December 16, 2025

Dear Friend,

I’ve always been drawn to the biology term “philopatry.” It comes from the Greek prefix philo, meaning beloved, and patry, meaning fatherland or homeland, which come together to define the tendency for an organism to stay in or habitually return to a particular area. As PRNSA’s wildlife biological technician, the rhythm of my work throughout the year reflects the philopatric behavior of several species—primarily elephant seals, northern spotted owls, and western snowy plovers—who return to the same park sites year after year to reproduce.

I see parallels between this animal behavior and human customs this time of year, as we gather with friends and family to spend time together, often in a place we feel connected to. It’s a sweet reminder of the special and lasting relationships one can have with people, the land, and the flora and fauna that inhabit it.

December marks the return of breeding elephant seals to Point Reyes beaches, and my work surveying the species is starting back up. As I arrived at Chimney Rock this past week, I was struck by a feeling of familiarity and warmth

^{Photo: NPS / Sarah Allen}

seeing the seals laying out on the beach. It felt similar to seeing a good friend, and made me excited to return to my field sites across the Seashore in 2026, continuing to deepen my knowledge, stewardship, and appreciation for this place.

We’re able to do this critical conservation work thanks to your support. Please consider a gift today to bolster our efforts to safeguard threatened and endangered species in Point Reyes in 2026. We have been blown away by your generosity, and have $75,000 to go to meet our fundraising goal—please help us cross the finish line!

Below, I’m sharing a bit more about what my work looks like throughout the year, and how I see the strong and vital connections the species we monitor have to the land in the Seashore. It’s philopatry in action, and illustrates the importance of collecting long term data and ensuring that wildlife habitat, crucial to survival, remains protected and well cared for. Thank you again for supporting this work.

Warmly,

Aiko Goldston

Wildlife Biological Technician

December – March: Northern Elephant Seal

March – July: Northern Spotted Owl

Marin county, including the Seashore, is home to the highest density of threatened Northern spotted owls. We collect data on the owls’ nesting locations and reproductive success, checking on nests several times throughout the season and observing as the chicks grow. Since monitoring began in 1999, the spotted owls have been consistently inhabiting the same territories, and even the same tree! Read More.

March – September: Western Snowy Plover

^{Photo: NPS / Matt Lau}

Snowy plovers breed along the sandy stretches of Limantour Beach, Drakes Spit, and the Great Beach. We apply tiny plastic bands in unique color combinations to the legs of snowy plovers here at Point Reyes, as do fellow biologists up and down the coast. This helps us track individual plovers' movement and productivity—some plovers hatch nests at multiple breeding beaches during one season! Read More.

2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Our Park Stores are the perfect place to find a gift for the many different personalities in your life this holiday season—from mushroom hoodies to snowy plover stickers, we have ideas for everyone in our 2025 Point Reyes Holiday Gift Guide!

All Park Store proceeds support conservation, education, and community-building work at Point Reyes National Seashore. PRNSA members receive 15% off all store purchases—become a member online or sign up in-person at any of our three stores:

• Bear Valley Visitor Center Park Store: Open 7 days a week from 9:30am-5pm
• Point Reyes Lighthouse Visitor Center Park Store: Open Thursday – Monday, 10am-4pm
• Beach Store at Drakes Beach: Open Friday-Sunday and Holiday Mondays, 11am-4pm

Upcoming Programs & Events

Chicken Ranch Beach Wetland Restoration

Weds. & Sat. mornings December - January

Join our friends at the Tomales Bay Foundation to install native plants in the new wetland enhancement project.

Mushroom Identification

Dec 21, Jan 24, Mar 1

10am-4:30pm

Learn mushroom identification basics and then set out into the nearby woods in search of seasonal fungi.

Duxbury Reef Docent & Volunteer Training

Dates starting January 9

Help protect Duxbury Reef by becoming a Docent or Tabling Volunteer. Attend a free training with our friends at West Marin EAC.

Listening with

Point Reyes

Sat. Jan 10, 2pm-4pm

Join sound recordists for a listening session in which we explore a variety of habitats through audio recordings.

Book Event: CA Naturalist Handbook

Sat. Jan 17, 1pm-2:30pm

Join author Deborah Stanger Edelman for a conversation about the second edition of The California Naturalist Handbook.

Ecology and Plant Changes Post-Fire

Sat. Jan 31, 9am-3pm

Hike through the dynamic landscape the Woodward Fire transformed in 2020 and explore how the ecosystem is responding.

~3,000 Coho Salmon Released

Last month, ~3,000 juvenile coho salmon were released into Redwood Creek at Muir Beach to help boost the watershed’s population of the endangered species. The hatchery-reared coho (2-4” in length) were dispersed into pools with good size, depth, and cover to maximize their chance of survival. PRNSA Fisheries Field Crew Lead Brentley McNeill says “We hope these releases will tell us something about coho survivorship within the stream, and if certain sections of Redwood Creek are performing better than others. This could help inform future restoration activities.” In the spring, the team will return to identify and measure the coho, with the hope of seeing good overwinter survival.

Our goal is to raise $450k by December 31, and thanks to our wonderful community of supporters, we've raised $375k since November! Can you help us cross the finish line? Please consider making a special year-end donation. These funds support education, conservation, and community building work at Point Reyes National Seashore!