Harper Dry Lake
Map SatelliteA freshwater marsh is the main feature of this Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), though approximately three-quarters of the area is a dry-lake playa. Cattail, Typha sp., and Carex sp. are the dominants in the marsh. In the adjacent area there are several species of saltbush, Atriplex confertifolia, Atriplex hymenelytra, Atriplex polycarpa and Atriplex spinifera.
A number of animals are present including the desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizi, the introduced mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis, and a disjunct population of the San Joaquin pocket mouse, Perognathus inornatus.
Over 140 species of birds, have been observed in the area, 60 of them water-oriented. Among the nesting species are snowy plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, Virginia rail, Rallus limicola, cinnamon teal, Anas cyanoptera, black-necked stilt, Himantopus mexicanus, avocet, Recurvirostra americana, and yellow throat, Geothlypis trichas. Migrants include pintail, Anas acuta, blue-winged teal, Anas discors, shoveler, Anas clypeata, and redhead, Aythya americana. Sora, Porzana carolina, Yuma clapper rail, Rallus longirostris yumanensis, and bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, have been sighted here.
There is open water in the marsh.
Integrity: Some grazing has occurred in the area and there is a road on the playa; however, the vegetation has not been severely impacted except in those areas where the introduced tamarisk, Tamarix sp., is present. Adjacent alfalfa fields provide a relatively continuous flow of water to the marsh, but pesticides and fertilizers may be present in the runoff.
Use: Research, educational, observational.
May 1982
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
