biological
Plants and Wildlife at the SSFL
It may be surprising to learn how many plants and animals call the Santa Susana Field Lab (SSFL) home, despite the widespread contamination known to harm biological life. This is because not every part of the site was polluted by decades of industrial and experimental activity. Almost half of the 2,850-acre site remains relatively untouched.
The green area on the map represents the portion that would be remediated if a full "background level" cleanup were completed. However, just because some areas aren’t contaminated enough to require remediation doesn’t mean the plants and animals living onsite are safe.
There are no magic barriers preventing pollution from spreading into the cleaner areas. That’s why a complete cleanup of the polluted areas is crucial—not only to protect the plants and wildlife that live there but also to safeguard the water and food they depend on for survival.
To truly protect the ecosystem at SSFL, the site must be fully cleaned up. The plants and animals that live there deserve a safe, unpolluted environment where they can thrive.
Long-lasting pollutants
Many of the pollutants at the Santa Susana Field Lab are long-lasting and don’t break down easily in the environment. That means the plants and animals at and near the SSFL are at risk for increased exposure through bioaccumulation and biomagnification.
Bioaccumulation occurs when a species is repeatedly exposed to long-lasting pollutants over time.
Biomagnification occurs when species lower on the food chain are exposed to long-lasting chemicals in small amounts. Species higher on the food chain eat many smaller species and collect more pollutants in their bodies. This continues up the food chain until the top predators are the most impacted by the contamination from eating smaller polluted species.
SSFL's PROTECTED WILDLIFE
Image of some of the endangered and threatened species at the SSFL
Federally endangered species:
Bird: Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus)
Butterfly: Quino Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha quino)
Butterfly: Lyon's pentachaeta (Pentachaeta lyonii)
Plant: Braunton's milk-vetch (Astragalus brauntonii)
Crustacean: Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni)
Federally THREATENED species:
Amphibian: California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii)
Crustacean: Vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi)
Bird: Coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica)
Plant: Spreading navarretia (Navarretiafossalis)
Plant: California Orcutt grass (Orcuttia californica)
Plant: Conejo dudleya (Dudleya abramsii ssp. parva)
Plant: Santa Monica Mountains dudleya (Dudleya cymosa ssp. ovatifolia)
Plant: Marcescent dudleya (Dudleya cymosa ssp. marcescens)
Federally listed THREATENED species candidate:
Plant: San Fernando Valley spineflower (Chorizanthe parryi var. fernandina)
California Endangered Species
Plant: Santa Susana Tarplant (Deinandra minthornii)
California Fish and Game: fully protected species
Mammal: Ring-tailed cat (Bassariscus astutus)
California Species of Concern
Reptile: Coast Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii)
Reptile: Two-striped Garter Snake (Thamnophis hammondii)
Bird: Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Plant: Plummer’s Mariposa Lily (Calochortus plummerae): CNPS List 1B species
Plant: Slender Mariposa Lily (Calochortus clavatus var. gracilis) CNPS List 1B.2 species
LEast Bell’S Vireo
The Santa Susana Field Lab is home to the Least Bell’s Vireo, an endangered insectivorous passerine (a bird who eat insects). The shy songbird was listed as endangered in California in 1980 and federally listed in 1986.
A study on the Pollution-related changes in diets of two insectivorous passerines is especially relevant to the Least Bell’s Vireo here at the SSFL. In the study, two insectivorous birds were studied, living in areas polluted by a copper smelter. They examined the quality of food the birds gave to their young and their breeding performances. They did not find any differences in feeding frequencies or the amount of food that the parents provided their young. But the food quality was different. They found that heavy metal pollution affects bird’s breeding performances indirectly, due to the food quality given to their young. The study shows the importance of secondary environmental changes, like food quality, in addition to the direct impacts of pollutants.
Our local birds should be protected from the SSFL’s heavy metal contamination, in addition to toxic chemicals and radioactive waste.
SSFL Sensitive PLants
The SSFL Tarplant and the Brauton’s Milkvetch are two of several endangered or threatened species that grow on and near the Santa Susana Field Lab. According to a 2013 Report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the species would benefit long-term from the SSFL’s complete “background” cleanup.
BRAUTON’S MILKVETCH
Excerpts from the 2013 Fish and Wildlife Determination:
…Construction related effects would be short term and would be minimized as described previously. Incorporation of the mitigation measures discussed would help promulgate the species after construction. No long-term effects to the species resulting from the SSFL Project would be anticipated; therefore, the SSFL Project might affect, but is not expected to adversely affect, the Braunton’s milkvetch. (PDF page 121)
ssfl tarplant
Excerpts from the 2013 Fish and Wildlife Determination:
The proposed SSFL Project would be likely to affect the Santa Susana tarplant through temporary habitat modification; however, SSFL Project-related impacts would be short-term and would be minimized as described previously. Incorporation of the mitigation measures discussed would help promulgate the species after construction. No long-term effects to the species resulting from the proposed SSFL Project would be anticipated; therefore, the project might affect, but is not likely to adversely affect, the Santa Susana tarplant. (PDF page 120)
Wildlife Town Hall
Guest speaker Tevin Schmitt, Watershed Scientist from the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation, helps PASSFL understand the impacts of contamination on the SSFL Wildlife.
