Valencia Lagoon
Map SatelliteValencia Lagoon was, and may still be, one of the few breeding ponds of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander, Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum.
Dominant vegetation in the lagoon includes cattails, Typha sp., and bulrush, Scirpus sp. There are some willows, Salix sp., oh the margins of the lagoon, and the surrounding plant community is coastal scrub mixed with various exotics.
Integrity: There was a thriving population of the salamander in this lagoon until highway construction drastically altered it. When alerted to the situation, the Division of Highways attempted to reconstruct the lagoon to encourage breeding of the salamanders. Whether or not this effort was fully successful remains to be seen.
Use: Research on public portion. Remainder private.
Ref: Ferguson, D. E. 1961. The Geographic Variation of Ambystoma macrodactylum, with Description of Two New Subspecies. Amer. Midi. Nat. 65, pp. 311-338.
May 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman