Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, Calipatria, CA

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ca.audubon.org/salton-sea-conservation

ca.audubon.org/conservation/salton-sea

At first glance, you wouldn’t expect it to be such a great place for birds, with all the agricultural fields, power plants, and hunters. But the area supports one of the most diverse collections of birdlife in the United States, including a number of endangered species.

A handful of bird species are true “specialties” of the Salton Sea, barely reaching the U.S. from northwestern Mexico, such as the vanrossemi race of the Gull-billed Tern which breeds locally on islands at the south end of the sea and the rostratus race of the Savannah Sparrow, a true Delta endemic which breeds in desert wetlands at the head of the Gulf of California, and disperses north to the sea in fall.

But the sea is arguably most critical for the wintering and migratory species that spend anywhere from a few days to most of the year here. The numbers speak for themselves: 90% of the North American population of Eared Grebe may overwinter on the sea, along with up to 50% of the Pacific Flyway population of Ruddy Duck.

40% of the global population of the Federally Endangered Yuma Ridgway’s Rail (formerly Yuma clapper rail) occur in cattail marshes in the irrigation canals and natural rivers entering at the sea’s edge, and the sea is the primary wintering area in the interior U.S. for the both California Brown Pelican and American White Pelican, and Western Snowy Plover. Wintering populations of several more common waterbird species, such as Western Grebe, are likely the largest in the interior West, and the thousands of Cinnamon Teal, Black-necked Stilt, and other waterfowl and waders are unmatched in California south of San Francisco Bay. Many of these species feed on the abundant brine flies present year-round.

The sea is a destination for waterbirds from a very wide area, far beyond the borders of the state, and their use of sea changes through the year; thus, individuals of a single species, such as Clark’s Grebe, may occur at the sea as over-wintering birds, spring or fall migrants en route to and from pothole wetlands in the Great Basin, and local breeders at river mouths and sea-edge impoundments.

A handful of bird species are true “specialties” of the Salton Sea, barely reaching the U.S. from northwestern Mexico, such as the vanrossemi race of the Gull-billed Tern which breeds locally on islands at the south end of the sea and the rostratus race of the Savannah Sparrow, a true Delta endemic which breeds in desert wetlands at the head of the Gulf of California, and disperses north to the sea in fall.

But the sea is arguably most critical for the wintering and migratory species that spend anywhere from a few days to most of the year here. The numbers speak for themselves: 90% of the North American population of Eared Grebe may overwinter on the sea, along with up to 50% of the Pacific Flyway population of Ruddy Duck. 40% of the global population of the Federally Endangered Yuma Ridgway’s Rail (formerly Yuma clapper rail) occur in cattail marshes in the irrigation canals and natural rivers entering at the sea’s edge, and the sea is the primary wintering area in the interior U.S. for the both California Brown Pelican and American White Pelican, and Western Snowy Plover. Wintering populations of several more common waterbird species, such as Western Grebe, are likely the largest in the interior West, and the thousands of Cinnamon Teal, Black-necked Stilt, and other waterfowl and waders are unmatched in California south of San Francisco Bay. Many of these species feed on the abundant brine flies present year-round.

The sea is a destination for waterbirds from a very wide area, far beyond the borders of the state, and their use of sea changes through the year; thus, individuals of a single species, such as Clark’s Grebe, may occur at the sea as over-wintering birds, spring or fall migrants en route to and from pothole wetlands in the Great Basin, and local breeders at river mouths and sea-edge impoundments.

Several waders, including Great Blue Heron, have their largest nesting colonies in the state at the Salton Sea, where they utilize dead trees both on the sea and in flooded impoundments along its edges, and on the sea’s few islands, up to 25% of the breeding Caspian Terns in North America likely breed in some years, where they are joined by Double-crested Cormorants with some of the largest western U.S. breeding populations (waterbirds, particularly when nesting, are inherently variable, making generalizations about population representation difficult). It is this latter group – the breeding “inland seabirds” – that might be among the most imperiled as the sea shrinks. Over the past two years, their nesting islands have become connected with the shoreline, allowing predators to raid the nesting grounds of the cormorant and tern colonies, rendering them unusable. Recent proposals to pump water into nearby refuge impoundments to re-create nesting areas seek to maintain the sea’s importance to birds.

Here in 2015, one rather harsh reality about the Salton Sea appears to be certain, which is that the sea will continue to shrink, and become more saline as it does. This will eventually turn it into more of a hypersaline lake, too salty for anything but brine flies, so more like Mono Lake or Utah’s Great Salt Lake. A network of“off-sea” impoundments may ultimately replace the single massive body of water, and the sea itself may be simply an area to focus on dust-control measures, similar to the situation at Owens Lake (another inland water body that was quite different before the inputs were diverted).

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Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, Calipatria, CA (Jack)

training.fws.gov/history/

training.fws.gov/history/USFWS-history.html

1903:
President Theodore Roosevelt establishes nation's first wildlife refuge on March 14 at Pelican Island National Bird Reservation. Pelican Island is assigned to the Division of Biological Survey. American Ornithologist's Union agrees to pay warden, Paul Kroegel. Commission on Fish and Fisheries renamed Bureau of Fisheries and moved into new Department of Commerce and Labor.

Time Capsule - National Wildlife Refuge Time Capsule Artifacts:
Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR, CA:
Atlas of the Salton Sea, refuge pin.

www.fws.gov/refuge/sonny_bono_salton_sea/

training.fws.gov/history/Links.html

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Ring-billed Gull & Black-necked Stilt, Beach at North Shore, Salton Sea, CA

Black-necked Stilts are known to have the second longest legs in proportion to their body of any bird, exceeded only by flamingos.

Up close the beach isn't sand but layer upon layer of barnacles and bones from the millions of fish that have expired here in mass die-offs over the years.

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Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, Calipatria, CA

Named the "Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge" in 1930, it was renamed in 1998 after Congressman Sonny Bono, who helped inform the U.S. Congress of the environmental issues facing the Salton Sea as well as acquiring funding for this Refuge to help it respond to avian disease outbreaks and other habitat challenges at the Salton Sea.

www.allaboutbirds.org/the-burrowing-owls-of-the-salton-sea/

The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is much more than Burrowing Owl habitat; it’s a hotspot for migrating waterfowl along the Pacific Flyway.

At first glance, you wouldn’t expect it to be such a great place for birds, with all the agricultural fields, power plants, and hunters. But the area supports one of the most diverse collections of birdlife in the United States, including a number of endangered species.

www.fws.gov/refuge/sonny_bono_salton_sea/

The Refuge is located within the Pacific Flyway, an important migration route for birds. The Refuge habitats and the Salton Sea are vital to these migrating birds as a resting place and wintering area. The Refuge was established as a sanctuary and breeding ground for birds and other wildlife when 32,766 acres were set aside in 1930.

The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) is located in California’s Imperial Valley, 40 miles north of the Mexican border at the southern end of the Salton Sea. Because of its southern latitude, elevation of 227 feet below sea level, and location in the Sonoran Desert, the Refuge sees some of the hottest temperatures in the nation. Daily temperatures from May to October exceed 100°F with temperatures of 116°-120°F recorded yearly.

The Refuge has two separate managed units, 18 miles apart. Each unit contains wetland habitats, farm fields, and tree rows. The land of the Salton Sea Refuge is flat, except for Rock Hill, a small, inactive volcano, located near Refuge Headquarters. The Refuge is bordered by the Salton Sea on the north and farmlands on the east, south, and west.

The courses of the New and Alamo Rivers run through the Refuge, providing fresher water to the Salton Sea. However, because the Sea has no outlet, the salt content of the water has increased steadily over time. Due to agricultural runoff and rise in the level of the Salton Sea, most of the original Refuge area has been covered completely by the salty lake. At present, only about 2,000 acres are farmed and managed for wetlands. Rye grass is grown on the Refuge as food for wintering geese in the area.

However, as farming practices have changed, less water is being used on neighboring crops and therefore runoff into the Salton Sea has decreased over time, lowering the shoreline and further increasing salt content.

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View of Rock Hill, Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, Calipatria, CA

Rock Hill is one of the Salton Butte, a group of five young volcanoes located along the southeastern edge of the Salton Sea. They include Mullet Island, Red Island (two domes), Rock Hill, and Obsidian Butte.

The Salton Buttes were until recently believed to have last erupted 30,000 years ago. The journal Geology reported that scientists now conclude that volcanic activity most recently occurred between 940 and 0 B.C. making these volcanoes some of California’s youngest. The USGS currently monitors all potentially active volcanoes in the state.

Underneath the Salton Sea is a magma chamber supplying the lava source for the volcanoes that, in addition, heats brines found 1 to 1.5 miles deep below the earth’s surface up to 680 degrees Fahrenheit which are sourced for Imperial Valley’s geothermal plants—considered one of the largest geothermal potentials in the world. Currently, three major geothermal energy production sites are located north of Calipatria with the largest group of seven plants owned by CalEnergy.

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