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Map Satellite Wholly within the Point Reyes National Seashore, Estero de Limantour opens to the sea at the mouth of Drake's Estero. This estero is shallow, with extensive mudflats at low tide. There are salt marshes at the eastern inland end of the estero and at several sites on the margins. The dominant species is pickleweed, Salicornia virginica. In the intertidal zone, eel grass, Zostera marina, grows in some abundance.
The estero is frequented by numerous shorebirds and waterfowl, particularly during the migratory season. Various marine mammals haul out on its shores. Among the numerous invertebrates found here are the giant moon snail, Polinices lewisi, sea slugs, Triopha grandis and Melibe leonina, string worm, Phoronopsis viridis, blue ghost shrimp, Upobebia pugettensis, and several clams, Gemma gemma and Tresus nuttalli; the latter, the horseneck clam, is relatively scarce.
The estero is separated from the sea by a narrow sand-spit approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) long.
Integrity: Much of the area is virtually pristine.
Use: Research, educational, observational.
February 1978
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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