McGrath State Beach
| McGrath State Beach | |
|---|---|
 Santa Clara River estuary at McGrath State Beach | |
   | |
| Location | Ventura County, California,United States |
| Nearest city | Oxnard, California |
| Coordinates | 34°13′30″N119°15′30″W/ 34.22500°N 119.25833°W |
| Area | 312 acres (126 ha)[1] |
| Established | 1948[1] |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
McGrath State Beachis a protectedbeachpark located on the south bank of the mouth ofSanta Clara Riverin the city ofOxnard,California.[2]McGrath State Beach is one of the best bird-watching areas in California, with the lush riverbanks of the Santa Clara River and sand dunes along the shore.[3]A nature trail leads to the Santa Clara Estuary Natural Preserve.[4]Camping sites are available.[5]Two miles of beach provide surfing and fishing opportunities.[6]Just south of the station is the undevelopedMandalay Beach Parkwhich is about a mile downcoast beach walk from the park or a bike ride along Harbor Blvd. Located south ofVenturaon Harbor Boulevard, the beach is on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route and theCalifornia Coastal Trail.[7]
The park overlies the productiveWest Montalvo Oil Fieldand oil wells are in an enclosure just behind the beach, and slant-drill into the offshore part of the field.[8][9]A bit farther downcoast is the Mandalay Generating Station – the stack is easily visible from the beach – owned by Reliant Energy.[10]
The park often closes in winter but a lack of funding to repair the infrastructure, specifically a rusting sewage pipe, closed the park in 2011 until repairs could be made. Flooding has been a continuing problem. The water level in the estuary rises when the winter rains fail to breach the sand bar at the mouth of the river. When campgrounds and necessary facilities flood, the park closes until conditions changes.[11][12]The beach and McGrath Lake are available during the closures but access is limited to walking from an adjacent area.[13]Surfers Knoll Park[14]on the beach on the north side of Ventura Harbor can be used to access by walking south across the sand bar at the mouth of Santa Clara River.[15]
A study in 2015 outlined the benefits to moving the campground within the park to higher ground.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ab"California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10"(PDF).California State Parks: 18.Retrieved2016-02-02.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: McGrath State Beach
- ^"McGrath State Beach - Site # 134"California Watchable Wildlife.Retrieved 5 November 2013
- ^U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Santa Clara Estuary Natural Preserve
- ^"Your guide to Ventura County beaches".Ventura County Star.August 9, 2018.Retrieved21 August2018.
- ^Plascencia, Anthony (August 9, 2018)."Your guide to Ventura County beaches".Ventura County Star.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-07-18.Retrieved21 August2018.
- ^Coastwalk."California Coastal Trail Section Data".Retrieved2010-07-18.
- ^"Record of Survey: McGrath Beach State Park."26 RS 85.Ventura County Recorder15 February 1963. Retrieved January 27, 2014 fromCountyView GIS.
- ^Lohan, Tara (November 24, 2014)"An 85-Year-Old Takes On Big Oil and the Company Burying the Industry’s Dangerous Waste"Earth Island Journal
- ^Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC (2010)."Reliant Energy - Electric Power Generation within the United States".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-01-12.Retrieved2010-07-18.
- ^Carlson, Cheri (September 11, 2014)"Agencies continue talks to find solution for flooding at McGrath campground"Ventura County Star
- ^Johnson, Brett (December 15, 2014)"McGrath State Beach campground, estuary issues under study"Ventura County Star
- ^"McGrath Beach Trail"California State Parks.Retrieved 5 November 2013
- ^Coastwalk"Surfers Knoll"California Coastal Trail.info2003. Retrieved 28 December 2013
- ^Zach Behrens (31 October 2013)"McGrath State Beach Campground Closed Indefinitely"KCET blog:Living: Travel: SoCal Wanderer: State Park. Retrieved 31 October 2013
- ^"Study says moving McGrath campground could help native wildlife".Ventura County Star.November 11, 2015.(subscription may be required for this article)
Further reading
[edit]- Grossinger, Robin; Stein, Eric D.; Cayce, Kristen; Askevold, Ruth; Dark, Shawna; Whipple, Alison."Historical Wetlands of the Southern California Coast: An Atlas of US Coast Survey T-sheets, 1851-1889"(PDF).California State Coastal Conservancy,San Francisco Estuary Institute(SFEI),Southern California Coastal Water Research Project(SCCWRP),California State University Northridge(CSUN).Retrieved2 March2018.
