Bodega Marine Reserve

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Bodega Marine Reserve

On this Reserve habitats include rocky outer coast, intertidal, coastal bluff, grassland, sand dune, salt marsh and mudflats.

There is approximately 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) of coastline on the Reserve which, with the main exception of Horseshoe Cove, is exposed outer coast. A number of algae and the surf grass Phyllospadix torreyi are found in this zone. Among the more common invertebrates are the mussel, Mytilus californianus, and goose barnacle, Pollicipies polymerus. The anemone Anthopleura elegantissima is common in the semi-protected areas and the larger Anthopleura xanthogrammica in the numerous tidepools. A dozen species of limpets of the genus Acmaea are found on the coastline here. On the bluffs several species of birds nest, including the pigeon guillemot, Cepphus columba, pelagic cormorant, Phalacrocorax pelagicus, and black oyster-catcher, Haematopus bachmani.

The grassland community covers a complex topography with ocean-facing cliffs and gullies, rolling hills and sheltered flats. This varied topography restricts distribution of particular plant species; some of the more common include Lupinus arboreus, Lupinus nanus, sea pink, Armeria maritima, fiddleneck, Amsinckia menziesii, goldfields, Lasthenia californica, and the non-native bull thistle, Cirsium vulgare. Among the grasses, Bromus carinatus, Leymus mollis, Hordeum depressum, and Poa secunda ssp. secunda are the more common natives, though far less abundant than the exotics. The rare Erysimum franciscanum var. franciscanum is found here. Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus, are resident and the longtail weasel, Mustela frenata, and gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, are common in the dunes and grasslands.

For comments on the sand dune community, which occupies a small portion of the Reserve, see Bodega Head Dunes.

Extending into Bodega Harbor there is a large, shallow mudflat area bordered with salt marsh. In the salt marsh fringe the dominant species are salt grass, Distichlis spicata, pickleweed, Salicornia virginica, and Jaumea carnosa. The rare Cordylanthus maritimus ssp. maritimus occurs here. During the warm weather the mudflat supports algae such as Ulva sp. and Enteromorpha sp., and a rich growth of diatoms. In the deeper water there are beds of eel grass, Zostera marina. The flats are rich in invertebrates, with the clam, Macoma spp., quite abundant. Shorebirds and waterfowl are most abundant during the migratory season; 93 species of water-oriented birds have been sighted in the area.

Bodega Head to the south and much of the Reserve rest on a Mesozoic granitic rock, tonalite and quartz diorite, which lies to the southwest of the San Andreas Fault. The nearest known similar rocks to the east of the fault lie in the Tehachapi Mountains, some 500 kilometers (300 miles) to the southeast. The edge of the fault zone passes through the Reserve, and within this zone are found the dunes and some of the grassland.

Integrity: There are laboratory and living facilities on the Reserve. The area had been grazed for a number of years prior to the acquisition by the University in 1962; however, since then it has been fenced and access is restricted. Perhaps a third of the plants are exotics.

Use: Educational, research. Numerous studies have been conducted in the area in the past several decades.

Ref: Barbour, M. G., et al, 1973. Coastal Ecology, Bodega Head. Univ. of Calif. Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, 338 pp.

December 1975