The Coronado Islands (Islas Coronado or Islas Coronados; ; Kumeyaay: ) are a group of islands located off the northwest coast of the Mexican state of Baja California. Battered by the wind and waves, the rocky islands are mostly uninhabited except for a small military detachment and a lighthouse keeper. Despite their barren appearance, they serve as a refuge for seabirds and support a sizable number of plants, including 6 endemic taxa found only on the islands. The waters around the islands support a considerable amount of diverse marine life. During World War II, the islands were utilized in joint training exercises between Mexico and the United States, but gained notoriety when future founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, shelled the inhabited island, earning the ire of the Mexican government. Today, the islands are a Mexican wildlife refuge; visitors may anchor, scuba, and snorkel, but setting foot on the islands is prohibited without special permission from the government.
- Pilón de Azúcar (Pile of Sugar or Middle Rock) is located at and covers . As the islands lack any fresh water, permanent settlements would have not been feasible in the past. However, the islands were frequently visited by the local indigenous peoples (such as the Kumeyaay), who likely set up small and temporary encampments, possibly for retreats or other spiritual/sacred practices; ancient artifacts have been collected from both islands. North Island has artifacts that include teshoa flakes, and a midden on the saddle of the island. A small cave, dubbed Pirate's Cave, was reported to have had remains of ceramics. On South Island, numerous other middens exist. The artifacts may be from the La Jolla complex of peoples. Anthropologist J.P Harrington recorded the Luiseño word for the islands as "mexéelam". They have also been referred to as the Sentinels of San Diego Bay.
Commercial ventures
Starting in the 1860s, advertisements for day trips to the islands began making appearances in local newspapers. At the same time, commercial fishing ventures also started, focusing mostly on rock cod. The structure was ultimately destroyed in the high winds and waves of a storm in 1988. and foxholes were excavated on South Island during this period.
In October 1944, Lieutenant Robert D. Cullinane, flying a Consolidated PB2Y-3 Coronado, BuNo 7051 of the VPB-13 patrol bombing squadron, perished along with the 12 members of his crew in a crash on South Coronado. Wreckage belonging to the aircraft is located on the western-facing slope of South Island. Some taxa representative of this environment include succulents such as liveforevers (Dudleya spp.), and cacti like the coastal cholla (Cylindropuntia prolifera), coastal prickly pear (Opuntia littoralis) and the golden-spined cereus (Bergerocactus emoryi).
thumb|The endemic [[Dudleya candida in flower, with Bergerocactus emoryi visible around it]]
This habitat is most typical of northwestern Baja California, ranging from the town of San Vicente to the vicinity of Punta San Carlos, a coastal swathe of about . It occurs farther north, but in a more fragmented pattern, occupying the fringe coastal bluffs and mesas up to the Mexico–United States border and sparsely north to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego County, California. It is also present on the other offshore islands of the region, including Isla San Martin and Todos Santos Island, but also portions of San Clemente and Santa Catalina Island in the southern Channel Islands of California.
Anacardiaceae
- Rhus integrifolia
Apiaceae
- Apiastrum angustifolium
- Daucus pusillus
Asteraceae
- Amblyopappus pusillus
- Artemisia californica
- Baccharis sarothroides
- Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula
- Encelia californica
- Eriophyllum confertiflorum
- Hazardia berberidis
- Hazardia orcuttii
- Lasthenia coronaria
- Lasthenia gracilis
- Leptosyne maritima
- Logfia filaginoides
- Malacothrix foliosa
- Malacothrix insularis
- Malacothrix similis
- Perityle emoryi
- Pseudognaphalium biolettii
- Pseudognaphalium microcephalum
- Pseudognaphalium ramosissimum
- Rafinesquia californica
- Stephanomeria diegensis
- Uropappus lindleyi
Boraginaceae
- Cryptantha intermedia
- var. intermedia
- var. johnstonii
- Cryptantha maritima var. maritima
Brassicaceae
- Descurainia pinnata
- var. brachycarpa
- var. glabra
- Lepidium oblongum var. insulare
Cactaceae
- Bergerocactus emoryi
- Cylindropuntia prolifera
- Mammillaria dioica
- Opuntia littoralis
- Opuntia oricola
Caryophyllaceae
- Silene laciniata ssp. laciniata
- Spergularia macrotheca var. macrotheca
Chenopodiaceae
- Aphanisma blitoides
- Atriplex canescens ssp. canescens
- Atriplex pacifica
- Atriplex serenana var. davidsonii
- Chenopodium californicum
- Extriplex californica
- Suaeda taxifolia
Cleomaceae
- Peritoma arborea var. globosa
Convolvulaceae
- Calystegia macrostegia
- ssp. cyclostegia
- ssp. intermedia
- Dichondra occidentalis
Crassulaceae
- Crassula connata
- Dudleya anomala
- Dudleya attenuata ssp. attenuata
- Dudleya candida
- Dudleya lanceolata
- Dudleya × semiteres
Cucurbitaceae
- Marah macrocarpa var. macrocarpa
Euphorbiaceae
- Euphorbia misera
Fabaceae
- Acmispon glaber
- Acmispon maritimus ssp. brevivexillus
- Acmispon watsonii
- Astragalus trichopodus var. lonchus
- Lupinus succulentus
- Lupinus truncatus
- Trifolium willdenovii
- Vicia hassei
Hydrophyllaceae
- Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia var. chrysanthemifolia
- Phacelia distans
- Phacelia ixodes var. plumosa
- Pholistoma auritum
- Pholistoma racemosum
Liliaceae
- Calochortus splendens
Malvaceae
- Malva occidentalis
Montiaceae
- Cistanthe maritima
- Claytonia perfoliata ssp. mexicana
Nyctaginaceae
- Mirabilis laevis var. crassifolia
Orchidaceae
- Piperia cooperi
Papaveraceae
- Eschscholzia californica
- Eschscholzia ramosa
- Papaver heterophyllum
Plantaginaceae
- Antirrhinum nuttallianum ssp. subsessile
- Collinsia heterophylla var. heterophylla
- Nuttallanthus texanus
Poaceae
- Achnatherum diegoense
- Agrostis pallens
- Bromus arizonicus
- Bromus carinatus
- Distichlis spicata
- Elymus condensatus
- Elymus triticoides
- Melica imperfecta
- Muhlenbergia microsperma
- Nassella pulchra
Polemoniaceae
- Gilia achilleifolia ssp. abrotanifolia
- Linanthus dianthiflorus
Polygonaceae
- Eriogonum fasciculatum
- Pterostegia drymarioides
Polypodiaceae
- Polypodium californicum
Pteridaceae
- Pellaea andromedifolia var. pubescens
- Pentagramma triangularis
Ranunculaceae
- Clematis pauciflora
- Delphinium parryi ssp. maritimum
Resedaceae
- Oligomeris linifolia
Rhamnaceae
- Rhamnus insula
Rosaceae
- Heteromeles arbutifolia
Rubiaceae
- Galium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium
- Galium aparine
- Galium coronadoense
Sapindaceae
- Aesculus parryi
Saxifragaceae
- Jepsonia parryi
Solanaceae
- Lycium californicum
- Nicotiana clevelandii
- Solanum americanum
Themidaceae
- Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum
Urticaceae
- Parietaria hespera var. californica
Zosteraceae
- Phyllospadix scouleri
Fauna
There are colonies of birds that nest on the islands and can be spotted in the nearby waters like gulls, cormorants, pelicans, storm-petrels, and alcids. The Coronado Islands have the largest known colony of the rare Scripps's murrelet. Pilón de Azúcar, better known as Middle Rock, is host to the northernmost nesting colony of brown boobies on the west coast of North America.
Ten species of reptiles and amphibians are also found on the islands. The best known is the Coronado rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus caliginis), which is a smaller subspecies than the one found on the mainland. There is also the Coronado Island gopher snake, which feeds off birds' eggs, the Coronado skink, which is found on all four islands, and the arboreal salamanders which live on the three biggest islands. Southern alligator lizards are found on the north, south and central islands.
There are two types of land mammals on the islands: rabbits and mice. How they reached the islands is currently unknown.
Sea mammals are plentiful and it is not uncommon to see groups of California sea lions and seals. Middle Island is home to a small colony of northern elephant seals.
References
External links
- Islas Coronado Mexico Photo Gallery
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120722175550/http://diver.net/seahunt/maps/coronodos.htm This links to a news article about the use of one of the islands as a waypoint for illegal migration to the United States. November 2010 [http://www.10news.com/news/25680019/detail.html]