On this date in 1972, the Long Beach Independent Press-Telegram reported that President Richard Millhouse Nixon signed legislation to set up a wildlife refuge inside the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station.
The refuge was described by the White House as “the last pristine salt water marsh on the Southern California coast.” The legislation allocated $522,000 through fiscal year 1977 for the Department of the Interior to develop the refuge to accommodate visitors.
Nixon’s family used to visit the ocean at Seal Beach when he was a boy, and his Uncle Lyle once rented an odd and old-fashioned swimsuit that embarrassed young Nixon when other beachgoers laughed at the swimsuit, according Nixon’s book, “in the Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat, and Renewal.”
The Seal Beach Wildlife Refuge is still going strong forty-five years later. Click here to find out more.
– Michael Dobkins
Have you enjoyed this and other This Date in Seal Beach History posts?
If so, please consider making a small donation of a dollar or more to help defray the online subscriptions and other research costs that make this blog possible.
Donations can be made securely with most major credit cards directly through PayPal. Just click on paypal.me/MichaelDobkins to go to PayPal. Thank you.
This Date in Seal Beach History also has an online store hosted at Cafepress where you can order shirts, tote bags, stationery, and other gift items imprinted with vintage Seal Beach images. Visit the online store by clicking here.
Leave a Reply