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Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge

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Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge encompassing 965 acres (3.91 km) located in the California coastal community of Seal Beach . Although it is located in Orange County it is included as part of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex . It was established in 1972.

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71-625: The refuge is a collaboration between the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Navy . It serves as a critical habitat and winter stopover for many birds along the Pacific Flyway . Among the birds found at the refuge are great blue herons and the three endangered bird species: California clapper rail , California least tern , and Belding's Savannah sparrow . The refuge

142-473: A different, more squeaking call; from the yellow-billed tern in being paler gray above and having a black tip to the bill; and from the Peruvian tern in being paler gray above and white (not pale gray) below and having a shorter black tip to the bill. The differences among the three subspecies may not be as much as had been thought. Additionally, least terns of an unknown subspecies were found in 2012 nesting on

213-644: A distinctive hunchback appearance, with the bill pointing slightly downward. It is migratory , wintering in Central America , the Caribbean and northern South America. Many spend their whole first year in their wintering area. It has occurred as a vagrant to Europe , with one record in Great Britain and one in Ireland . It differs from the little tern mainly in that its rump and tail are gray, not white, and it has

284-540: A fairly uniform pale gray, and the underparts white. The head is white, with a black cap and line through the eye to the base of the bill, and a small white forehead patch above the bill; in winter, the white forehead is more extensive, with a smaller and less sharply defined black cap. The bill is yellow with a small black tip in summer, all blackish in winter. The legs are yellowish. The wings are mostly pale gray, but with conspicuous black markings on their outermost primaries . It flies over water with fast, jerky wingbeats and

355-672: A founder of the Ecological Society of America , were promoting a " balance of nature " theory – the idea that predators were an important part of the larger ecosystem and should not be eradicated. In 1924, at a conference organized by the American Society of Mammologists (ASM), the debate generated a public split between those in the Survey, promoting eradication, and those from the ASM who promoted some sort of accommodation. Edward A. Goldman, from

426-635: A significant threat to two endangered species of birds, light-footed clapper rail and the California least tern . Even though an animal rights group had requested an injunction to prohibit trapping and maiming the foxes at the refuge, U.S District Judge refused to grant it. Thus, hundreds of foxes were sacrificed to preserve the light-footed clapper rail and the California least tern. Nowadays, no foxes or other predatory mammals can be seen at Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. Toxic Contamination In 1995, there

497-499: A violation of law occurred in its death, and to identify and compare physical evidence to link suspects to the crime scene and the animal's death. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge Law Enforcement consists of professional law enforcement officers entrusted with protecting natural resources and public safety. Federal Wildlife Officers promote the survival of species and health of the environment by ensuring that wildlife laws are followed. They also welcome visitors and are often

568-586: Is a species of tern that breeds in North America and locally in northern South America . It is closely related to, and was formerly often considered conspecific with, the little tern of the Old World . Other close relatives include the yellow-billed tern and Peruvian tern , both from South America. It is a small tern, 22–24 cm (8.7–9.4 in) long, with a wingspan of 50 cm (20 in), and weighing 39–52 g (1.4–1.8 oz). The upper parts are

639-408: Is completely inundated by a 1.8 m tide ( Mean Lower Low Water )." A list of major plants in the marsh was also provided: cordgrass (dominant plants at lower elevation), pickleweed and saltwort (dominant in middle elevation), seablite , saltgrass , sea lavender , arrowgrass , Jaumea carnosa , and Frankenia grandiflora. The dominating plants in the upper zone are glasswort and pickleweed . In

710-545: Is in the salt marsh in Anaheim Bay, the coastal salt marsh located in Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The environment of salt marsh was described: "The surrounding land lands are flat or gently sloping and provide little drainage into the bay. Consequently there are very little fresh water input other than winter rains… Most of the vegetation is characteristic of the low and middle littoral zones and

781-522: Is located within Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach . Public access in the refuge is limited or restricted to once-a month tour (last Saturday of each month) as it is located within an active military base. The subtidal zone is the shallow, near-shore area below the intertidal zone , the land between the high and low tide marks. Subtidal is permanently inundated, except for rare lowest low tide events. There are four tidal basins created for

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852-587: The California least tern nesting season was conducted in 1980. This study mainly focuses on previously color-banded least tern chicks nesting behavior in Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. A least tern nesting site was prepared in the refuge in 1978 for the study. In March 2011, Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment (CCP/EA) was established to "describes and evaluates various alternatives for managing Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)." [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of

923-784: The Clark R. Bavin National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory , the only forensics laboratory in the world devoted to wildlife law enforcement . By treaty, it also is the official crime laboratory for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES ) and the Wildlife Group of Interpol . The laboratory identifies the species or subspecies of pieces, parts, or products of an animal to determine its cause of death, help wildlife officers determine if

994-627: The Code of Federal Regulations (50 CFR 22), and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act , the USFWS administers the National Eagle Repository and the permit system for Native American religious use of eagle feathers. These exceptions often only apply to Native Americans that are registered with the federal government and are enrolled with a federally recognized tribe. In the late 1990s and early 2000s,

1065-561: The Endangered Species Act ; mitigating the loss of fisheries resulting from U.S. Government water projects; and providing fish to benefit Native Americans and National Wildlife Refuges. The NFHS also engages in outreach, education, and research activities. The National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical resources to projects that promote the free movement of fish and aquatic life. Common projects include dam removal and fishway construction. Between 1999 and 2023,

1136-886: The Landscape Conservation Cooperatives , a network of 22 autonomous cooperatives sponsored by the Department of the Interior which function as regional conservation bodies covering the entire United States and adjacent areas. The Office of Law Enforcement enforces wildlife laws, investigates wildlife crimes, regulates wildlife trade, helps people in the United States understand and obey wildlife protection laws, and works in partnership with international, state, and tribal counterparts to conserve wildlife resources. It also trains other U.S. Government, U.S. state, tribal, and foreign law enforcement officers. The USFWS operates

1207-602: The National Fish Hatchery System (NFHS), which includes 70 National Fish Hatcheries and 65 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices. Originally created to reverse declines in lake and coastal fish stocks in the United States, the NFHS subsequently expanded its mission to include the preservation of the genes of wild and hatchery-raised fish; the restoration of native aquatic populations of fish, freshwater mussels , and amphibians including populations of species listed under

1278-816: The Pacific Ocean within a very limited range of southern California, in San Francisco Bay and in northwestern Mexico . While numbers have gradually increased with its protected status, it is still vulnerable to predators, natural disasters or further disturbance by humans. Recent threats include the gull-billed tern ( Sterna nilotica ), which can decrease reproductive success in a colony to less than 10%. The least tern arrives at its breeding grounds in late April. The breeding colonies are not dense and may appear along either marine or estuarine shores, or on sandbar islands in large rivers, or in areas free from humans or predators. Courtship typically takes place removed from

1349-705: The United States . The original ancestor of USFWS was the United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries , more commonly referred to as the United States Fish Commission , created in 1871 by the United States Congress with the purpose of studying and recommending solutions to a noted decline in the stocks of food fish . Spencer Fullerton Baird was appointed to lead it as the first United States Commissioner of Fisheries. In 1903,

1420-521: The United States Department of Agriculture , have taken steps to be more inclusive of tribes, native people, and tribal rights. This has marked a transition to a relationship of more co-operation rather than the tension between tribes and government agencies seen historically. Today, these agencies work closely with tribal governments to ensure the best conservation decisions are made and that tribes retain their sovereignty. From 1940 to 1970,

1491-546: The United States Fish and Wildlife Service . United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS or FWS ) is a U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish , wildlife , and natural habitats in the United States. The mission of the agency is "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for

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1562-471: The clutch size is two or three, but it is not rare to consist of either one or four eggs. Adults are known to wet themselves and shake off the water over the eggs when arriving at the nest. Both females and males incubate the eggs for a period of about three weeks, and both parents tend the semiprecocial young. Young birds can fly at age four weeks. After the formation of the new families, groupings of birds may appear at lacustrine settings in proximity to

1633-515: The 1960s for rocket testing until 1977. It is leveled today and covered with sand to provide a nesting site for the least tern . One of these upland islands, located in the 7th Street Pond, supports non-native vegetation including five-horn smotherweed, common thistle , Maltese star-thistle , milk thistle , tumbleweed , black mustard , and the native pickleweed . Another one, in Case Road Pond, supports native intertidal vegetation, and some of

1704-449: The 19th century. Situated in the southern part of the Refuge, Hog Island was the only place that supported native vegetation, although none of it has been left for today. There are three "arms" stretching out of the land (military used in the past) planted with native vegetation today to support and shelter upland birds, especially during high tides. The island is completely manmade, built in

1775-864: The Animal Damage Control Agency, responsible for predator control, was transferred from the USFWS to the Department of Agriculture and renamed the Division of Wildlife Services. USFWS manages the National Wildlife Refuge System, which consists of 570 National Wildlife Refuges , encompassing a full range of habitat types, including wetlands , prairies , coastal and marine areas, and temperate, tundra , and boreal forests spread across all 50 U.S. states . It also manages thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas covering over 150,000,000 acres (61,000,000 ha). The USFWS governs six National Monuments : The USFWS shares

1846-570: The BOF having decommissioned the last one, USFS  Albatross II , in 1932; only in the late 1940s did the FWS begin to commission new research ships. Although between 1871 and 1940 the Fish Commission and BOF had never had more than three fisheries research ships in commission at the same time — and had three in commission simultaneously only in two years out of their entire combined history — by March 1950,

1917-614: The Big Island of Hawaii . The population is about 21,500 pairs; it is not currently considered federally threatened, though it is considered threatened in many of the states in which it breeds. Threats include egg and fledgling predators, high tides and recreational use of nesting beaches. The interior subspecies, with a current population of about 7000 pairs, was listed as an endangered subspecies in 1985 (estimated 1000 breeding pairs), due to loss of habitat caused by dams , reservoirs , channelization , and other changes to river systems. It

1988-516: The Bureau began an ongoing legacy of protecting vital natural habitat throughout the United States. In 1939, the Bureau of Biological Survey moved from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Interior. On June 30, 1940, the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey were combined to form the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service . In 1956, the Fish and Wildlife Service

2059-575: The Bureau of Fisheries also assumed other duties; in 1906, the U.S. Congress assigned it the responsibility for the enforcement of fishery and fur seal -hunting regulations in the Territory of Alaska , and in 1910 for the management and harvest of northern fur seals , foxes , and other fur-bearing animals in the Pribilof Islands , as well as for the care, education, and welfare of the Aleut communities in

2130-406: The Department of Commerce on October 3, 1970, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries merged with the salt-water laboratories of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife to form today's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an element of NOAA. The remainder of the USFWS remained in place in the Department of the Interior in 1970 as the foundation of the USFWS as it is known today, although in 1985

2201-552: The Division for 25 years and became a national figure for improving the scientific understanding of birds and mammals in the United States. In 1934, the Division of Biological Survey was reorganized as the Bureau of Biological Survey and Jay Norwood Darling was appointed its chief;. The same year, Congress passed the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA), one of the oldest federal environmental review statutes. Under Darling's guidance,

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2272-468: The FWS (from 1956 the USFWS) operated a fleet of seagoing vessels. The fleet included fisheries science research ships , fishery patrol vessels, and cargo liners . The Fish Commission operated a small fleet of research ships and fish-culture vessels. The Bureau of Fisheries inherited these in 1903, and then greatly expanded its fleet of seagoing vessels, including both patrol vessels for fishery enforcement in

2343-463: The FWS fleet included 11 seagoing fisheries research and exploratory fishing vessels either in service or under construction, and its fishery enforcement force in the Territory of Alaska included 29 patrol vessels and about 100 speedboats , as well as 20 airplanes. In the 1956 reorganization that created the USFWS, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries (BCF) assumed the responsibility within the USFWS for

2414-497: The Fish Commission was reorganized as the United States Bureau of Fisheries and made part of the United States Department of Commerce and Labor . When the Department of Commerce and Labor was split into the United States Department of Commerce and the United States Department of Labor in 1913, the Bureau of Fisheries was made part of the Department of Commerce. Originally focused on fisheries science and fish culture ,

2485-467: The Navy rejected permission. Between 1954 and 1956, the Service made several additional proposals to the Navy for managing its lands including raising food crops to support waterfowl. In 1963, Congressman Richard Hanna told the Service he was interested in establishing a Refuge between Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. This cooperative plan for 600 acres of tidal marsh on Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach (NWSSB)

2556-638: The Pribilof tender until the BCF's seagoing fleet was transferred to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an element of NOAA, upon the creation of NOAA on October 3, 1970. Although the NMFS continued to operate the Pribilof tender until 1975, the rest of the ships were transferred from the NMFS to a unified NOAA fleet during 1972 and 1973. The modern NOAA fleet therefore traces its ancestry in part to

2627-480: The Survey, made perfectly clear their position in a paper that with the arrival of Europeans in North America, the balance of nature had been "violently overturned, never to be reestablished". He concludes with the idea that "Large predatory mammals, destructive to livestock and to game, no longer have a place in our advancing civilization." The Survey subsequently placed over 2 million poisoned bait stations across

2698-475: The Territory of Alaska and a cargo liner — known as the "Pribilof tender " — to provide transportation for passengers and haul cargo to, from, and between the Pribilof Islands. In the 1930s, the Bureau of Biological Survey operated a vessel of its own, Brown Bear . Upon its creation in 1940, the FWS inherited the BOF's fleet and Brown Bear . By 1940, no fisheries research vessels remained in commission,

2769-402: The USFWS began to incorporate the research of tribal scientists into conservation decisions. This came on the heels of Native American traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) gaining acceptance in the scientific community as a reasonable and respectable way to gain knowledge of managing the natural world. Additionally, other natural resource agencies within the United States government, such as

2840-453: The USFWS fleet operated by the BCF. Both before and after the FWS became the USFWS in 1956, ships of its fleet used the prefix "US FWS" while in commission. The BOF usually named its ships after aquatic birds, and ships the FWS inherited from the BOF in 1940 retained those names in FWS service. However, the FWS/USFWS thereafter usually named vessels it acquired after people who were notable in

2911-437: The USFWS's international responsibilities under about 40 treaties , as well as U.S. laws and regulations. It oversees programs which work with private citizens, local communities, other U.S. Government and U.S. state agencies, foreign governments, non-governmental organizations , scientific and conservation organizations, industry groups. and other interested parties on issues related to the implementation of treaties and laws and

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2982-557: The United States. By 1905 with funding scarce, the Survey included in its mission the eradication of wolves, coyotes and other large predators. This garnered them the support of ranchers and western legislators resulting, by 1914, in a $ 125,000 congressionally approved budget for use "on the National Forests and the public domain in destroying wolves, coyotes and other animals injurious to agriculture and animal husbandry". Meanwhile, scientists like Joseph Grinnell and Charles C. Adams,

3053-577: The Wildlife Sport Fish and Restoration Program. The vast majority of fish and wildlife habitats are on state or private land not controlled by the United States government . Therefore, the USFWS works closely with private groups such as Partners in Flight and the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council to promote voluntary habitat conservation and restoration. The Fish and Wildlife Service

3124-488: The bay water flowing into the refuge. The toxic materials affect the birds with altered growth patterns, reduced survival, loss of appetite, lethargy, difficulty in reproducing, and even killing the birds. Study of the endangered light-footed clapper rail was conducted in 1979. This study mainly focuses on the three remaining largest populations in Anaheim Bay, Upper Newport Bay and Tijuana Marsh in San Diego county. Study of

3195-453: The birds, but also found in smaller animals normally eaten by them. They also found small amounts of PCBs and DDT , a dangerous pesticide that was banned by the Endangered Species Act in 1973. To find the cause, the Navy assessed the impacts of ponds on the refuge on the birds. They found that there was a construction of the pond by the Port of Long Beach that has raised the volume and velocity of

3266-883: The coast. Late-season nesting may be renests or the result of late arrivals. In any case, the bulk of the population has left the breeding grounds by the end of August. The least tern hunts primarily in shallow estuaries and lagoons , where smaller fishes are abundant. It hovers until spotting prey , and then plunges into the water without full submersion to extract meal. The most common prey recently for both chicks and adults are silversides smelt ( Atherinops spp.) and anchovy ( Anchoa spp.) in southern California, as well as shiner perch , and small crustaceans elsewhere. Adults in southern California eat kelpfish (most likely giant kelpfish, Heterostichus rostratus ). Insects are known to be eaten during El Niño events. In southern California, least terns feed in bays and lagoons, near shore, and more than 24 km (15 mi) from shore in

3337-403: The conservation of species around the world. The USFWS's National Conservation Training Center trains USFWS employees and those of USFWS partners in the accomplishment of the USFWS's mission. At its founding in 1896, the work of the Division of Biological Survey focused on the effect of birds in controlling agricultural pests and mapping the geographical distribution of plants and animals in

3408-488: The continuing benefit of the American people." Among the responsibilities of the USFWS are enforcing federal wildlife laws; protecting endangered species; managing migratory birds ; restoring nationally significant fisheries; conserving and restoring wildlife habitats, such as wetlands; helping foreign governments in international conservation efforts; and distributing money to fish and wildlife agencies of U.S. states through

3479-622: The establishment of a National Wildlife Refuge on the NWSSB. The Refuge was officially established on July 11, 1974 when the Notice of the Establishment, which included the specific boundaries of the Refuge, was published in the Federal Register. Loss of habitat In 1989, there was a big trapping of hundreds of foxes at Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The red foxes were killed because they put

3550-652: The first U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees encountered by the public on refuges. Federal Wildlife Officers (FWO) are entrusted with protecting natural resources, visitors and employees on National Wildlife Refuge System lands. The USFWS issues an annual Federal Duck Stamp , a collectable adhesive stamp required to hunt for migratory waterfowl . It also allows access to National Wildlife Refuges without paying an admission fee. The USFWS International Affairs Program coordinates domestic and international efforts to protect, restore, and enhance wildlife and its habitats, focusing on species of international concern, fulfilling

3621-486: The habitat and providing food or pathway to food for fish and other organisms. The soil of intertidal flats is a combination of clay , silt , sand , shells , and organic matter , with algae as dominant plants. Mudflats contain organisms which are a major food source for worms and invertebrates . Fishes, sharks and rays would often come to the mudflats with the tides and feed on transient or permanent residing fish. Shorebirds also depend on preying invertebrates on

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3692-493: The highest elevation (which sometimes is referred to as wetland /upland transition), there are no remaining native species. Oil extraction beneath the bay led to the marsh subsiding. From 1957 to 1970, elevation dropped 12.5 cm and by 1984, dropped by 25 cm. 41 acres within 65 acres of the uplands areas were built into roads, railroad tracks or others manmade structures. Most of these areas were originally wetland but were replaced for agricultural or military practices in

3763-553: The history of fisheries and fisheries science. A partial list of ships of the FWS and USFWS fleet: In 1959, the methods used by USFWS's Animal Damage Control Program were featured in the Tom Lehrer song " Poisoning Pigeons in the Park ." Jeremy Renner plays a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service predator control specialist in the 2017 film Wind River . Least tern Sterna antillarum The least tern ( Sternula antillarum )

3834-543: The islands. In 1939, the Bureau of Fisheries moved from the Department of Commerce to the Department of the Interior. The other ancestor of the USFWS began as the Section of Economic Ornithology , which was established within the United States Department of Agriculture in 1885 and became the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy in 1886. In 1896 it became the Division of Biological Survey . Clinton Hart Merriam headed

3905-585: The late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in Nixon banning post- World War II -era poisons in 1972 and the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. Also in 1972, the Nixon administration rewrote the Animal Damage Control Act, effectively repealing it in favor of turning the mission of predator control over to the states. The loss of federally fund to protect their livestock was too much for ranching and agricultural communities and by 1980 Reagan had reversed

3976-413: The mudflats. Coastal salt marsh habitat, situated above mudflats, contains salt tolerant vegetation. It is the predominant habitat in the refuge with 565-acre land occupied. It is a nesting, feeding and cover area for bird and fish including the endangered light-footed clapper rails and Belding's Savannah sparrow . A study on light-footed clapper rail was conducted since 1979. One of the study area

4047-434: The nesting colony site, usually on an exposed tidal flat or beach. Only after courtship has confirmed mate selection does nesting begin by mid-May and is usually complete by mid-June. Courtship takes the form of either an aerial display in which the female follows the flight of the male or through courtship feeding. Nests are situated on barren to sparsely vegetated places near water, normally on sandy or gravelly substrates. In

4118-544: The non-native vegetation mentioned. In 1944, the Department of the Navy acquired about 5,000 acres of land in and around Anaheim Bay from the Alamitos Land Company . Although the Navy purchased the land, the California State Lands Commission held all of the submerged lands within the station. In May 1954, the Service contacted the Navy, regarding a potential hunting program on their land; however,

4189-568: The operation of the seagoing vessels of the fleet. The USFWS continued fishery enforcement in Alaska until after Alaska became a state in January 1959, but by 1960 had turned over enforcement responsibilities and some of the associated vessels to the Government of Alaska as the latter assumed the responsibility for fishery enforcement in its waters. The USFWS continued to operate fisheries research ships and

4260-515: The poison killing ban and transferred the responsibility for predator control to the Wildlife Services program under the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service . The Program's mission has evolved to protect "agriculture, wildlife and other natural resources, property, and human health and safety". Pursuant to the eagle feather law , Title 50, Part 22 of

4331-514: The program has worked with over 2,000 local partners to open 61,000 mi (98,000 km) of upstream habitat by removing or bypassing 3,400 aquatic barriers. The Division of Migratory Bird Management runs the Migratory Bird Program, which works with partners of the USFWS to protect, restore, and conserve bird populations and their habitats by ensuring the long-term ecological sustainability of all migratory bird populations, increasing

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4402-471: The responsibility for administering the Endangered Species Act of 1973 with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), an element of NOAA, with the NMFS responsible for marine species , the FWS responsible for freshwater fish and all other species, and the two organizations jointly managing species that occur in both marine and non-marine environments. The USFWS publishes the quarterly Endangered Species Bulletin . The USFWS's Fisheries Program oversees

4473-465: The restoration of wetland: Forrestal Pond, Case Road Pond, 7th Street Pond, and Perimeter Pond, which are currently supporting the subtidal habitat in the Refuge. Tidal water from Anaheim Bay supports the ponds. Dominating plants in these subtidal habitat is eelgrass , and mudflat portions in the habitat is supporting many invertebrate species. The complex system of tidal channels delivers moisture and nourishment ( oxygen and nutrients) throughout

4544-870: The socioeconomic benefit of birds, improving the experience of hunting, bird watching, and other outdoor activities related to birds, and increasing the awareness of the aesthetic, ecological , recreational and economic significance of migratory birds and their habitats. It conducts surveys; coordinates USFWS activities with those of public-private bird conservation partnerships; provides matching grants for conservation efforts involving USFWS partners; develops policies and regulations and administers conservation laws related to migratory birds; issues permits to allow individuals and organizations to participate in migratory bird conservation efforts; helps educate and engage children in wildlife conservation topics; and provides resources for parents and educators to assist them in helping children explore nature and birds. The USFWS partners with

4615-569: The southeastern United States, many breeding sites are on white gravel rooftops. In the San Francisco Bay region, breeding typically takes place on abandoned salt flats . Where the surface is hard, this species may use an artificial indentation (such as a deep dried footprint) to form the nest basin. The nest density may be as low as several per acre, but in San Diego County , densities of 200 nests per acre have been observed. Most commonly

4686-681: The west and by 1930 had "extirpated wolves from the Lower 48 and advised and assisted in erasing grey wolves from" Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. The Survey then turned to the eradication of coyote, coordinated through the 1931 Animal Damage Control Act . With various agency reorganizations, the practice continued more or less apace through the early 1970s but though hundreds of thousands of coyotes were killed, their extreme adaptability and resilience led to little overall population reduction and, instead, their migration into an expanded habitat, including urban areas. Increasing environmental awareness in

4757-411: Was a study that U.S Navy has found elevated levels of toxic chemicals in the carcasses and food of endangered birds at Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The elevated levels of cadmium , chromium , copper , lead , nickel and zinc , all poisonous heavy metals, were found in dead California least terns and light-footed clapper rails. However, these potentially toxic substances were not only found in

4828-564: Was approved in 1964 through a three-way agreement among the Navy, the Service, and the California Department of Fish and Game . In 1971, there was a new discussion about establishing a Refuge at this location. This ultimately triggered political intervention by U.S. Congressman Craig Hosmer and California State Senator Dennis Carpenter. Through the efforts of Congressman Hosmer, President Nixon signed Public Law 92-408 in August 1972, authorizing

4899-423: Was created in 1940 through the combination of two previous bureaus within the Department of the Interior. Its current director is Martha Williams , who was appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden on March 8, 2022. USFWS employs approximately 8,000 people and is organized into a central administrative office in Falls Church , Virginia , eight regional offices, and nearly 700 field offices distributed throughout

4970-501: Was delisted on 13 January 2021. The western population, the California least tern , was listed as an endangered species in 1972 with a population of about 600 pairs. With aggressive management, mainly by the exclusion of humans via fencing, the Californian population has rebounded in recent years to about 4500 pairs, a marked increase from 582 pairs in 1974 when census work began, though it is still listed as an endangered subspecies. The California subspecies breeds on beaches and bays of

5041-461: Was reorganized as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service — which remained part of the Department of the Interior — and divided its operations into two bureaus, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries , with the latter inheriting the history and heritage of the old U.S. Fish Commission and U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. Upon the formation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within

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