| Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
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  Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Contra Costa County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Antioch, California |
| Coordinates | 38°00′55″N121°47′38″W / 38.0151989°N 121.7938444°W /38.0151989; -121.7938444[1] |
| Area | 55 acres (0.22 km2) |
| Established | 1980 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Official website |
Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge is a sensitivesand dunehabitat located near the city ofAntioch, California on the south shore of theSan Joaquin River-Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel. It serves as a refuge for threeendangered species of plants and insects, and is closed to the public except for tours and events supervised by Refuge staff. The Refuge was established in 1980. It is managed by theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[2]
A project to restore wildlife habitat, sponsored by the Port of Stockton and implemented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began during 2013. This work involves dredging sandy spoil from theSan Joaquin River and pumping it to the Antioch Dunes. The purpose is to spur population growth of the Lange's metalmark butterfly The process employs a hydraulic cutter-suction dredger, which pumps the sand-water mixture through a fish screen. The mixture flows through a series of berms, which separate the sand from the water, which is pumped back to the river. The sand is then distributed onshore. When the sand is in place, the project will replant it withbuckwheat and two endangered plants.[3]
The species protected at Antioch Dunes areLange's metalmark butterfly, theAntioch Dunes evening primrose, and the Contra Costawallflower.[2] See the Lange's metalmark article for some background on the decline of the Antioch Dunes habitat prior to the formation of the Refuge. The number of metalmark butterflies has declined from 2,342 in 1999 to 45 in 2006. There were 78 in 2013.[3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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