by Christina Giudice
The Santa Ana River Mouth, a 13.2-acre area of land, is governed by four agencies: the California State Lands Commission, California State Parks, Orange County Flood Control, and the City of Newport Beach. When multiple jurisdictions cover a relatively small piece of land, proper governance can become convoluted and confused. This in turn leaves bird populations in sensitive wildlife area vulnerable and unprotected.
The Santa Ana River Mouth Monitoring Project is one of OC Coastkeeper’s most important research projects and is vital in collecting data on the critical habitat of the Santa Ana River Mouth. This area is home to an abundance of bird species including the endangered California Least Tern and threatened Western Snowy Plover. Their status makes it enormously important that visitors follow the rules in this area in order to protect them. These include the Newport Beach rule that dogs must never be allowed off-leash, and that they are only allowed on the beach before 10:00 AM and after 4:30 PM.
We found, however, that people rarely follow these rules but bring their off-leash dogs to the beach during unpermitted hours. Though there are signs posted at the entrance to the beach, people do not read or acknowledge them, and the lack of enforcement further complicates the matter. To address this situation, OC Coastkeeper now conducts weekly outreach events to communicate with the public and raise awareness of the Newport Beach dog rules. We found that the lack of meaningful enforcement is the biggest reason for noncompliance. When people think their actions have no consequences, they are not motivated to follow the rules. We hope to appeal to law enforcement to help us protect the sensitive wildlife of the river mouth.
When people don’t follow the rules of the beach and river mouth, disturbances occur that we call “flushing events.” This is when birds flee the area after being startled and chased off by humans or domestic dogs that are too close to their habitat. These flushing events even happen on purpose, when people or dogs intentionally chase off groups of birds and disturb the wildlife area.
When this occurs, birds expend extra energy to escape, which diverts energy from the activities that ensure their survival: foraging, mating, and nesting. Every moment is precious for these birds, and they must be extra cautious of their surroundings when gathering resources. A river mouth should be a safe place for the birds to rest or forage during the day, protected from predators. However, this is not the reality at the Santa Ana River Mouth. The high presence of off-leash dogs during the prohibited hours brings unnecessary stress to these birds.
In 2023, OC Coastkeeper enlisted volunteers, staff members, and interns to conduct 1,869 surveys at the Santa Ana River Mouth. We found that there were 2,938 dogs observed, with 64% being off leash. Additionally, 87 flushing events took place, with most of them occurring in the Orange County Flood Control boundary, even though humans and dogs are not allowed access to this area. The data also showed a correlation between a high presence of off-leash dogs and a low presence of birds. Keep in mind that most of these observations took place during the prohibited hours from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
As a result, the birds that inhabit the river mouth are constantly in survival mode. Since domestic dogs are not part of their natural environment, the very presence of dogs can cause an imbalance in these bird communities. Since the birds in this area include federally endangered and threatened species, visitors should exercise special caution to prevent further disturbances. We believe that a healthy combination of outreach and enforcement will go a long way in protecting these endangered populations.
Studies have found that birds tend to be the most vulnerable animals when it comes to adverse human behaviors like habitat destruction, the introduction of invasive species, and urbanization. This makes it especially important for us to monitor human activity near high bird-density areas.
Our goal is to mitigate negative human impacts as much as possible to reduce the stress on sensitive bird species. Thus, we must encourage people to simply leave the birds alone and to follow the rules in a sensitive wildlife area. Dog owners must always keep their dogs leashed when they visit this area during the permitted hours to keep from chasing birds out of their habitat, causing them to abandon the activities they need to survive. Positive and respectful community outreach is essential in educating the public so this area can be enjoyed by all visitors.
OC Coastkeeper plans to collect more data through 2024. While we continue to encourage visitors to understand the reason for the posted rules and to behave responsibly, we will also collaborate with law enforcement to reduce human and dog impacts on this sensitive area. The Santa Ana River Mouth is a source of important biodiversity, and it is up to all of us to protect its birdlife.
To learn more about Orange County Coastkeeper and the Santa Ana River Mouth Monitoring Project please visit
