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Map Satellite At the mouth of Ballona Creek is the remnant of a salt marsh that once covered some 625 hectares (1,550 acres). The dominant vegetation is Salicornia sp., with some Salix sp. along the intermittent creeks. A portion of the area is in coastal sage scrub. It has a relatively abundant fauna, the most conspicuous being the shorebirds that utilize the area. Over 50 species of water-oriented birds have been sighted here, with as many as 1,000 individuals at a time. At an elevation of some 15 meters (50 feet) is a Pleistocene marine terrace which contains marine vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. Ballona Creek was the old mouth of the Los Angeles River before a flood in 1825 when it joined the San Gabriel River for a time. The Los Angeles River changed courses several times and last flowed through the Ballona gap and marsh in 1927, before the river course was channelized. There is a peat bed in the area, a portion of which has burned. Integrity: The creek has been diked and the marsh does not receive a regular tidal flow. Some oil and gas wells are in the area which is cut by several roads. Use: Private March 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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