Chapter 3 - Natural Resources - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan [March 2012 - Update]
California Status
The CDFG listed the light-footed clapper rail as endangered, fully protected on 27 June
1971 (CDFG 2005).
Regional Status
The light-footed clapper rail is a covered species in the following southern California
NCCP documents:
• MHCP, City of Carlsbad Habitat Management Plan.
• MSCP, City of Chula Vista Subarea Plan.
• MSCP, City of La Mesa Subarea Plan.
• MSCP, City of Poway Subarea Plan.
• MSCP, City of San Diego Subarea Plan.
• MSCP, County of San Diego Subarea Plan.
• SDG&E.
MCBCP Status
Protection and management of light-footed clapper rail habitat is provided for in the
Estuarine and Beach Conservation Plan as an attachment to the Riparian BO 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. Programmatic instructions
that provide basewide proscriptions for avoidance and minimization of impacts to the
species habitat, especially during the Special Management Season are provided in Camp
Pendleton’s Base Order P3500.1M (Range and Training Regulations). Potential impacts to
the clapper rail are addressed on a case-by-case basis through individual consultations with
the USFWS (Sullivan pers. comm. 2009). Management details, survey information, etc.,
for the light-footed clapper rail are located in Appendix F, Section F.10.
DISTRIBUTION
Global
The light-footed clapper rail inhabits salt marshes along the coast between Santa Barbara,
California, and the San Quintin Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico (USFWS 2005a). In
California, Newport Bay in Orange County supports the largest numbers of light-footed
clapper rails, about 47% of the State breeding population in 2002 (Zembal and
Hoffman 2002).
Regional
In San Diego County, the light-footed clapper rail numbers only about 100 pairs (Unitt
2004). In San Diego County, the sites where Zembal has found the light-footed clapper rail,
from north to south, are as follows: Cocklebur Canyon mouth, Santa Margarita River
estuary, San Luis Rey River mouth, Guajome Lake Marsh, Buena Vista Lagoon, Agua
Hedionda Lagoon, Batiquitos Lagoon, San Elijo Lagoon, San Dieguito River estuary, Los
Penasquitos Lagoon, Kendall-Frost Marsh (Mission Bay), San Diego River flood-control
channel, Famosa Slough, Paradise Creek marsh, Sweetwater River estuary (including E and
F Street marshes), J Street marsh, Otay River mouth, South Bay Marine Biology Study
Area, Tijuana River estuary and the Dairy Mart ponds (Unitt 2004).
Chapter 3 – Natural Resources 3-47