|
>Map >Satellite Trinidad Head, the shore and coastal bluffs from Elk Head to Tepona Point, as well as the ocean up to 0.8 kilometer (0.5 mile) offshore, are included in this area. (See Tepona Point Rock.)
On shore, the dominant vegetation is a coastal bluff scrub. Two plants, Lilium columbianum and Empetrum nigrum, are at their southernmost range limit here; the Empetrum population is one of the few in the State. Two rare plants, Lilium occidentale and Dichondra donnelliana, have been collected here.
The shoreline includes some sandy beach and exposed and protected rocky coast with some tide pools. Offshore, there are reefs and numerous rocks.
The marine flora and fauna are rich and varied. Some thirty-five species of algae have been identified in the area, including the bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana. Both Phyllospadix scouleri and Phyllospadix torreyi occur here. Over 200 invertebrates have been recorded in the area. Of note are the orange coral, Balanophyllia elegans, which is becoming uncommon, and the clam, Tresus pajaroana, which, until recently, had been known only from fossils.
The harbor seal, Phoca vitulina, and the Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubata, use the offshore rocks for hauling grounds.
Integrity: The area is relatively undisturbed except for that portion near the boat harbor and the buildings above the bluffs. It is used extensively by educational institutions. A portion is in Trinidad State Beach.
Use: Research, educational, observational. Some private.
Ref: DeMartini, John, et al, 1977. A Macrobiological Survey of Trinidad Bay, California. Mimeo. Humboldt State University Marine Lab., 76 pp.
August 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
|
