The Fairy Shrimp at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

The vernal pools occur on mesotops, which were once at the bottom of an ocean. They're a rolling, marshy landscape dotted with scrubby bushes and shrubs. Chuck stoops down next to one are boots sinking into the mud; he drags a little green aquarium net through the water. One of the most iconic residents of these pools is the fairy shrimp.