The refuge, comprising 316 acres (1.28 km2) of
salt marsh and coastal
uplands surrounded by urban development, is a critically important area for wildlife because over 90 percent of the historic
wetlands of San Diego Bay have been filled in, drained, or diked.
Sweetwater Marsh provides habitat for four
endangered or
threatened species, including
light-footed rail. It is also the only place in the United States where
yerba reuma, a member of the heath family, grows naturally. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded on the refuge.
With 90 to 100% of submerged lands, intertidal
mudflats, and salt marshes eliminated in the north and central Bay, the South Bay unit of the refuge will preserve and restore the remaining wetlands, mudflats and
eelgrass beds to ensure that the bay's thousands of migrating and resident shorebirds and waterfowl will survive into the next century. The approved refuge boundary is 3,940 acres (15.9 km2).
The refuge, comprising 316 acres (1.28 km2) of
salt marsh and coastal
uplands surrounded by urban development, is a critically important area for wildlife because over 90 percent of the historic
wetlands of San Diego Bay have been filled in, drained, or diked.
Sweetwater Marsh provides habitat for four
endangered or
threatened species, including
light-footed rail. It is also the only place in the United States where
yerba reuma, a member of the heath family, grows naturally. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded on the refuge.
With 90 to 100% of submerged lands, intertidal
mudflats, and salt marshes eliminated in the north and central Bay, the South Bay unit of the refuge will preserve and restore the remaining wetlands, mudflats and
eelgrass beds to ensure that the bay's thousands of migrating and resident shorebirds and waterfowl will survive into the next century. The approved refuge boundary is 3,940 acres (15.9 km2).