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Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
It's at the southern end of the Salton Sea and 227 feet below sea level. This wild life refuge is also part of the Pacific Flyway host to heavy migrations of waterfowl, marsh and shorebirds during spring and fall, with the greatest number of species present from November to May. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded. The Refuge has two separate managed units, 18 miles apart. Each unit contains wetland habitats, farm fields, and tree rows.
The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Imperial Valley of California, 40 miles (64 km) north of the Mexican border. Situated at the southern end of the Salton Sea, the refuge protects one of the most important nesting sites and stopovers along the Pacific Flyway. Despite its location in the Colorado Desert, a subdivision of the larger Sonoran Desert, the refuge contains marine, freshwater, wetland, and agricultural habitats which provide sanctuary for hundreds of birds and wetland species, including several that have been listed as endangered or sensitive by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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