Photo © Martha Ture, Mt. Tamalpais Photography mttamalpaisphotos.com

Update January 9, 2025

Good news for wildlife in Point Reyes National Seashore!

After more than 150 years, Tule Elk and myriad other wildlife will no longer need to share habitat with dairy farming and ranching.

In an historic deal announced on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, nearly all of the ranchers have agreed to give up their leases in exchange for for money. This will end an agricultural era that predates the creation of the National Seashore.

WildCare has long been concerned about the harm to wildlife from interactions with ranching activities. The tall fence that kept the herd of Tule Elk on Tomales Point trapped on a spit of land with diminishing resources was built as a compromise with ranchers who didn't want the elk to share grazing pastures with their cattle.

Changes to the Seashore's General Management Plan in 2022 augmented the number of activities open to the ranchers, increasing the risks of negative interactions with wildlife.

The Seashore, which makes up 28,000 acres of coastal prairie located just 30 miles from the city of San Francisco, is extraordinarily rich in wildlife. WildCare is very glad that, with the end of ranching in the area, the primary focus of the National Seashore will be to preserve natural habitat and the richness and diversity of plants and animals on the beautiful Pt. Reyes Peninsula.

Read the article in the Marin Independent Journal here.

Update December 11, 2024:

A lawsuit brought on behalf of the California Cattlemen's Association has temporarily halted the removal of the elk fence. Read the article in the Marin Independent Journal here.

Update December 4, 2024:

According to this article in the Marin Independent Journal, the National Park Service could begin dismantling the fence that keeps the Tomales Point elk herd contained in the next few days. The Park Service will start with areas of the fence that do not abut agricultural land.

WildCare applauds the decision to remove the fence and allow the elk to find forage and water as needed.

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The National Park Service (NPS) has initiated a public comment process for their Tomales Point Area Plan and Environmental Assessment at Point Reyes National Seashore that analyzes three alternatives, identifies a preferred alternative, and incorporates feedback from previous public comment opportunities.

This plan will update the management guidance of this wilderness-designated peninsula, including the management of the Tule Elk herd in this region of the park. These elk are currently confined to the Point, held behind 8-foot fences that were erected in 1978 by the Park Service to separate this herd from the public land used by ranchers for cattle.

The “preferred alternative” outlined in the Tomales Point Area Plan Environmental Assessment would right a wrong begun in 1978 with the annexation of the Tomales Point elk herd, and the construction of the fence that holds them captive.  The Tule Elk on Tomales Point cannot escape their enclosed peninsula, and are thus at the mercy of water and forage availability within that restricted territory. This needs to change.

Please help WildCare support the National Park Service’s “preferred alternative,” which includes the removal of the fence to allow the Tomales Point elk herd to expand their territory to areas that offer consistent sources of forage and water. Adding your name to our petition strengthens our argument that our supporters, and wildlife advocates everywhere, agree that the fence should be removed. When we submit our official comment to the NPS, we will be able to say that we and this many of our supporters agree that this is the correct choice for the Tule Elk.

Once you’ve signed our petition, we encourage you to submit your comments to NPS advocating for the removal of the fence and the release of the Tomales Point elk herd. Comments may be submitted here.

The public comment period will run until June 5, 2024.

THANK YOU! The comment period for this issue has ended and WildCare's petition is no longer available. Thank you to everyone who signed!