Buena Vista Lagoon is a freshwater lagoon adjacent to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

in the

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

region of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

within North County,

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

. The

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into '' coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons ...

covers 223 acres of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

habitat and serves as a geographic border between Carlsbad and Oceanside. Buena Vista Lagoon is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The lagoon is home to the Buena Vista Audubon Society Nature Center, and is California's first Ecological Reserve. Two non-profit organizations are committed to the preservation and management of the lagoon: the Buena Vista Audubon Society and the Buena Vista Lagoon Foundation

Flora and fauna

The lagoon harbors at least 103 bird species, 18 mammals, and 14 amphibians and reptiles. Buena Vista also serves as a valuable wetland habitat for migrating bird species during the fall months. In the 1970s, the lagoon was home to a group of pink flamingos that locals believed escaped from the San Diego Zoo, but the Zoo steadfastly denied that they were missing any flamingos. A weir exists about 100 yards from the ocean. Depending on the season and rainfall, there may be outflow into the Pacific Ocean. There has been discussion on whether to maintain the Buena Vista Lagoon as freshwater or to open it to the ocean, allowing saltwater mixing much as with the nearby Agua Hedionda Lagoon. As of early 2018, no definitive plans have been set to change the lagoon, however.

References

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MOTORIST FEEDS BIRDS AT THE BUENA VISTA LAGOON

Lagoons of San Diego County, California Estuaries of California Wetlands of California Nature reserves in California Protected areas of San Diego County, California Carlsbad, California Encinitas, California North County (San Diego County)