Chapter 3 - Natural Resources - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

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