Chapters 1 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Chapter 4
ability for the public to gain access onto NWSSB is always subject to change due to ongoing
security concerns. Currently, a three-hour public walking tour of the Refuge is offered once a
month. These tours, led by the Friends of the Seal Beach NWR and Refuge staff, are conducted in
cooperation with the Navy. Occasional birding tours are also conducted on the Refuge throughout
the year and an off-site environmental education program is conducted by the Friends.
Since 2005, the total number of visitors has averaged about 1,000 people per year, as shown in
Table 4-13. About 15 percent of these visits are from non-residents and 85 percent are from
Orange or Los Angeles County communities (K. Gilligan pers. com. December 2008). These visits
involve primarily wildlife observation; an estimated 350 visits also involve some interpretation.
The average visit length is about four hours.
Table 4-13
Annual Visitation to Seal Beach NWR
Year Number of Visitors
2005 1,100
2006 1,030
2007 1,030
2008 1,050
Two special events are held on the Refuge each year and attract larger groups of visitors: National
Public Lands Day, held on the last Saturday in September, and Tern Island Clean-up and Site
Preparation, scheduled in early spring. The numbers of visitors from these two annual events
combined is shown in Table 4-14.
Table 4-14
Refuge Visits Associated with Special Events
Year Number of Visitors
2005 1,000
2006 400
2007 432
2008 250
Facilities that are currently available to accommodate public use on the Refuge include a six to
eight-foot-wide pedestrian pathway, consisting of decomposed granite, that leads from the Refuge
office east along Bolsa Avenue to an existing observation deck, located about a quarter of a mile
east of the intersection of Bolsa Avenue and Kitts Highway. The observation deck is located on the
south side of Bolsa Avenue and provides views into the marsh. Interpretive signage on the deck
provides the public with information about the habitats and species protected on the Refuge. Also
available to the public during organized tours are trails that meander through the native plant
garden. Signs have been placed throughout the garden to identify the various native plants and
the wildlife in the area.
4.5.1.2 Surrounding Land Uses
Uses on NWSSB. The Refuge is surrounded by the NWSSB, which has largely been developed
into support facilities for the Station, including magazines for ordnance storage, office buildings,
roads, railroad revetments, parking lots, housing, recreation facilities, and open space. Basic
4-84 Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge