Restore Point Reyes

Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) is one of the most important National Parks in the United States. Not only is it geographically significant, surprisingly it is the only National Seashore along the entire West Coast. This public land, even through continued disfigurement from years of catering to private ranching, still supports an incredible amount of biodiversity. Over 59 years after PRNS was established, an enormous portion of this public land (nearly 1/3 of it) remains impaired. Where a remarkable and vast mosaic of native plant and animal life once existed, there now lies a fractured mosaic - rarely seen in a National Park.

UPDATE

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Free the Tule Elk

The instrumental book, “Island in Time: The Point Reyes Peninsula” by Harold Gilliam with photographs by Philip Hyde and a forward by Stewart L. Udall. Published in 1962 by the Sierra Club under the direction of David Brower.

Bill Signing – S. 476 Public Law 87-657, Point Reyes National Seashore. Photograph by Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston. Clem Miller (behind Kennedy, right), Stewart Udall (3rd from left) and far right David Brower (hands clasped) smiles on.

The Vision & The Bill

“We strongly believe it is in the national interest to capitalize on the few remaining clear opportunities to save our vanishing shoreline for public recreational use, particularly the very few still unspoiled and outstanding shoreline areas near large concentrations of population ... It seems to us ...that Point Reyes Peninsula presents such a clear opportunity... If we act sensibly and foresightedly now, while the opportunity remains, we shall have preserved for America and for California and for the people of Marin County a priceless heritage to be enjoyed many times over, not only by our generation, but also by those which follow.” - Clem Miller, U.S. Representative, & Clair Engle U.S. Senator, Joint statement introducing bill to establish Point Reyes National Seashore 87th Congress. January, 1961 (PRNS Association)… On September 13, 1962 President Kennedy signed the bill to establish Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS).

The enabling legislation noted that the land was purchased at fair market price from ranching families and noted a defined term of occupancy: “a right of use and occupancy for a definite term of not more than twenty-five years, or, in lieu thereof, for a term ending at the death of the owner or the death of his or her spouse, whichever is later” or in 2 cases, ‘life estates.’

The Promise Unfulfilled

Americans paid the equivalent of $400 million in today’s dollars to buy the ranches in order to establish the National Seashore. Ranchers sold their land to the National Park Service (NPS) during the 1960s and 70s.
The public has since paid millions of dollars in subsidies to keep the ranches going. These ranches pay no property taxes, they pay token rents as well as below-market grazing fees.
The NPS says it received $500,000 in 2019 from leasing thousands and thousands of acres of precious public land. Shockingly the NPS admits it spent more than double that amount to maintain and manage these ranches.
It has been 59 years since Kennedy signed the bill.
Ranching on PRNS lands benefits a politically well-connected minority at the expense of the public and the very natural heritage of the Peninsula.
Around 28,000 acres of public land is currently leased (below market) and prioritized for cattle.
There is no law requiring the NPS to keep private agricultural leaseholders in business.
Prior to the Record of Decision signing on September 13th, 2021 and as part of the General Management Plan Amendment/NEPA process - 7,600 public comments were submitted to the NPS. An analysis of the comments by the Resource Renewal Institute revealed over 91% or 6,969 of the 7,627 respondents opposed the “Alternative B” plan.
Of all the public comments which endorsed any specific plan 94% or 1,751 respondents endorsed the “Alternative F” plan that would have removed ranching altogether.
While there are around 100 rare, threatened, and endangered plants and animals in and around Point Reyes. The rare, iconic, and native tule elk is specifically targeted by leaseholder lobbying as well as current NPS management.
While tule elk continue to struggle and die within the Tomales Point Tule Elk Reserve inside PRNS, members of the free-ranging herds outside this enclosure will actually be shot in coming months/years.
Allowing Tule elk to be shot because leaseholders say they compete with cattle, opens the door to the culling of numerous other wildlife who can also impact the leaseholder’s bottom line.
Please see our project Save the Tule Elk for a more in-depth look at this specific ongoing issue.

There are thousands of cattle within PRNS and for years there have been more cattle within PRNS than there are native tule elk left in the world. There are currently no pronghorn antelope either, another native ungulate that was historically found in the Point Reyes Peninsula.
Cattle are the #1 source of greenhouse gases and their manure is sprayed on parkland and pollutes fragile aquatic ecosystems and waterways among other habitats.
Cattle manure carries the contagious and fatal Johne’s disease, that has infected tule elk in the park, limiting the ability for the elk to be relocated when their numbers improve.
Nevertheless, it appears when cattle are removed and the land is given time to heal, this disease stops spreading. Far more research is needed on this disease.
Private interest in PRNS in the form of commercial agriculture leaseholders are further diversifying their revenues to consolidate their influence and control.
Any plan to raise sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, and commercial crops on public land will further diminish native ecosystems and put increasing pressure on numerous wildlife.
Private events and guest stays will also be allowed, further entrenching these commercial businesses on public land.
Thousands of acres set aside for invasive grasses and non-native cattle.
Ridiculously high levels of polluted waterways in areas that people, (often with their children and even pets) frequent. Ongoing water studies are bringing this level of pollution further to light.
Miles and miles of barbed wire fencing, locked gates, and inaccessible areas.
Hundreds of thousands of gallons of freshwater trucked in during droughts to supply agriculture operations while the rest of Marin County is forced to cut back.
This list is only a tiny glimpse of the number of problems and ongoing issues confronting our one and only West Coast National Seashore.

What We Want

A Point Reyes National Seashore that prioritizes environmental health and biodiversity first and foremost.
Rare, iconic, native and endemic tule elk free to roam and free from being scapegoated, targeted and killed on public land. Please see our project specifically focused on the tule elk of Point Reyes here: Save the Tule Elk
Snowy plovers no longer impacted by an over-abundance of scavenger birds such as ravens which directly benefit from agriculture operations and ranch complexes.
Healthier bodies of water and less polluted bays, estuaries, wetlands, mudflats, ponds, streams, seeps, and springs.
Pierce Point Ranch to be the symbol of ranching history in PRNS - retired, wildlife friendly, educational, and welcoming.
Dune habitat restoration as seen here by Diana Oppenheim, former volunteer of the year in PRNS. It’s worth noting that Diana founded a wonderful grassroots organization called “forElk” to raise awareness around environmental issues facing this seashore. Photograph provided with permission, courtesy of © Diana Oppenheim.
The re-introduction of extirpated native species whenever possible, starting with endangered sea otters…
... and endangered California condors. We want to see their amazing silhouettes flying high above our coastline and making a home in the nearby redwood forests once again.
We want pronghorn antelope running free through their historical range in PRNS once again as well.
Black bears allowed to return unhindered and public education, outreach, and bear safety measures taught and in place.
Habitat prioritized for California’s only native freshwater turtle, the western pond turtle, a California Species of Concern.
Endangered California red-legged frogs protected from negative agriculture and grazing impacts.
Habitat restoration for species like the near collapsing western monarch butterfly… and much more.

What We Do Not Want

Our precious Point Reyes National Seashore and taxpayer funded public lands looking like a dump.. Photograph taken on leased ranch land inside PRNS, August 2021 and provided with permission, courtesy of © Jocelyn Knight.
Illegally bulldozed habitat, like what happened on public land near leased Home Ranch in the Summer of 2021. See story here. Photograph provided with permission, courtesy © Sarah Killingsworth.
Our beautiful native wildlife like this grand bull tule elk wrapped up in barbed-wire. Wildlife should not be subjected to endless miles of barbed-wire fencing or any fencing for that matter in a National Seashore. National Parks are considered some of the most protected and cherished lands on Earth, this is not befitting of our PRNS. Photograph provided with permission, courtesy of © Jim Coda.
Cattle destroying aquatic habitats, including ponds that are home to numerous invertebrates, amphibians, birds, and other wildlife. Photograph taken August 2021 by Anonymous.
Highly toxic, unhealthy, and heavily polluted waterways in and around PRNS. Water studies taken in the past and recently within the seashore have shown hazardous levels of coliform, E. Coli, and enterococci bacteria. This photograph was taken of one such water sampling event in Kehoe Creek, which runs through a popular hiking, swimming, and wading area.
What was once California Coastal Prairie turned into this - a biodiversity wasteland. The NPS should prioritize “wildlife first” in the midst of a worsening biodiversity crisis. Photograph taken September 2020 by Anonymous.
Once lush California Coastal Prairie turned into heavily impacted land with scars from years of erosion and overgrazing. Photograph taken on leased ranch land inside PRNS, October 2020 and provided with permission, courtesy of © Jocelyn Knight.
Beautiful California Coastal views wrecked by endless miles and miles of fencing. This stretch going for miles and miles is over 8 feet tall. Photograph taken September 2020.
Our world famous coastal views and beautiful sandstone cliffs impacted and eroded by heavy grazers, weighing more than any native species or human. Photograph taken Fall 2021 by Anonymous.
Precious public land and our beautiful PRNS looking anything like this. This location once had beautiful coastal dunes and prairie, now it looks like yet another heavily grazed wasteland full of non-native grasses and weeds. Photograph taken Fall 2021 by Anonymous.
Millions of visitors each year missing out on beautiful PRNS views because access is limited and/or difficult or even nauseating, toxic, and unhealthy because things like liquified manure has been spread across the land. Photograph taken in Fall 2021 by Anonymous.
Visitors who come to PRNS only to have to use ridiculous devices to get through endless miles of barbed wire fencing in order to access the very public lands that they help pay for. Photograph taken in Fall 2021 by Anonymous.
Yet more precious public land looking anything like this. This location once had beautiful coastal prairie and nearby healthy dune networks, now it looks like yet another wasteland full of non-native grasses and weeds. Photograph taken Fall 2021 by Anonymous.
This absurd scene: rare, threatened, and endangered plants provided protection in small narrow bands of space between seashore roadways and fenced “pasture” areas. One could easily imagine not needing any of these signs if the thousands of acres of public land used by heavy grazing leases was restored to native habitats instead. Photograph taken Fall 2021 by Anonymous.
This ranch cat, is one of many at Point Reyes National Seashore. We love cats, but they do not belong outdoors on National Park land. More and more studies are revealing the hard truth, that domestic cats, kill billions of wildlife annually. One study estimates that domestic cats kill 1.3-4.0 billion birds and 6.3-22.3 billion mammals annually. There are many places for domestic pets (including cats), but public lands should not one such place. Photograph provided with permission, courtesy © Sarah Killingsworth.
Yet more polluted waterways. Highly toxic and unhealthy waterways are common in and around PRNS. Water studies taken in the past and recently within the seashore have shown hazardous levels of coliform, E. Coli, and enterococci bacteria. This photograph was taken of one such water sampling event in Upper Kehoe Creek, which ultimately runs through a popular hiking, swimming, and wading area.
Rare, iconic, native and endemic tule elk held captive (fenced) in a “Reserve” which does not have adequate water, forage, and essential minerals. These animals naturally range and need freedom to roam when times are tough. We implore the NPS to stop putting these animals in a completely unnatural situation and position to fail. Please see our project specifically focused on these elk here: Save the Tule Elk

We Are Pro-Park…

…We Are Not Anti-Rancher

Why Restore Point Reyes

Here are just a few examples of why restoring Point Reyes National Seashore is incredibly important.

The 6th Mass Extinction

This excerpt is from Point Reyes National Seashore’s very own website:
“In 1995, the National Academy of Sciences reported that: In recent years, it has become apparent that human activities are causing the loss of biological diversity at an increasing rate: the current rate of extinctions appears to be among the highest in the fossil record. Although non-human organisms can cause extinctions of other species to a small degree, no other organisms produce such large effects over such wide areas as humans do and have done—at least locally—for thousands of years. Habitat alteration and degradation are probably the most severe effects humans have on other species today.
In 2019, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reported that: Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history — and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely…The Report [the IPBES Global Assessment] finds that around 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, more than ever before in human history.… "Ecosystems, species, wild populations, local varieties and breeds of domesticated plants and animals are shrinking, deteriorating or vanishing. The essential, interconnected web of life on Earth is getting smaller and increasingly frayed," said Prof. Settele. "This loss is a direct result of human activity and constitutes a direct threat to human well-being in all regions of the world.”… Despite progress to conserve nature and implement policies, the Report also finds that global goals for conserving and sustainably using nature and achieving sustainability cannot be met by current trajectories, and goals for 2030 and beyond may only be achieved through transformative changes across economic, social, political and technological factors.”

California Coastal Prairie

The California Coastal Prairie is the most species rich grassland type in North America and yet there is less than 2% of this unique and fertile habitat left on Earth.
In PRNS, there is a tremendous opportunity to restore this critically endangered habitat. Utilizing native wildlife like tule elk, black-tailed deer, pronghorn, ground squirrel, and numerous other native species that have evolved for millenia together with the Prairie is far more preferred than the destructive nature of heavy cattle grazing and it’s impacts on soil health, floral communities, water quality, native wildlife, etc.

Eelgrass & Seagrasses

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calls Eelgrass “one of nature’s most valuable and productive habitats in the marine environment.” Eelgrass beds (or seagrass meadows) can be found in the waters in and around PRNS.
Eelgrass has been designated by the federal government as Essential Fish Habitat and a Habitat of Particular Concern. This designation requires federal agencies, including the NPS, to consult with NOAA Fisheries on ways to avoid or minimize adverse effects and impacts on eelgrass.
PRNS is required to ensure no net loss of eelgrass habitat function, therefore it is critical that steps are taken to restore this rare, sensitive, and productive marine habitat before we loose even more of it. Limiting the eutrophication of waterways from agriculture runoff is one such step to take.

Birds

Nearly half of all bird species found in North America, some 490, have been spotted here in Point Reyes National Seashore. Rewildling this geographically significant public land is an important step in assisting many of our feathered friends.
The disappearance of 2.9 billion birds over the past nearly 50 years was reported in the journal *Science* in 2019, a result of a comprehensive study by a team of scientists from seven research institutions in the United States and Canada. This staggering loss of nearly one-third of all wild birds in the US and Canada since 1970 reveals an unraveling environmental disaster.

Vernal Pools

“Vernal Pools are a type of temporary wetland, and are some of the most ecologically important and distinctive areas in California. Life supported by these unique ecosystems provides important food resources for many species of waterfowl and other birds, and vernal pools are important parts of the connective wetland habitat along the Pacific Flyway. Agriculture and development have also altered the hydrology of land surrounding vernal pools, increasing erosion and runoff and contributing harmful pesticides and fertilizers. The vernal pools that remain in California support endemic rare plant and animal species, including many that are designated by federal and state government as rare, threatened, or endangered.” — California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Vernal pools are supposed to be protected by state and federal laws, but unfortunately the level of protections afforded to these unique habitat types are not being fully implemented in PRNS.

Predators

While PRNS no longer has wolves and grizzly bears there are still mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, badgers, foxes, occasional black bears and golden eagles among other predators as well. These existing species present a tremendous opportunity for further biodiversity health and interconnected ecosystem function. Protecting and allowing our existing predators sanctuary here will pay dividends down the road. The removal of barriers, fencing, and cattle operations in time along with the enhancement of wildlife corridors and further reintroduction of species (pronghorn antelope), or freedom of existing ones (tule elk) will be a smoother and more successful process if healthy predator populations are already in place.
Nevertheless PRNS can do better. Permits must no longer be granted to kill predators on public park land. One cannot complain about a lack of predators to control tule elk for instance, if those predators we indeed have here are killed and eliminated from the equation to begin with.

Kelp Forest

According to California Department of Fish and Wildlife, bull kelp forests have declined by 93% since 2014 off the coast just north of PRNS in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. This is in line with PRNS’s own declining kelp forest. From the killing of sea otters which were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries to the wasting disease of sea stars which have suffered mass die-offs along the Pacific Coast, there is a lot going wrong with the health of our critically important kelp forests and the species that rely on them as well as keep these ocean rainforests functioning.

Tule Elk

Please be sure to see our more in-depth project focused entirely on the tule elk here: Save the Tule Elk
Numbers that put things in perspective: There are 94.4 million cattle across the United States (according to the USDA in 2019). There are 5.125 million cattle in California alone, and an estimated 5,700 +/- cattle on Point Reyes National Seashore managed lands. Yet there are only around 5,500 +/- tule elk left on earth. There are likely more cattle within our seashore than there are tule elk in the world, this is outrageous.
PRNS is a perfect location to prioritize rare, iconic, native, and endemic tule elk over yet more cattle, other domestic animals, and/or crops. As mentioned previously this is the only National Seashore on the West Coast. In the midst of the Climate Crisis and Biodiversity Crisis, it’s critical that we prioritize such species like rare tule elk on public lands.

“As wildland habitat is lost elsewhere in California, the relevance of the Point Reyes Peninsula increases as a protected area with a notable rich biological diversity. Over 45% of North American avian species and nearly 18% of California's plant species are found in the park due to the variety of habitat and uniqueness of the geology.”

— National Park Service at Point Reyes National Seashore

Inclusive Vision

We at Mission Rewild believe that it is essential that Traditional Ecological Knowledge be included and considered when making land “management” decisions here on these public lands, focusing on a “stewardship” ethos and approach instead of a “management” ethos and practice.

We ask visitors here to familiarize themselves with Indigenous voices in our local and broader community. Please visit our friends at The Alliance for Felix Cove to learn more about their work to honor Coast Miwok/Tamalko Felix Family history at Tomales Bay/Tamal-liwa in PRNS. Also please consider visiting and learning more from the Coast Miwok Tribal Council of Marin and Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria among other important Indigenous voices here in and around Marin.

Currently, the NPS elevates the history of ranching and agriculture use by a select group above and beyond the documented 10,000+ year Miwok history that exists here in PRNS.

Some further context from the Coast Miwok Tribal Council: “In 2008, Park officials submitted a proposal to add an Indigenous Archeological District at the Seashore to the National Historic Register. Their submission was based on more than a decade of study by Sonoma State University researchers, who meticulously documented more than 150 Indigenous Coast Miwok sites, including villages, food-processing camps, rock shelters, house pits, hunting blinds and stone tool remnants dating back thousands of years throughout the 71,000-acre National Seashore. Despite this overwhelming evidence, in 2015, without explanation, the Park Service withdrew their Indigenous proposal and replaced it with an application for a Historic Dairy Ranching District. While the 2008 application had been allowed to languish – we believe due to pressure from politically influential ranchers who directly benefited from being in the Seashore, supported by local and federal politicians – the Dairy Ranch proposal was rapidly approved.”

Mission Rewild envisions a future for PRNS that will be inclusive and celebrate Indigenous presence and contributions. We acknowledge these lands as the homelands of the Coast Miwok peoples.

Theresa Harlan (Jemez/Kewa Pueblo, adopted daughter of Liz Campigli Harlan - Coast Miwok) speaks at a family gathering at Felix Cove, Tomales Bay.

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Theresa Harlan, founder & director of The Alliance for Felix Cove stands at her family's ancestral Tomalko (Coast Miwok Tomales Bay)-home in PRNS.

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Dean Hoaglin, Dance Captain & Headman of the Coast Miwok Tribal Council, speaks to a gathering of supporters outside the Bear Valley Visitor Center on September 12th, 2021. The event was held in opposition to the NPS updated General Mgmt. Plan.

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A drawing of a Coast Miwok tribal member on an information panel outside the Bear Valley Visitor Center in PRNS.

Ken Tiger stands along the Tomales Bay at Felix Cove - where the only remaining 19th century Tomalko (Coast Miwok Tomales Bay)-built home at Point Reyes National Seashore exists.

Worth Noting

There are around 18,000 acres of land in the northern portion of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) that are managed by Point Reyes National Seashore. There are beautiful hills with old oaks and steep ravines full of redwood and Douglas fir trees, freshwater ponds, trickling streams, lush meadows, and painted rocks shaded among windswept bay trees. Here too there are agriculture leases operating and being prioritized on taxpayer funded public park land. What could and should be a natural haven for wild free roaming bands of tule elk, among other native species, and restoration of native grasslands and the like on either side of Bolinas Ridge instead caters to cattle ranching. When we say “Restore Point Reyes” we are also referring to these lands as well. Our vision to rewild and “Restore Point Reyes” includes all the public park land managed by PRNS not forgetting an acre or an inch, for it’s just too important.

More to Come…

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