Chapters 1 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Introduction
Shumway Suffel, wrote the following in a letter to the Service, “I realize that this is not an ideal
Refuge area for game birds, as such, but it certainly is the last refuge and hope for many
marshbirds in Southern California.” With knowledge that the Navy was considering releasing
some of its wetlands, the Service renewed its efforts to manage the marshlands on the Navy’s
holdings. The Service contacted the General Services Administration about the surplus lands only
to learn that the sale was completed in July 1962. Orange County acquired 63.23 acres and another
5.5 acres was sold at public auction. In August 1962, Mr. Suffel once again contacted the Service,
informing them of the Navy’s plan to sell additional marshland to Orange County. With this
information in hand, the Service immediately arranged to meet with the Navy to express the
Service’s desire to manage this important coastal habitat. As a result, the Navy decided to
maintain ownership of the land.
In 1963, Congressman Richard Hanna told the Service he was interested in establishing a Refuge
between Huntington Beach and Seal Beach, just behind Bolsa Chica and immediately east of
Highway 101. The Service responded that such an acquisition would be too costly and instead
recommended designating part of the Naval Weapons Station as a waterfowl sanctuary under
Defense Department Directive Number 5500.5, which required a cooperative plan for the
management of fish and wildlife resources. This cooperative plan for 600 acres of tidal marsh on
NWSSB was approved in 1964 through a three way agreement among the Navy, the Service, and
the California Department of Fish and Game.
In 1971, significant public controversy over a proposal to construct a portion of freeway (Route
605) through the existing tidal lands prompted new discussions about establishing a Refuge at this
location (Figure 1-3). Although then Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton indicated
support for the proposal, he stated that the site did not qualify for acquisition as a Refuge.
Continued controversy and public input ultimately triggered political intervention by U.S.
Congressman Craig Hosmer and California State Senator Dennis Carpenter. Through the efforts
of Congressman Hosmer, Public Law 92-408, authorizing the establishment of a National Wildlife
Refuge on the NWSSB, was signed by President Nixon in August 1972. That same year, State
Senator Carpenter was successful in amending the State Freeway Master Plan to delete the
portion of the freeway that was shown to extend through NWSSB. The Refuge was officially
established on July 11, 1974 when the Notice of Establishment, which included the specific
boundaries of the Refuge, was published in the Federal Register (39 FR 25522). Describing
the Refuge and its boundaries involved the approval of the General Plan for Use of U.S. Navy
Lands and Waters for Wildlife Conservation and Management by the Secretary of the
Interior and the Secretary of the Navy in 1973 and the approval of the Management Plan for
the Seal Beach NWR by the Commanding Officer of NWSSB and Service’s Regional Director in
May 1974.
The approved Refuge boundary included lands held in trust for the residents of California by the
California State Lands Commission and therefore required a lease agreement between the Service
and the State Lands Commission to manage these areas as part of the Refuge. A 49-year lease
was secured from the State Lands Commission in April 1981 for the approximately 60 acres of
state tidelands that were included within the Refuge boundary.
An amendment to the “General Plan for the Use of U.S. Navy Lands and Waters for Wildlife
Conservation and Management” was approved in 1992 resulting in the addition of an eight-acre
parcel to the Refuge. This parcel, which is separated from the rest of the Refuge by the main
channel into Huntington Harbour, is located adjacent to Pacific Coast Highway at the south end of
NWSSB.
Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment 1-15