Andrée Clark Bird Refuge, a saltwater marsh, is one of the largest

wildlife refuge A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

s in

Santa Barbara County, California Santa Barbara County, officially the County of Santa Barbara (), is a County (United States), county located in Southern California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, California ...

, United States. The refuge has a

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

lake, an artificially modified

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

, which drains through East Beach into the Pacific Ocean. The refuge is named for Louise Amelia Andrée Clark, older sister of the reclusive heiress Huguette Clark, who owned the Clark property, Bellosguardo (now the Bellosguardo Foundation), located across East Cabrillo Boulevard from the salt pond. In 1928, Huguette Clark donated money for the refuge in honor of her sister, who had died of meningitis in 1919, a week before Andrée's 17th birthday.

Geography

The refuge is bounded by the Santa Barbara Zoo, Highway 101, and East Cabrillo Boulevard. The eastern and southern perimeter of the Bird Refuge have a

bike path A bike path or a cycle path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses '' shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or ...

around the lake, connecting to the one along the beach to Shoreline Park. There are walking paths along the northern shore and three viewing platforms for

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

and other wildlife observation.

Natural history

The number of bird species observed at the refuge totals over 200, in both resident and migratory populations. Sensitive wildlife species include: Tidewater goby (''Eucyclogobius newberryi''), Western pond turtle (''Actinemys marmorata''), and several birds protected under the

Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), codified at (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1918 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Canada. ...

. According to the Santa Barbara Department of Parks and Recreation, common bird species in the refuge include ruddy ducks, American coots, mallards,

California gull The California gull (''Larus californicus'') is a medium-sized gull, smaller on average than the herring gull, but larger on average than the ring-billed gull (though it may overlap in size with both). Although named after California, it can b ...

s, western gulls,

red-winged blackbird The red-winged blackbird (''Agelaius phoeniceus'') is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North America and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and ...

s, and

black-crowned night heron The black-crowned night heron (''Nycticorax nycticorax'') r black-capped night heron commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and Nort ...

History

Originally, water from Sycamore Creek drained into the estuary. However, in the 1880s the construction of a railroad through the area blocked off the inflow of water. In the 1870s and early 1880s, Bradley's Race Track surrounded the lake.Days, M.L. (1977). Histories of individual parks Santa Barbara California. Santa Barbara, CA: City Planning Committee. In the 1920s, the city of Santa Barbara restored the site for the purpose of providing a refuge for wild birds that are migrating through or permanently residing in the area. In 1928, Huguette Clark, daughter of the owner of Bellosguardo, donated $50,000 to the city of Santa Barbara to excavate the pond and create an artificial freshwater lake. Clark stipulated that the facility would be named Andrée Clark Bird Refuge, in memory of her deceased sister.Conceptual Design Guidance Report for The East Cabrillo Boulevard Sidewalk Replacement Project
The girls were daughters of "Copper King" William A. Clark, who began to vacation at Bellosguardo with his family in the early 1920s. As an earlier remembrance of the sister, the Clarks donated land in New York for the first Girl Scout camp in the United States, Camp Andree Clark. A rustic cabin on the Bellosguardo estate also is named for the sister, Andrée. Huguette Clark donated more funds in 1930 to complete work in the plans designed by locally renowned landscape designer and horticulturalist Ralph Stevens. And in 1989, after the lake filled up with algae, Huguette Clark donated another $30,000 for cleanup and educational programs. In 2012, the cost for needed rehabilitation of the lake was estimated at $1 million. The Andrée Clark Bird Refuge is a historic district contributing property within the East Cabrillo Boulevard Parkway Historic District.''The East Cabrillo Boulevard location is within a State Historic District, and the Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC), and the City are bound by conditions and restrictions of a “Preservation Covenant” that was agreed to in 1995 when the State relinquished a portion of State Highway 225 (Cabrillo Blvd) to the City.'' Council Agenda Report "Appeal Of Historic Landmarks Commission Approval For The East Cabrillo Boulevard Sidewalk Improvement Project" 11 December 2007

References

External links

Santa Barbara Parks Department: Andrée Clark Bird Refuge
{{Clear Bird sanctuaries of the United States Nature reserves in California Parks in Santa Barbara, California Protected areas of Santa Barbara County, California Protected areas established in 1928 1928 establishments in California Historic district contributing properties in California Tourist attractions in Santa Barbara, California Family of William A. Clark National Register of Historic Places in Santa Barbara County, California Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in California

Geography

Natural history

History

See also

References

External links