Strawberry Lagoon is an

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

within

Richardson Bay Richardson Bay (originally Richardson's Bay) is a shallow, ecologically rich arm of San Francisco Bay, managed under a Joint Powers Agency of four northern California cities. The Richardson Bay Sanctuary was acquired in the early 1960s by the N ...

Marin County, California Marin County is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and ...

, United States. This location, particularly on

Strawberry Spit Strawberry Spit (also Sanctuary Island) is a small artificial island in the San Francisco Bay's Richardson's Bay embayment of Strawberry Lagoon. It is still referred to as Strawberry Spit, although it no longer is technically a spit. Historicall ...

, is a winter

haul-out Hauling-out is a ethology, behaviour associated with pinnipeds (true seals, sea lions, fur seals and walruses) temporarily leaving the water. Hauling-out typically occurs between periods of foraging activity. Rather than remain in the water, pin ...

area for the

Harbor seal The harbor (or harbour) seal (''Phoca vitulina''), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. The most widely distributed species of pinniped (walruses, eared sea ...

. Pressures of urban development at Strawberry Point along with increases in small boat traffic have diminished the use of this lagoon for seal haul out, noted as early as 1990.

Harbor seal presence

The entire Harbor seal population of the

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

has been estimated at approximately 500 individuals, of which up to 100 animals have been observed within Strawberry Lagoon, hauling out at Strawberry Spit. Typically Harbor seals in California do not congregate in haul outs in numbers exceeding 100.(Orr, 1972) In the 1980s a channel was created to sever the spit from the mainland creating a more secure haulout for the seals known as

Sanctuary Island Strawberry Spit (also Sanctuary Island) is a small artificial island in the San Francisco Bay's Richardson's Bay embayment of Strawberry Lagoon. It is still referred to as Strawberry Spit, although it no longer is technically a spit. Historica ...

. An Earth Metrics Inc. study of 1990 provided for more protection of the seals by constructing an earthen berm on the southern part of Sanctuary Island and landscaping this area with shrubby native grasses to provide enhanced privacy for the Harbor seals. The Harbor seal is protected in the USA under the

Marine Mammal Protection Act The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) was the first act of the United States Congress to call specifically for an ecosystem approach to wildlife management. Authority MMPA was signed into law on October 21, 1972, by President Richard Nixon ...

of 1972. (U.S. Congress, 1972)

Geography and natural history

The higher ground above the lagoon is dominated by Ring Mountain, the location of certain extant Native American

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

s and a considerable diversity of native flora, including several rare and

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

species. (Hogan, 2008)

References

* Earth Metrics Inc., Patrick Sullivan, ''Harbor Seal Study for Strawberry Spit'', Report 10323, published by the County of Marin, April 30, 1990 * C. Michael Hogan. 2008
''Ring Mountain'', The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham
*Robert T. Orr, ''Marine Mammals of California'' (1972) *United States Congress, '' Marine Animal Protection Act'' (1972) Lagoons of California Lagoons of Marin County, California Wetlands of the San Francisco Bay Area Mill Valley, California {{MarinCountyCA-geo-stub

Harbor seal presence

Geography and natural history

See also

References