El Estero
Map SatelliteThis marsh, also known as the Sandyland or Carpinteria Marsh, is one of the larger and more important in the County. It is a typical coastal salt marsh with Salicornia spp. the dominants but with Suaeda californica, Distichlis spicata and other typical plants of the community present. The rare Cordylanthus maritimus ssp. maritimus is found here. Some mudflats are present at low tide.
The area is visited by numerous migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, though the numbers present at any one time seldom exceed 1,000 individuals. The endangered California clapper rail, Rallus longirostris obsoletus, is found here. Numerous invertebrates, including several taxa of brackish-water clams, inhabit the marsh.
Santa Monica Creek drains into the marsh and at Sand Point there is a natural outlet which, however, must be seasonally dredged to avoid siltation. Immediately offshore from the Point is a rocky reef with excellent intertidal plant and animal communities.
Integrity: Though bounded by roads, railroads and homes, the marsh is only occasionally disturbed by infrequent flood-control work and the usually annual bulldozing of the channel to open it to the sea. In most respects it is virtually undisturbed.
Use: Private
Ref: 1976. The Natural Resources of Carpinteria Marsh. Calif. Dept. of Fish & Game Coastal Wetlands Series 13, Sacramento.
January 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman