BBolsa Chica Wetlands - Essay Example

An Exploratory Remark on the Bolsa Chica Wetlands Bolsa Chica Wetlands, a number of the United s’ largest coastal marsh lands in Huntington, California, encompasses approximately 1100 acres area. Theses marsh lands are saturated with saltwater which comes the Eastern coast of the Pacific Ocean. At the same time, freshwater from seasonal rainfall also helps to keep the level of water-saturation of the area intact. Due to the importance of Bolsa Chica’s role in ecological balance, the State Government of California has attempted to protect these coastal wetlands under the supervision of the “California Department of Fish and Game”. It is assumed that the wetlands of Bolsa Chica provide shelter to a number of endangered species of flora and fauna. Recently the nature reserve of Bolsa China is also being used as a tourist-spot for nature-lovers. Since it is an important stop on the Pacific flyway of migratory birds, outbound travelers often grab the opportunity to come into the close contact of natural sceneries of the marshlands of Bolsa Chica. Apart from Bolsa Chica’s ecological importance, it has become a popular tourist spot, which provides the nature-lovers with a significant number of recreation activities such surf fishing for “perch, corbina, croaker, cabezon and sand shark”, bare-handed fishing for “California grunion, a species that only spawns on sandy southern California beaches”, bird-watching, etc. To the north and the South of Bolsa Chica Nature Reserve, there are the Warner Avenue and Seapoint Avenue, whereas there are residential areas on along border. Moreover, one can enjoy both the natural sceneries of Bolsa Chica and the oceanic beauty along the Pacific Coast Highway on the western border of Bolsa Chica. Though docent-led tour is available on the first, the second and the third Saturdays of each month, one can take a tour personal tour in these areas at any time of the year. The tours on the first Saturday and the third Saturday of each month are arranged by the “Amigos de Bolsa Chica” and the “Bolsa Chica Land Trust” from the South parking lots. Inbound nature-lovers can get a substantial knowledge about the areas’ weather, climate and geography from the Interpretive Center at Warner Ave. Bolsa Chica is endowed with some unique geographical features because of its more or less direct connection to the sea along its southern border. When we visited the area, the weather was somewhat cloudy. Though we guessed that it might rain, it did not happened finally. Before we reached there, we researched the weather status of Bolsa Chica by consulting the Bolsa Weather pages online. We learnt that the Bolsa Chica area has a typical weather which is applicable to any coastal area along the Tropic of Cancer. “A warm, dry Mediterranean climate,”, as it is said in Bolsa Chica page on Weather.com, “prevails over Southern California - inland it is hot in the summer, mild in the winter” (“Profile for Bolsa” pars. 3). August in Huntington is the warmest month, when the average temperature fluctuates between 900 F and 1050 F. In December, which is the coolest month, the average temperature oscillates from 200 F to 300 F. During the summer, frequent fogs prevail over the region and “most of the precipitation comes as rain” during the winter in December (“Profile for Bolsa” pars. 5). Since we visited Bolsa Chica at the end of July, the weather on our visiting day was neither foggy and nor rainy. Since Bolsa Chica stands very close to the coast of the Pacific, the local climate remains almost moderate without much demarcation between the summer and the winters. Such moderate weather makes Bolsa Chica’s weather and climate different from the overall climatic pattern of California. Bolsa Chica, having all the characteristics of a wetland, is a rich habitat of a wide range of flora and fauna. A wetland is, indeed, a natural home of different species of birds, animals and plants. The “United States Environmental Protection Agency” defines a wetland as “lands where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the soil and on its surface” (EPA pars. 2). There are about 300 species of birds and animals which live in the wetlands of Bolsa Chica. Apart from the natural inhabitants, some marine species of reptile and mammals can be found roaming seasonally in the nature reserve of Bolsa Chica. Among the year-round species of fauna, there are “tall egrets and herons, horn snails and crabs, with the occasional sightings of white pelicans, peregrine falcon, and northern harrier” (Amigos pars. 3), which can be found in the salt-marshes of Bolsa Chica. Migratory fauna species can be found during the winter from November to March. These migratory species include “waterfowl and shorebirds such as pintails, western grebes, willets and godwits, sandpipers, and many more” (Amigos pars. 3). Though during the summer, most of the fauna species are found on the wetlands of Bolsa Chica, about 70 species including the migratory species can be found during the winter. Some “endangered species such as California Least Tern and Belding's Savannah Sparrow” (Amigos pars. 3) can be found in the summer. List of the faunas which are found in Bolsa Chica are given below: Types Names Birds of Prey Burrowing Owls, Red-shouldered Hawk, Great Horned Owl, American Bald Eagle (sighting) (endangered), Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, White-tailed Kite (endangered), Osprey, Merlin Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcons (endangered) Upland Birds Say's Phoebe, Anna's Hummingbird, Loggerhead Shrike (endangered), Western Meadowlark, Black-shinned Hummingbird, Swallows, Blue Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird Mesa and Wetland Birds Light-Footed Clapper Rail (endangered), Great Egret, Snowy Plover (endangered), Black-crowned Night-heron, Least Tern (endangered), Burrowing Owl, Brown Pelican (endangered), Great blue Heron, Belding Savannah Sparrow (endangered) Mammals Blacktailed Jackrabbit, Coyote, Striped Skunk, Cottontail Rabbit, Western Harvest Mouse, Beechey Ground Squirrel Reptiles and Amphibians Pacific Rattlesnake, Southern Alligator Lizard, Western Fence Lizard, Western Toad The Bolsa Chica wetlands can be divided into five types according to the geographical features of the areas. They are: swamp, marshes, vernal pool, beaver impoundment and bogs. But the wetlands of Bolsa Chica are of three general types: “undeveloped wetlands, lowlands and lower mesa” (Amigos pars. 3). Bolsa Chica’s soil is mainly sandy. But near the watery areas, the soil consists of sandy mud. In fact, the whole area of Bolsa Chica stands on “shallow marine terrace deposits”. Experts say that the mesas of Bolsa Chica are consisted of alluvial soils borne by the sea-current. But the typical quality of the Bolsa Chica wetlands can be defined by the term, ‘Salt-marsh’. So, the soil is conducive to coastal marine and amphibian plants which can grow in salty land. Mainly three types of plants generally grow in this area. They are: “Coastal Sage Scrub Plants”, “Coastal Strand Habitat Plants” and “Wetlands Plants” (Bolsa Chica Land Trust pars. 2). The wetland floras mainly grow around marshes and low watery inlands of Bolsa, “Coastal Sage Scrub Plants” and “Coastal Strand Habitat Plants” grow on the sandy soil nears coastal areas and lands which are in direct contact with salty sea-water. Types Names Coastal Strand Habitat Plants Beach Sand Verbena (Abronia umbellata), Beach Evening Primrose (Camissonia cheiranthifolia), Beach Morning Glory  (Calystegia soldanella), Dodder or Witch's Hair (Cuscuta salina), Silver Beach Bur (Ambrosia chamissonis), Coast Woolly Heads (Nemacaulis denudata), Coast Goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii) Coastal Sage Scrub Plants Toyon  or California Holly (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Coastal Quail Bush (Atriplex lentiformis ssp.breweri), Coastal Sagebrush  (Artemisia californica), Common Tarplant  (Hemozonia fasciculata), Black Sage (Salvia mellifera), Coast Sunflower  (Encelia californica), Coyote Bush  (Baccharis pilularis), Bladderpod (Cleome isomeris), Coastal Prickly Pear (Opuntia littotalis), Coastal Cholla (Opuntia prolifera), Fourwing Saltbush  (Atriplex canescens), Wishbone Bush  (Mirabilis californica), Southern Tarplant  (Centromadia parryi ssp. australis) Wetlands Plants Shoregrass or Salt Cedar (Monanthochloe littoralis), Mule Fat (Baccharis salicifolia), Sea Blite  (Suaeda californica), Cattails (Typha latifolia), Alkali Heath (Frankenia salina), Yerba Mansa  (Anemopsis californica), Saltgrass  (Distichlis spicata), Sea Lavender (Limonium californicum), Jaumea (Jaumea carnosa), Spiny Rush (Juncus acutus), Saltwort (Batis maritima), Cordgrass  (Spartina foliosa) History and Impacts of Human Beings on Bolsa Chica Wetlands Along the passage of time, Bolsa Chica has suffered from man’s hostile activities. Though before 1895, the area was a natural part of human society, it began to suffer excessive hunting in the early twentieth century. In 1895, a hunting club bough the area. Later it had been leased to two oil companies, Standard Oil and Signal Oil for drilling in 1970. The Coastal Act of California in 1972 halted the further advancement of any hostility to the area. “Much of the undeveloped area,” as it has been informed an anonymous expert, “that has been a working oil field since World War II is pockmarked with rigs and wells…The ground is contaminated with oil, heavy metals, PCBs and mercury — a legacy of decades of drilling” (“Huntington Beach”, pars. 8). The wetlands and the Marshes of Bolsa Chica have a long history and have undergone significant changes due to the hostility of men. It has affected the environment of the area while destroying the reserve of flora and fauna. Indeed majority of the wetlands of the California State had been filled with garbage and industrial wastage to make places for houses, mills, factories, and other development. Works Cited Amigos De Bolsa Chica. “Important Tour Information”, 18 November, 2013. Available at EPA. “America's Wetlands: Our Vital Link Between Land and Water”. 4 December, 2012. Available at “Huntington Beach, California Bird…Bolsa Chica Wetlands”, huntingtonbeachevents.com. 18 November, 2013. Available at “Profile for Bolsa”, Weather.com. 18 November, 2013. Available at The Bolsa Chica Land Trust. “Experience Bolsa Chica”, 18 November, 2013. Available at Read More