Chapter 3 - Natural Resources - Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

MCB Camp Pendleton, California
Potential north-south wildlife movement occurs on Camp Pendleton through the inland
mountains situated along the eastern half of the Base, and those of the coastal belt located
just east of the I-5 corridor. Other potential north-south wildlife movement on Camp
Pendleton may include the areas along the beaches, coastal benches/bluffs, and foothills
that are, for the most part, unconstrained by development and other artificial barriers.
Urban development over the past 30 years has severely reduced the expanse of oncecommon,
native vegetation and wildlife habitats that existed north of Camp Pendleton, in
the foothills and valleys situated between the coast and the steep terrain of the Cleveland
National Forest. Many remaining vegetation communities have become fragmented,
isolated and constrained by regional development. This trend is expected to continue and
even accelerate, given regional population projections unless regional conservation
planning efforts and land set-asides are established.
At present, regional conservation efforts are focused on crafting remaining open space
areas into reserve systems that are expected to provide larger, core biological areas and
both landscape linkages and wildlife corridors that connect to other large areas of open
space, including Base lands (see Section 2.4.2). The central/coastal Orange County NCCP
Plan, approved in 1996, set aside more than 37,000 ac of open space lands as mitigation for
anticipated future development in the region. The Orange County Southern Subregion
HCP, approved by the USFWS in 2007, set aside 57,000 ac of natural habitat within a
91,000 ac planning area. The North San Diego County MSCP Subarea Plan, which
encompasses a 313,777 ac planning area, is still undergoing development and approval by
the USFWS and region stakeholders, and is expected to set aside tens of thousands of acres
of open space lands as mitigation for anticipated future development. To the northeast of
the Base, the Western Riverside County Multiple Species HCP, approved by the USFWS
in 2004, set aside 500,000 ac within a 1.2 million ac planning area. Upon final approval of
a collective reserve design for these Plans, lands will be incorporated into a regional
network of wildlife preserves and mitigation set-asides. It is assumed that a majority of the
remaining lands situated outside planned wildlife reserves and mitigation set-asides in
southern Orange County and northern San Diego County, from the coast to inland
Mountains, will be developed for residential, commercial or industrial uses.
Along the coast south of Camp Pendleton, open space lands are considered small, highly
fragmented parcels, with little native vegetation. Many of these parcels are in an urban
setting and are severely limited in their capacity to support movement (of any kind) by
native wildlife species, beyond very localized movement.
The nearest available open space areas to the south that are contiguous with Camp
Pendleton are situated immediately adjacent to the Base’s southern boundary along the
floodplain and adjacent slopes of the San Luis Rey River. Larger open space areas south of
the Base exist within the central part of the City of Oceanside, north of Oceanside
Boulevard and east of El Camino Real. This site, however, is a former agricultural field
that contains little in the way of native vegetation. Additional open space lands exist further
south along State Route 78 and Buena Vista Creek and even further south, in the
northeastern and southeastern portions of the City of Carlsbad. The only potential direct
linkage corridor between Camp Pendleton and those isolated parcels to the south is
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