Buena Vista Lagoon

Buena Vista Lagoon
A marker at Buena Vista Lagoon
Location	San Diego County, California
Coordinates	33°10′11″N 117°21′11″W / 33.1696660°N 117.3531612°WCoordinates: 33°10′11″N 117°21′11″W / 33.1696660°N 117.3531612°W
Type	Inlet
Primary outflows	Pacific Ocean
Surface area	223 acres (90 ha)
Surface elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Settlements	Carlsbad Oceanside
References	GNIS[1]

Buena Vista Lagoon is a coastal inlet of the Pacific Ocean in the South Coast region of Southern California within North County, San Diego County.

The lagoon covers 223 acres of wetland habitat and serves as a geographic border between Carlsbad and Oceanside. Buena Vista Lagoon is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game.^[2] The lagoon is home to the Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center,^[3] and is California's first Ecological Reserve. Two non-profit organizations are committed to the preservation and management of the lagoon: the Buena Vista Audubon Society^[4] and the Buena Vista Lagoon Foundation^[5]

Flora and fauna

The lagoon harbors at least 103 bird species, 18 mammals, and 14 amphibians and reptiles. Buena Vista also serves as a valuable wetland habitat for migrating bird species during the fall months.^[2] In the 1970s, the lagoon was home to a group of pink flamingos that locals believed escaped from the San Diego Zoo, but the Zoo steadfastly denied that they were missing any flamingos.^[6]

References

1. "Buena Vista Lagoon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
2. "Buena Vista Lagoon". BVAS Audubon. Retrieved March 2014.
3. "Buena Vista Audubon Society Nature Center". BVAS Audubon. Retrieved November 2014.
4. "Buena Vista Audubon Society". BVAS Audubon. Retrieved November 2014.
5. "Buena Vista Lagoon Foundation". Buena Vista Lagoon Foundation. Retrieved November 2014.
6. "For the Birds: A Brief History of the Buena Vista Lagoon" (PDF). Carlsbad Magazine. Retrieved November 2014.

Motorists feed birds at Buena Vista Lagoon, 1975. Photo by Charles O'Rear.