Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge

Refuge Planning 

National Wildlife Refuge planning sets the broad vision for refuge management and the goals, objectives, strategies, and actions required to achieve it. Planning ensures that each refuge meets its individual purposes, contributes to the Refuge System’s mission and priorities, is consistent with other applicable laws and policies, and enhances conservation benefits beyond refuge boundaries. 

Comprehensive Conservation Plans 

Comprehensive Conservation Plans (CCPs) are the primary planning documents for National Wildlife Refuges. As outlined in the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act, as amended, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is required to develop CCPs that guide refuge management for the next 15 years. CCPs articulate the Service’s contributions to meeting refuge purposes and the National Wildlife Refuge System mission. CCPs serve as a bridge between broad, landscape-level plans developed by other agencies and stakeholders and the more detailed step-downs that stem from Refuge CCPs.  

The 2012 Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge can be found here: https://ecos.fws.gov/ServCat/Reference/Profile/5959 

Step-down Plans 

CCP step-down plans guide refuge-level programs for: (1) conserving natural resources (e.g., fish, wildlife, plants, and the ecosystems they depend on for habitat); (2) stewarding other special values of the refuge (e.g., cultural or archeological resources, wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, etc.); and (3) engaging visitors and the community in conservation, including providing opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation. Like CCPs, step-down plans contribute to the implementation of relevant landscape plans by developing SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) objectives, strategies, implementation schedules, and decision support tools to fulfill refuge visions and goals. This ensures that refuges are managed in a landscape context and that conservation benefits extend beyond refuge boundaries.  

Management for California Least Terns at NASA Island

• Pre-nesting season site preparation, as needed (weed control, substrate enhancement)
• Eyes on the Colony (predator monitoring program supervised by the Refuge)
• Weekly nest site monitoring during the nesting season
• Predator management

Management of Light-footed Ridgway’s Rails

• High tide counts and spring call counts (to obtain breeding population size estimates)
• Monitoring during nesting season
• Maintenance, construction, and deployment of nesting platforms
• Predator management

Habitat Management

• Invasive plant species control and removal
• Native plant propagation in native plant nursery
• Habitat restoration through plantings and broadcast seeding
• Trash and debris removal
• Culvert maintenance and replacement, as needed to maintain tidal flow

Wildlife Management

• Monthly night mammal surveys
• Monthly high tide and low tide bird counts
• Ongoing fish and wildlife research partnerships with other federal, state, and local agencies as well as colleges and universities
• Injured wildlife rescue and response on refuge lands 

Trapping Occurs on this Refuge

Trapping is a wildlife management tool used on some national wildlife refuges. Trapping may be used to protect endangered and threatened species or migratory birds or to control certain wildlife populations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also views trapping as a legitimate recreational and economic activity when there are harvestable surpluses of fur-bearing mammals. Outside of Alaska, refuges that permit trapping as a recreational use may require trappers to obtain a refuge special use permit. Signs are posted on refuges where trapping occurs. Contact the refuge manager for specific regulations.