Permit No. ES081810
Handled by NPS biologists
April 22, 2024
Greetings!           
As Multimedia Storytelling Coordinator at PRNSA, I’ve ventured into the field with many of the teams working on conservation projects in the Seashore.
During my encounters with park biologists, I’m perpetually struck by their deep, wholehearted passion for their study species and systems. I’ll never forget, for example, the tenderness with which Point Reyes Wildlife Biologist, Matt Lau, examined a snowy plover’s speckled egg, almost ready to hatch. Or, the passion with which PRNSA Wildlife Technician, Aiko Goldston, explained how elephant seal weanlings train themselves to hold their breath. And of course, the way that PRNSA Botanist, Kelsey Songer, so curiously observed a tiny floret through a metal hand lens.
Each of the biologists feel closely connected to these park species, and with incredible dedication, they gather valuable long-term data, monitoring species’ numbers like the beats of a heart. So, when critical habitats are restored, populations show signs of health, or a familiar individual from a previous year is re-spotted, our biologists truly feel that joy as their own.
Pictured left: Elephant seals (NMFS Permit No. 21425); Plover egg held by trained NPS biologist (Permit No. ES081810)
This is one of the many reasons why I love Point Reyes: it provides an opportunity for visitors to form their own unique points of connection and care for the natural world akin to that of Matt, Aiko, and Kelsey. Through discovering a hillside of bright orange poppies along one of the Park’s 150 miles of trails, having a first encounter with a banana slug through a Youth in Parks program, or touching bare feet to the chilly, plankton-rich waters of the Pacific, everyone can find their own special bonds to this magnificent park.
This Earth Day, I invite you to reflect on the parts of Point Reyes or your local environment that make you bubble over with joy and gratitude. Today and every day, I encourage you to celebrate and support these species, habitats, and systems with all of your might, so that they’ll be around to see a brighter and more sustainable future.
With gratitude,
Avani Fachon
Multimedia Storytelling Coordinator
Voices at the Seashore
For sixteen years, Dr. Paul Kanive and Scot Anderson of the California White Shark Project have never failed to see Tomales Point's legendary Mr. Burns, a 17-foot male. During the 2023 field season, however, the team saw atypical shark numbers at the Point—and no Mr. Burns.

With support from PRNSA's Neubacher Marine Science Fund, Kanive and Anderson are learning more about this mystery and the white sharks' spatial and population ecology off the Point Reyes coast.
Best Wishes, Weanlings!
Elephant seal breeding season has come to a close!
Approximately 950 pups weaned this year! Though mothers and pups have ventured into the open ocean, you can still see elephant seals in Point Reyes! Next up is cow and juvenile seal molting season, which will continue through June.

Read more highlights from the 2023-2024 elephant seal monitoring season in a summary by Aiko Goldston, PRNSA's biological technician!
NPS / Matt Lau - NMFS Permit No. 21425
Tick Season is Here!
Long grasses and warming temperatures mean that ticks are out and about! Take the following precautions to stay safe this tick season:

  • Wear long pants tucked into boots/socks and long-sleeved shirts tucked into pants.

  • Thoroughly check your entire body for ticks after spending time in tick habitats.

  • Stay in the middle of the trail. Avoid trail margins, brush, and grassy areas.
Upcoming Classes & Events
Connect with the Seashore through the upcoming classes, events, and volunteer opportunities listed below! Or, you can find the full class calendar on our website.
Sat, Apr. 27, 11am - 1pm

Join Point Reyes in celebrating National Park Week by cleaning up litter washed up on Drake's Beach!
Sat, Apr. 27, 10am - 4pm

Experience Qigong to bask in the vibrant creative energies of spring and explore your inner garden through mixed media art!
Sat, Apr. 27, 11am - 2pm

Explore the butterflies of Muddy Hollow from swallowtails to blues and checkerspots. Observe a variety of species and behaviors!
Sun, Apr. 28, 9am - 1pm

Spring wildflowers carpet the outer bluffs of Point Reyes. Learn names, uses, and butterfly hosts, then view elephant seals too!
Sat, May. 4, 9am - 12pm

Explore geologic features that show the displacement of the Point Reyes peninsula northward along the San Andreas fault.
Sun, May. 12, 9am - 12:30pm

Calling all mothers and families for a Member’s Mother’s Day! Kids of all ages welcome on this 3.5-mile hike down Estero Trail!
We partner with the National Park Service to create opportunities for all people to experience, enhance, and preserve Point Reyes National Seashore for present and future generations.
Point Reyes National Seashore | (415) 663-1200 x 310