Wister Waterfowl National Wildlife Refuge (Salton Sea)
The Wister Unit of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge is located in the Imperial Valley of southern California along the shoreline of the Salton Sea, a saline inland lake situated within the Colorado Desert. The Salton Sea lies within the Salton Trough, a tectonic basin associated with the San Andreas Fault system that has periodically filled with water throughout geological history. The modern lake formed in 1905 when Colorado River floodwaters filled the desert basin, creating an extensive wetland environment in an otherwise arid region.
The refuge provides important habitat for migratory birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway, one of the major north–south migration routes in the Americas. Wetlands, agricultural fields, and shoreline environments support hundreds of species of waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds, making the Salton Sea one of the most significant inland bird habitats in western North America.
The preserved wetlands illustrate the ecological importance of desert water resources and demonstrate the interaction between hydrology, climate, and wildlife migration patterns across the southwestern United States.
