Great News!
The National Park Service today announced that it will remove the deadly and controversial elk fence near Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore. Tule elk, once nearly extinct and still at 1% of their historical numbers, have been dying trapped behind this fence in recent years, especially during drought. Tule elk are indigenous to California and were historically present at Point Reyes. This decision comes after years of advocacy by Turtle Island Restoration Network and many other groups and concerned citizens.
Grassroots advocacy works!
THANK YOU to the park service and Point Reyes’ new Superintendent, Anne Altman, for doing the right thing. Please consider supporting TIRN as we continue to lobby on behalf of oceans and watersheds. This is one small step in Point Reyes National Seashore and there is a lot more work to do. Learn more here.
Short film “The Tule Elk’s Fight for Survival” by Grayson Flynn, featuring TIRN’s Executive Director, Ken Bouley.
Full press release text follows:
Point Reyes National Seashore issues final Tomales Point Area Plan
Plan includes removal of tule elk enclosure fence, temporary water systems
POINT REYES STATION, Calif. – Point Reyes National Seashore has released its final plan for the management of the Tomales Point area.
The plan calls for removal of a tule elk enclosure fence and all temporary water systems installed during the most recent drought. It also includes future opportunities to improve recreational uses and the visitor experience at historic Pierce Ranch, new approaches to preserve and maintain wilderness character in the Phillip Burton Wilderness, and methods to better protect natural and cultural resources.
Under the General Agreement for a government-to-government partnership, Point Reyes National Seashore consulted and collaborated with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria throughout this planning process. The park is incorporating the Tribe’s views and traditional ecological knowledge into the management of Tomales Point.
“We analyzed three alternatives and incorporated feedback from over 35,000 public comment letters gathered during three comment periods,” said Anne Altman, park superintendent. “The benefit of removing this enclosure is to allow elk to access additional habitat, increase the species’ population resilience during drought, and promote a more natural population cycle.”
The decision, which the National Environmental Policy Act calls a Finding of No Significant Impact, represents the final stage of an environmental assessment that began in 2023.
The selected alternative is consistent with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s management of tule elk outside of Point Reyes National Seashore.
For more information, please visit the park’s Tomales Point Area Plan webpage: go.nps.gov/pore/tpap
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