Last year, the National Park Service (NPS) accepted public comments on its planning process related to “wildlife, resource, and wilderness management issues” at Tomales Point in the Phillip Burton Wilderness within Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California.
At issue was—and still is—the fate of native Tule elk, the smallest and rarest elk subspecies in North America, which are endemic to California. Unfortunately, Tule elk are nearly extinct across California and rapidly and needlessly dying at Point Reyes and within the Wilderness due to NPS mismanagement.
The NPS General Management Plan for Point Reyes keeps elk trapped behind an 8-foot-tall fence, expands commercial agricultural use, and extends cattle ranch leases for up to 20 years. Incredibly, the NPS currently has the largest Tule elk herd at Point Reyes fenced into an enclosure at Tomales Point in the Phillip Burton Wilderness. Not only is there not enough forage for the confined elk, but recent drought years have caused scant freshwater to dry up, leaving the elk dying of hunger and thirst, as documented by visitor photographs of dead and emaciated elk. This is because the NPS prioritized the nearly 6,000 cattle that continue to graze within the national seashore, decades after the government paid fair market value to acquire private ranches and end livestock grazing there. Some 28,000 acres of public land at Point Reyes continues to be grazed despite the original agreement to end this commercial use. Fortunately, thanks in part to public outcry by Wilderness Watch and our supporters, the NPS now proposes a new direction that’s a good one, and we appreciate it. The plan is to remove the fence and allow Tule elk to naturally roam in the Wilderness and across Tomales Point as they previously did for centuries. But it’s not a done deal, and the National Park Service (NPS) will undoubtedly face pressure from the influential ranching industry to keep the fence up and limit Tule elk numbers. The NPS has opened up a public scoping comment period on its Tomales Point Area Plan and needs to hear from you! Please speak up for Tule Elk and the Phillip Burton Wilderness by Monday, September 25. Comments must be submitted on the NPS site: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=131377 |
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Please use your own words, but consider the following talking points: - The best option is Alternative B, which is the NPS preferred option. Removal of structures in the Wilderness and the fence just outside of the Wilderness is the right choice. Alternatives A and C should be opposed as they degrade the Wilderness and endanger rare Tule elk. However, some other changes to Alternative B ought to be considered.
- Removal of water structures unlawfully built in the Wilderness must be done by non-motorized means. The structures are small and could easily be removed without the use of motor vehicles.
- Eliminate grazing by cattle. The cattle should not be allowed in Point Reyes or the Wilderness anymore as per the original agreement.
- Don't use herbicides in the Wilderness. Removing cattle and the fence would allow for better distribution of Tule elk and would mitigate against expansion of invasive plants.
- Allow natural fires to burn and shape the wilderness landscape rather than using manager-ignited fire to create artificial conditions. Too-frequent use of manager-ignited fire has the tendency to favor non-native invasive plants.
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Thank you for speaking up by Monday, September 25 to protect rare Tule elk in the Philip Burton Wilderness! |
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Help us protect Tule elk and the Phillip Burton Wilderness. A generous member has pledged to DOUBLE all first-time donations up to $30,000 this year. |
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