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Map Satellite At the mouth of the Santa Ana River there are remnants of a once extensive salt marsh. Pickleweed, Salicornia virginica, and salt grass, Distichlis spicata, are the main elements of the marsh vegetation. On the beach adjacent to the north there is a sparse coastal strand community, with beach primrose, Camissonia cheiranthifolia, present. A variety of birds utilizes the area for feeding and resting, including various gulls, Larus spp., Forster's tern, Sterna forsteri, and the endangered California least tern, Sterna albifrons browni. The latter nests on the beach. Integrity: Though channeled and diked, portions of the marsh are in relatively fair condition. A section of the beach area is fenced. Use: Research, educational, observational, on public portions. Some private. June 1981
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
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