San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex

San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex Refuge in a City

San Diego is the second largest city in California, located more than 100 miles south of Los Angeles. Well known for nearly perfect weather, craft beer, and beaches, it’s a magnet for tourists looking for outdoor fun, and attracts new residents from all over the world with its growing biotech sector. In addition to a world-class park system and numerous trails, it also has the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex, a collection of urban refuges that stretches all the way to Orange County.

The San Diego National Wildlife Refuge and other units protect thousands of acres of land and water in and around San Diego Bay. While it does include habitats like grasslands and coastal sage scrub, most of the protected land consists of saltwater marsh and tidal mudflats, which were degraded due to development and industrial uses over the years.

Between Tijuana Slough, Sweetwater Marsh, San Diego Bay, Seal Beach, and inland San Diego NWR, visitors to and residents of San Diego can hike, fish, kayak, birdwatch, and partake in dozens of different recreational opportunities. As a major stop on the Pacific Flyway and suitable nesting habitat for endangered birds like the California Least Tern, birds are the biggest draw to some of the refuge units, but plenty of mammals, reptiles, insects, and native plants are easily found.

As an urban refuge, the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex also serves as a living laboratory and outdoor classroom for environmental education initiatives, as well as being a place where some children and adults experience wild nature for the first time. In 2014, the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge Complex led the charge in responding to a question posed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: How can we help connect the 80% of Americans living in cities with nature, and create a sustainable conservation constituency around principles of conservation and stewardship?

The answer: Partnerships.

In a region with millions of people, partnerships are key. In San Diego, The Earth Discovery Institute, Living Coast Discovery Center, Ocean Connectors, Outdoor Outreach, and San Diego Audubon Society provide a suite of programs to connect people to nature through outdoor adventures and programs as part of the SoCal Urban Wildlife Refuge Project. The San Diego Zoo Global Program and the Institute for Conservation Research offer programs aimed at fostering environmental literacy and stewardship, using a hands-on approach to teach kids about the day to day responsibilities of refuge staff, creating enthusiasm for volunteering and maybe even future careers in conservation.

Reaching new audiences requires more than inviting people to visit and participate in programs; identifying and removing barriers to engagement means that partners develop and implement programs that bring refuges to the people. From nonprofits to schools to zoos, SoCal Urban Wildlife Refuge Project partners are meeting people where they live, work, learn, and play.

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Photos Courtesy of Ian Shive/Angie Horn/Lisa Cox/USFWS