including the unusual anemone Metridium senile and the orange sponge 

 Ficulina suberea . The bay is frequented by a diverse mixture of fishes, 

 whales, squid, and other invertebrates. It is in public ownership. 



4. Los Penasquitos Lagoon (also known as Torrey Pines Lagoon), 385 

 acres, is also an important coastal salt marsh. It supports four plant 

 communities and a rich variety of plant and marine life in tidal channels, 

 mud flats and salt marshes. The rare Lotus nuttallianus occurs in the 

 area. Sixty-eight species of shore and migrant birds have been spotted 



in the lagoon, including three endangered species: the lightfooted 

 clapper rail. Rail us longirostris levipes , Beldings savannah sparrow, 

 Passerculus sandwichensis beldingi ^and the California least tern. 

 Sterna albifrons brown i . The lagoon also harbors 21 species of fishes, 

 plus molluscs and crustaceans. 



5. Santa Margarita River Estuary , 600 acres of Camp Pendleton, is 

 the only unspoiled watercourse terminus in Southern California. It 

 consists of several hundred acres of salt marsh and is the home of the 

 largest breeding colony of the endangered California least tern. Over 



40 species of fish have been identified in the estuary, along with dozens 

 of migratory and resident wildfowl. 



6. South San Diego Bay consists of 3,890 acres of hypersaline 

 marsh, bay waters, marshes and mudflats. It supports extensive beds 



of algae and the rare plants: Erysimum ammophilum , Lotus nuttallianus , 

 and Frankenia palmeri , along with 99 species of birds and 22 species of 

 fishes and many invertebrates. It is the home of three endangered 

 species: the least tern, the clapper rail, and the California brown 

 pelican, Pelecanus occidental is californicus . 



61 



