Parks, Recreation and Marine

Golden Shore Marine Biological Reserve Park

Golden Shore South of Shoreline Dr.
(562) 570-1600
(9.1 acres)

Information

A bird watcher's paradise, this area near the Golden Shore RV Park is a sanctuary for birds and local aquatic life.

History

This site is south of the original shoreline of Long Beach on an area accreted from sediment washed down the Los Angeles River and deposited at it mouth after the mouth of the river was channelized and the mouth repositioned in 1921. Originally beach area and part of Palm Beach Park, the shoreline was stabilized with rock, and a boat launching ramp and parking lot created in the early 1950's. Continued silt build up closed the launch ramp in the early 1990's. In 1997, construction began to convert the launch ramp and parking lot into 6.4 acres of intertidal and sub tidal wetlands habitat as mitigation for the conversion of 20 acres of Shoreline Park into the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Rainbow Harbor commercial/recreation attraction. The Golden Shore Marine Biological Reserve was specifically mitigation for the impact on the salt-water lagoon that was converted to Rainbow Harbor recreational boating area. The mitigation was necessary because Shoreline Park had been developed with funding from the Land & Water Conservation Fund. Interpretative signage and viewing scopes were added in 2008 with a California State San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy grant.

Map to the Park