Chapter 3 - Natural Resources - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

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MCB Camp Pendleton, California MCBCP Status Programmatic instructions for the protection and management of the California least tern and its habitat is addressed in the Estuarine and Beach Conservation Plan as an attachment to the Riparian and Estuarine/Beach BO (1-6-95-F-02) signed on 30 October 1995. The Estuarine and Beach Conservation Plan is located in Appendix B and the terms and conditions to the BO are located in Appendix L. Camp Pendleton Base Order P3500.1M (Range and Training Regulations) provides direction to Base users that limits impacts to this species by restricting activities in and adjacent to this species’ habitat and breeding/nesting areas during its Special Management Season. Management details, survey information, etc., for the California least tern are located in Appendix F, Section F.7. DISTRIBUTION Global The least tern, a migratory species, breeds throughout North America and winters in Central and South America. The California subspecies (S. a. browni) nests along the Pacific coast from the Tijuana River estuary, just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, to San Francisco Bay. The California least tern historically nested in large beach colonies along the coastline from southern Baja, Mexico to central coastal California. Nesting is currently limited to San Francisco Bay and areas along the coast, from San Luis Obispo County to San Diego County with the largest concentrations of breeding pairs nesting in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties. FIGURE 3-11. LEAST TERN NESTING AREAS Regional In southern California, California least terns nests in scattered aggregations on sandy beaches and salt flats along the coast. Active breeding areas in the San Diego County area include: Camp Pendleton, Buena Vista Lagoon, Agua Hedionda Lagoon, Batiquitos Lagoon, Whispering Palms, San Elijo Lagoon, San Dieguito Lagoon, Los Penasquitos Lagoon, FAA Island, North Fiesta Island, Stony Point, South Sea World Drive, Cloverleaf, Naval Training Center, San Diego International Airport, Sweetwater River, Mission Bay, Coronado Island, Tijuana River Mouth, Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve, North Island NAS, Delta Beach (Coronado Naval Amphibious Base), Coronado Cays, Saltworks and San Diego Bay (USFWS 1980). 3-40 Chapter 3 – Natural Resources
Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan [March 2012 - Update] MCBCP On Camp Pendleton, California least tern nesting sites are located on the beaches at the mouths of the Santa Margarita River (Blue Beach), North Beach, French and Aliso Creeks (White Beach), and on the salt flats of the Santa Margarita River Estuary (see Figure 3-10). Since 2003, nesting sites have also been observed on Red Beach with an average of 4 to 5 nests per year. Breeding occurs during the Special Management Season from 1 March to 15 September. Least terns are opportunistic feeders known to capture more than 50 species of fish in relatively shallow, near-shore waters and coastal freshwater ponds, channels, and lakes. For detailed information on the California least tern, survey information and its management on Base see Appendix F, Section F.7. 3.2.4.4. Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) The coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) is a small, insectivorous member of the thrush family (Muscicpidae). Its plumage color is dark blue-gray above and grayish-white below, and its long-tail is mostly black above and below. The male has a distinctive black cap that is absent during the winter. Both sexes have a distinctive white eye-ring. The coastal California gnatcatcher is most numerous in low, dense CSS habitat in arid washes, on mesas, and on slopes of coastal hills. The Special Management Season of the gnatcatcher on Base extends from 1 February through 31 August. Major threats for the coastal California gnatcatcher are loss and fragmentation of its habitat. FIGURE 3-12. CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER (PHOTO SOURCE: B. MOOSE PETERSON, USFWS) MANAGEMENT STATUS Federal Status The USFWS designated the coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica) as threatened on 30 March 1993 (USFWS 1993a). The USFWS designated critical habitat for the coastal California gnatcatcher in the southern California ecoregion, which includes federal lands, on 24 October 2000 (USFWS 2000b). In compliance with a court order critical habitat was re-proposed on 24 April 2003 (USFWS 2003b). MCB Camp Pendleton lands were fully exempted from critical habitat designation in a final ruling published on 19 December 2007 (USFWS 2007l). The USFWS found that, after review and approval of the Base’s 2007 INRMP, under section 4(a)(3)(B) of the ESA it provides a sufficient benefit to the species and its habitat on Base lands to qualify for exemption status. Currently, there is not a recovery plan for the California gnatcatcher. The gnatcatcher is protected by the MBTA. Chapter 3 – Natural Resources 3-41
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Chapter 3 - Natural Resources - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

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