Chapters 1 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Chapter 3
Wildlife Photography. Cameras are not permitted on NWSSB without written permission
from the Navy. Occasionally, the Navy will grant permission for Refuge staff or Refuge
volunteers to take photographs of Refuge resources to help promote wetland conservation and
increase public awareness of the birds and habitats protected on the Refuge.
Hunting and Fishing. To avoid conflicts with the mission of NWSSB, hunting and fishing are
prohibited on the Refuge.
Refuge Operations
Under this alternative, the Refuge would continue to be managed by one full-time Refuge
Manager and one part-time maintenance worker. Additional assistance would be available
from Refuge Complex staff.
The Refuge Headquarters, which consists of a small military building identified by NWSSB as
Building Number 226, is located outside the Refuge boundary near the southwest corner of
Kitts Highway and Bolsa Avenue. The building includes two small offices spaces, storage
areas, a single restroom, and a moderately-sized assembly area where Refuge information and
interpretive displays are provided for public viewing. Video presentations for approximately
25 people can also be accommodated in the assembly area. Just to the south of the Refuge
Headquarters are small storage sheds and outdoor storage areas for Refuge equipment and
tools. In addition, a native plant garden, developed and maintained by the Friends of Seal
Beach NWR, is located to the north, west, and southwest of the Refuge Headquarters. An
interpretive kiosk has been constructed adjacent to the Refuge Headquarters to provide
visitors with additional information about the Refuge. Neither the Refuge Headquarters nor
the native plant garden is located within the Refuge boundary.
Environmental Contaminants Coordination
As illustrated in Figure 3-1, the U.S. Navy owns the majority of the lands and waters included
within the Refuge boundary. As a result, the Navy is responsible for the identification,
assessment, characterization, and clean-up or control of contaminated sites within the Refuge,
as well as throughout NWSSB. In 1985, the Navy conducted an assessment of NWSSB, which
included the Refuge, and identified eight sites within the Refuge boundary (U.S. Navy 2007b).
Of the eight sites, only three have yet to be fully remediated. For two of the sites, remediation
is the responsibility of the Navy, while the third site, Oil Island, is the responsibility of the
facility operator, Breitburn Energy Corporation. Chapter 4 provides further information
about these sites and their remediation.
The Service’s Contaminants Program is available to assist the Refuge Manager in issues
related to contaminants, as well as to conduct studies related to the effects of contamination on
Refuge trust resources. The Contaminants Program at the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office
is currently conducting a multiple-year contaminants study on the light-footed clapper rail
population at the Seal Beach NWR involving analysis of blood, feathers, and nonviable eggs.
The Refuge will continue to coordinate with the NWSSB, as well as with the Service’s
Contaminants Program, to ensure that potential contaminants issues are appropriately
addressed as part of the overall management plan for the Refuge.
Cultural Resource Management
It is the policy of the NWRS to identify, protect, and manage cultural resources located on
Service lands and affected by Service undertakings for the benefit of present and future
generations. The Navy, as the landowner, also has responsibilities for insuring the protection
3-20 Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge