Nature Preserve - Click the Link for More Info

The Newport Bay Conservancy is pleased to support Orange County Parks at the Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center. This 10,000 square foot educational facility was built into the side of one of the bluffs on the north side of the Bay. It offers panoramic views of the Bay yet is nestled so unobtrusively that many local residents are still unaware that the Interpretive Center is there. Directions. The center is open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM Tuesday through Sunday. Admission and parking are free. Find out about Program and Events. For more information, call (949) 923-2290.

Upper Newport Bay – the Back Bay as it is endearingly known to those who live nearby – lies hidden in the heart of Newport Beach. Many come here to ride horses and bikes, hike, canoe, kayak, bird-watch or simply savor the delightful sunrises and sunsets over its tranquil waters.

However, it is more than a place of great natural beauty. Upper Newport Bay is the largest of only a few remaining natural estuaries in Southern . An estuary is a coastal wetland where salt water from the ocean mixes with nutrient-rich fresh water from inland sources, to provide a fertile feeding area for birds, fish and other animals.

Upper Newport Bay is an important rest stop and/or winter home for birds migrating from Canada and Alaska, and up to 30,000 birds can be seen here on any one day during the winter months. During the spring and summer many birds that have migrated from the south nest here, together with other birds that are year-round residents. Nesting birds include the endangered light-footed clapper rail and California least tern. The Bay is also a spawning ground and nursery for many commercial and sports fish, including halibut and bass.

The Upper Bay is a regional recreational and educational resource. It also plays a huge part in protecting the infra-structure of the Lower Bay and the beaches of Newport Beach. Newport Beach has one of the largest small boat harbors in the country, with over 9,000 craft docked. And its beaches are a regular weekend destination for families from inland Orange County as well as Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

 Maps & Directions Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and Ecological Reserve represent approximately 1,000 acres of open space. Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve surrounds the Ecological Reserve. The park includes the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center. Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve totals approximately 140 acres. The Nature Preserve is made up of the bluffs surrounding the Bay. Three sensitive species use the bluffs: The California Gnatcatcher, San Diego Cactus Wren, and Burrowing Owl. Two important plant communities are found on the bluffs - grasslands and coastal sage scrub. Upper Newport Ecological Reserve totals 752 acres. This coastal wetland, one of the largest in , is renowned as one of the finest bird watching sites in North America. During winter migration up to 35,000 birds may be using the Bay at one time. It is home to six rare or endangered species: Light Footed Clapper Rail, Brown Pelican, Belding's Savannah Sparrow, Black Rail, Peregrine Falcon and California Least Tern. The Bay is home to one endangered plant species - Saltmarsh Bird's Beak. Considered a "critical estuary" habitat - Upper Newport Bay is one of the most pristine remaining estuaries in Southern California.

Come visit Upper Newport Bay's Muth Interpretive Center. Located in the County's premier nature preserve, Upper Newport Bay in Newport Beach features the area's natural beauty within a state-of-the-art facility. Click here to learn more.

Upper Newport Bay 2301 University Drive Newport Beach, CA 92660 (949)923-2290 or (949)923-2

Wetlands are defined as areas of land that are saturated or covered by fresh, brackish (slightly salty) or salt water at least part of the year. Wetlands include marshes, swamps, bogs, mudflats and vernal pools. It is the presence of water that is so important to life. Many creatures that spend most of their lives elsewhere, including many fish and insects, were born and raised in wetlands. Because of the abundance of food and shelter provided by the wetland vegetation most wetlands are rich with diverse species. Wetlands also act as natural pollution, flood and erosion protection mechanisms.

Coastal salt marsh vegetation has been found to be up to twice as productive as corn, three times as productive as wheat and twenty times as productive as ocean vegetation. Unfortunately most of southern California’s coastal wetlands have been lost to development. This loss has endangered many species of plants, birds, fish and other wetland wildlife. Throughout the USA it is estimated that one third of all threatened and endangered species are found in wetlands. Upper Newport Bay is a particular type of wetland called an estuary – a place where seawater and freshwater mix. Estuaries are typically found at the mouths of rivers and streams. Some of the most fertile areas of the world, such as the Nile delta, are the flood plains and estuaries of the great rivers. The following characteristics make estuaries like Upper Newport Bay particularly fertile:

 The freshwater sources that feed the estuary bring nutrient-rich sediments that accumulate in the estuary instead of being washed out to sea.  The ebb and flow of the tide causes a continual mixing of the water that distributes food and nutrients throughout the Bay and maintains a high level of oxygen in the water to support demands.  The duration and intensity of sunlight in areas like southern California coupled with the shallow water in the estuary provide ideal conditions for photosynthesis by the microscopic plankton in the water that form the start a complex and highly-productive food web.

As stated above, in an estuary the water level rises and falls with the tide. As the tide falls shorebirds are able to feed on the worms and shellfish living in the mud that is no longer covered by water. The tides are caused mainly by the gravitational pull of the moon as it passes overhead. When the moon is new (on the same side of the earth as the sun) or full (on the opposite side to the sun) the pull of the sun reinforces that of the moon and larger tides called spring tides occur. At Upper Newport Bay there are two high tides and two low tides roughly every day. When there is a spring tide there is about 8 ft. difference between high and low water level.

Learn more about the living organisms in the water Learn more about the life in the mud

A habitat is a type of place where a particular animal or plant or group of animals and plants is most at home. In this type of place the general combination of food, water, shelter and space allows these plants and animals to thrive. Within any one geographical area there may be several habitats. The classification of habitats is a subject of much debate among naturalists. Some bird watchers, for instance, feel that as few as five habitats are sufficient to define where birds are seen at Upper Newport Bay. On the other hand some botanists have defined as many as 13 different habitats and as many as 21 distinct plant communities here at the Bay.

High Tide Habitat Map Low Tide Habitat Map

The set of six habitats described below has been found to be of most benefit in categorizing the plants, birds, marine life and other life of Upper Newport Bay in a simple and consistent manner:

The Habitats of Upper Newport Bay

Open Water – The bay itself as distinct from the bottom or the shores of the bay. Fish swim in open water and seabirds are seen overhead. The water is teeming with plankton. Seaweeds (algae) and submerged marine plants such as eel grass may be present.

Mudflat – The areas of the shore exposed at low tide. As the name implies these areas are generally muddy and flat. Plant life is limited to algae. Worms, mollusks and other marine critters are found in abundance in the mud and shore birds are seen pecking at the surface or probing below the surface of the mud for food.

Saltmarsh – The area of the shore from the mud flats to the high tide line. The plants in this area are adapted to being submerged in water and growing in salty soils. Cord grass thrives from the mid tide region upwards. Pickleweed is found in abundance in the high tide region and adjacent dry land which has salty soil.

Freshwater Marsh/Pond – Water-loving plants such as cattails and sedges grow in and around the water. Many of these plants can tolerate mild to moderate salinity. Freshwater fish, crayfish and other critters live here. Numerous ducks will be found here, particularly in winter.

Riparian – The area along side a river or stream or on the banks of a lake or pond. The plants in this area like moist soil but do not necessarily grow in the water. Willows are common. Cottonwoods and other trees and large shrubs are found. Bushtits, finches and hummingbirds will be seen here.

Upland – The bluffs, cliffs and undeveloped mesas around the bay make up the upland habitat. The dry slopes abound with sagebrush, buckwheat and drought-resistant succulents such as prickly pear cactus that are characteristic of the coastal sage scrub plant community. Turkey vultures and other birds of prey are at home here. They are seen soaring effortlessly in the upward currents of warm air along the bluffs. On the mesas the coastal sage scrub often gives way to patches of grassland.

Many plants and animals may be found in more than one habitat and the boundary between two habitats is not necessarily well-defined. In particular, because Upper Newport Bay is an estuary, the distinction between saltwater and freshwater marsh is not always clear. There is a region where the seawater coming in from the ocean and the freshwater entering from mix. Here the water is moderately saline (salty). It is said to be brackish. The nature of this brackish region changes as a result of both the twice-daily ebb and flow of the tide and the big seasonal difference in flow along the creek.

One of the things that makes Upper Newport Bay so interesting an