c); however, it was not present during plant surveys conducted in 1975. The species
was reintroduced to three small plots just east of Kitts Highway in early March 1982 using seeds
collected from plants occurring in Upper Newport Bay. The seeds sprouted and grew in one of the
plots in 1982. Seeds were sown again in 1983 and 1984. A study to monitor the growth and spread
of the plants was conducted in 1985 and 1986 (Massey 1985, Massey 1987). In 1985, there were 123
plants in one of the plots and one plant in the other. The third plot had no salt marsh bird’s-beak
plants. This survey indicated that although there were plants, they were not growing in dense
clumps, as is characteristic of this species. The plants did not appear to be spreading.
Based on the recommendations of the 1985 study, additional seeds were planted in the same
general vicinity in 1986. Seeds sprouted from the 1986 plot and the 1982 plot; however, no
spreading of the seeds was evident (Massey 1985, Massey 1987). The problem could not be
determined conclusively, but seed set was apparently low (Parsons and Zedler 1997). After 1986,
the number of salt marsh bird’s-beak plants declined steadily, and the population is now believed to
be extinct on the Refuge.
Despite these initial attempts at reintroduction, the Salt Marsh Bird’s-beak Recovery Plan
indicates that with the right conditions, Anaheim Bay is an appropriate site for future
reintroduction attempts. This is because the site offers secure habitat with minimal potential for
disturbance. According to the recovery plan, the factors that should be considered in identifying
future reintroduction sites on the Refuge include: ensuring that the proper host and hydrology
requirements for maintenance of salt marsh bird’s-beak vigor are met and that appropriate native
pollinators are present to ensure adequate seed production.
4.3.5.5 East Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
The East Pacific green turtle is listed as endangered throughout its range (National Marine
Fisheries Service and USFWS 1998). This regionally important population of the green turtle has
exhibited an extreme decline over the last 30 years. This population decline is attributed to severe
overharvest of wintering turtles in the Sea of Cortez between 1950 and 1970, the intense collection
of eggs between 1960 and early 1980 on mainland beaches of Mexico, nesting habitat destruction,
and incidental capture in commercial fisheries. Primary threats to the species in U.S. waters are
from entanglement in debris, boat collisions, fisheries bycatch, and entrainment in coastal power
plants.
The East Pacific green turtle is distinguished from the green turtle mainly by size, coloration
and carapace shape. The carapace of the adult East Pacific green turtle is narrower, more
strongly vaulted and more indented over the rear flippers than that of the green turtle (National
Marine Fisheries Service and USFWS 1998). The East Pacific green turtle is also conspicuously
smaller and lighter than the green turtle. The East Pacific green turtle has a heart-shaped shell,
small head, and single-clawed flippers. The adult carapace is smooth, keel-less, and light to dark
brown with dark mottling, with whitish to light yellow plastron. Adults feed almost exclusively on
sea grasses, including eelgrass, and marine algae.
Although they do not nest as far north as the California coast, Pacific green turtles are often found
during the summer months in waters off the coast of California, Oregon, and sometimes as far
Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment 4-69