Border Field State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States, containing beach and coastal habitat on the

Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...

. The park is within the city limits of

Imperial Beach Imperial Beach is a beach city in San Diego County, California, United States, with a population of 26,137 as of the 2020 census. It is in the South Bay area of San Diego County, south of downtown San Diego and northwest of downtown Tiju ...

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

, next to the suburb of

Playas de Tijuana Playas de Tijuana ( Spanish for "beaches of Tijuana") is the westernmost borough of the municipality of Tijuana, Baja California, stretching from the United States border in the north to Rosarito Beach Municipality in the south. The Bullring by ...

in Mexico. It contains the southernmost point in the state of California. The refuge forms the southern part of Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. Border Field State Park contains Friendship Park, which is just inland from the place where the border meets the ocean. Immediately adjacent is the Initial Point of Boundary Between U.S. and Mexico.

History

The

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Villa de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the cap ...

was concluded on February 2, 1848, officially ending the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

between the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It provided that the new international border between the two countries be established by a joint

United States and Mexican Boundary Survey The United States and Mexican Boundary Survey was a Surveying, land survey that took play from 1848 to 1855 to determine the Mexico–United States border as defined in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the treaty that ended the Mexican–American ...

. The commission began its survey at Border Field. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it was base for Border Naval Outlying Landing Field The park was closed to the public in 2020 during the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

outbreak. After the COVID-19 threat passed, the park remained closed, ostensibly due to flooding and sewage issues. In 2024 the park remained closed, purportedly due to construction on new

border fence A border barrier, border fence or border wall is a separation barrier that runs along or near an international border. Such barriers are typically constructed for border control purposes such as curbing illegal immigration, human trafficking, ...

. The park remains closed as of January 2025. File:Monument marking the Initial Point of Boundary Between U.S. and Mexico (1974 photo).jpg, 1974 border File:Frontera San Diego Tijuana.jpg, 2008 border. (Border Patrol vehicles present in image) File:United States - Mexico Ocean Border Fence (15838118610).jpg, 2014 border

Habitat

The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve contains much of Border Field State Park and is an important wildlife

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

. The salt and freshwater

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es give refuge to migrating

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

and resident

wading bird Birders in Canada and the United States refer to several families of long-legged wading birds in semi-aquatic ecosystems as waders. These include the families Phoenicopteridae (flamingos), Ciconiidae (storks), Threskiornithidae (ibises and s ...

s, such as

black-necked stilt The black-necked stilt (''Himantopus mexicanus'') is a locally abundant shorebird of North and South American wetlands and coastlines. It is found from the coastal areas of California through much of the interior western United States and along ...

American avocet The American avocet (''Recurvirostra americana'') is a large wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae, found in North America. It spends much of its time foraging in shallow water or on mud flats, often sweeping its bill from side ...

, green-winged teal,

American wigeon The American wigeon (''Mareca americana''), also known as the baldpate, is a species of dabbling duck found in North America. Formerly assigned to ''Anas'', this species is classified with the other wigeons in the dabbling duck genus ''Mareca'' ...

and

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

s. The park offers hiking, horse trails, surf fishing and birding.

Visitors

For

fiscal year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...

2014–2015 61,799 people visited the Border Field State Park, up from 45,633 in FY 2011–2012.

References

External links

Border Field State Park

Border Field State Park (Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve)
* {{authority control State parks of California Parks in San Diego County, California Beaches of San Diego County, California Imperial Beach, California South Bay (San Diego County) Mexico–United States border Protected areas established in 1972 1972 establishments in California Beaches of Southern California

History

Habitat

Visitors

See also

References

External links