Tule Elk, Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is one of 22 sites in California that manage Tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) populations and the only National Park unit where this species of elk can be found. Tule elk are endemic to California, meaning they are found only in this state. This species of elk is considered to be the smallest of any found in North America and typically lived amongst the tules in native grasslands and marshes.
Point Reyes National Seashore Tule Elk
Short video of the Tule Elk located at the Elk reserve at the Pt. Reyes National seashore.
Tule Elk at Point Reyes
Tule Elk are a protected elk sub-species. They were nearly extinct about 150 years ago but their numbers have slowly increased since then, with the creation of protected areas for them. The Tule variety is found only in California, in a handful of small regions scattered throughout the state. This video shows two of the four or five herds found at the Point Reyes Elk Preserve in Marin County, CA. It was a beautiful foggy day here on the coast. I recorded them in mid-September 2016, during their breeding season, when males compete for as many females as they can and round them up into a harem.
Point Reyes National Seashore Tule Elk Preserve
A short clip of Point Reyes National Seashore Tule Elk Preserve shot form my GoPro HD.
Tule Elk: California's Legacy of Wildness
A ten minute documentary chronicling the inspirational story of the tule elk (Cervus Canadensis) which are native to California. Vast herds of tule elk roamed Californias central valley and coastal plains until the late 19th century when they were hunted to near-extinction by European settlers. The documentary examines how the dramatic rebound of the tule elk population in California and at Point Reyes National Seashore in particular demonstrates the success of threatened species protections and conservation laws.
The Shame of Point Reyes
In the discussion regarding Point Reyes National Seashore people often get caught up in the legal debate of the private ranches continuing to operate on public land despite the expiration of the original leases. This in turn leads to a complex and confusing history of short term leases, “letters of authorization”, and an ongoing effort by the ranchers and their politicians attempting to amend the legislation.
What I believe people need to focus on is that the ranching activities in Point Reyes are so terrible that they should NOT be legal anywhere, much less in an incredible National Seashore that was purchased by Congress with our tax dollars to preserve it for our and future generations to enjoy. For the greater good, we should be making every effort to end such destructive and selfish practices rather than looking for ways to promote and celebrate them. Part of my filmmaking process included wading through the deeply embedded propaganda spread by the ranching community to mislead the public as to the reality of what is taking place in the seashore. Those who finally realize what has been taking place out there often have the first reaction of “How did I not know, and how can this be happening?”
My journey of discovering the corruption in Point Reyes began with my personal experience witnessing the disturbing scene of new baby cows separated from their mothers and kept in isolation as part of the standard practice of the dairy operations that exist in Point Reyes (both the seashore and surrounding areas). Spending time with these babies was a crushing experience, a reality that most of us turn a blind eye to. I understand that such treatment and worse exists on a massive scale in the world, but why was something so ugly being allowed in a place so beautiful?
But to then learn that the park service intended to kill the Tule elk within the seashore at the request of the very businesses that had just horrified me was too much to bear. Wildlife, removed by the park service, to make more room for animal exploitation. This sent me down a path of discovering atrocity after atrocity committed by the ranchers and apparently backed by the park service. The list is so long I will begin with simple bullet points then provide details.
Brutally killing the offspring of native animals each spring.
Crappiest places in the nation. The ranches produce so much bovine waste that tests conducted in the seashore ranked it as one of the top ten “crappiest” places in the nation. Both the land and water are saturated with 133 MILLION pounds of manure each year.
Blatantly disregarding wildlife friendly recommendations that were submitted to the park decades ago.
Declared as “The worse case of land management ever seen” by members of the BLM.
Blatant lies about economic value and sustainability.
Tearing out native plants and replacing them with annual invasives.
Allowing 250 elk to die of thirst while all of the nearly 6,000 cattle were kept alive.
Ignoring public response surveys and ignoring overwhelming public outcry.
Frequently violated lease agreements with no consequences.
Using our tax dollars to fund ranching related expenses.
Prioritizing rancher desires over wildlife needs.
Receiving today’s equivalent of 350 million dollars for their land, but then getting to stay on the land and receive discounts and assistance to their business needs.
Perpetually overgrazing land.
Allowing the ranchers “to squat” on the land after the expiration of their leases.
And of course, the never ending cycle of taking babies from their mothers then forcibly impregnating those childless mothers so they have to do it all again.
My film was never meant to be a major project but it seemed that each week I would learn something new that would leave me wondering, “How? How can this be? How is this possible? How can the park service allow this, why isn’t the park service doing their job?”
The explanation to all the above seems to be one of demographic and geological influences. This is a seashore on an isolated section of coast deep within a powerful ranching county. Decades went by with the park service staff consisting of and surrounded by members of the ranching community. One staff member said, “Our kids go to school with their kids.” Add in the ever present fear and intimidation that comes from living in a community of powerful people accustomed to getting their way (and backed by politicians) and suddenly you realize that even the most staunch environmentalist would be keeping quiet as a staff member at Point Reyes National Seashore. The intimidation is real. Anti Ranching staff members have gone to new locations. Anti ranching members of the community told me they were “afraid to go on record for fear of life being made hard for them.”
#pointreyes #pointreyesnationalseashore #shameofpointreyes #cattle #ranching #jaredhuffman #dianefeinstein #wildlife #nationalparks #corruption
Tule Elk Herd in Tomales Bay (Point Reyes), CA
The tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) is one of two subspecies of elk native to California. Its numbers were severely reduced in the mid-1800s, primarily due to uncontrolled market hunting and displacement by cattle. By some accounts, fewer than 30 remained in a single herd near Bakersfield in the mid-1870s. A conservation minded cattle rancher named Henry Miller had the foresight to preserve this last isolated group discovered on his ranch in 1874. Until this discovery, tule elk were thought to be extinct. All of the estimated 3,900 tule elk present in 22 herds across California (as of 2012) were derived from this small remnant herd, thanks to his initial efforts.
Tule elk are endemic to California, meaning they are found only here. Roosevelt elk (C. canadensis roosevelti), our other native California elk, are found on forested slopes in the Pacific Northwest and in several other western states. Rocky Mountain elk (C. canadensis nelsoni), also found in California, are a non-native transplant and are found in the northeast corner of California.
(Info taken from the NPS site. See for more info)
In Point Reyes, Tule Elk and Cattle Ranchers Clash
Point Reys Tule Elk Rut 2012.MOV
Tule Elk: Californias Legacy of Wildness
Tule Elk: Californias Legacy of Wildness chronicles the fascinating and inspirational story of the tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) which are native to California and can be viewed at the Tomales Point Tule Elk Reserve. Since pre-historic times, large herds of tule elk roamed Californias central valley and coastal plains. Unfortunately, they were hunted to near-extinction by the late 19th century. Tule Elk examines how the dramatic rebound of the tule elk population at Point Reyes National Seashore and in California at large demonstrates the success of threatened species protections and conservation laws.
Tule Elk in Point Reyes, CA
Beautiful families of Elk in the fog on the reserve at Point Reyes Station
Tule Elk Numbers Rebound in the South Bay
Tule elk, once thought to be nearly extinct, may be making a comeback in the South Bay. Len Ramirez reports. (1-24-19)
The Betrayal of Point Reyes
Should the National Park Service allow cattle ranching and dairy production on our public lands that are intended to be preserved in their most natural state? Point Reyes National Seashore allows the operation of 24 ranches on public land that are destroying the environment and threatening the survival of numerous native species which they are mandated to protect as part of their charter. The Betrayal of Point Reyes explores the impacts of animal agriculture operations in the Point Reyes National Seashore and how ranching operations are impacting native plants and animals, water quality and our climate.
Please sign the petition here:
Point Reyes National Seashore Elk
Part of a herd of Tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore July 3 2017
GIS Modeling of Tule Elk (Cervus Elaphus Nannodes) Habitat Suitability in Marin County
Tule elk is one of four elk species found in North America, potentially the most specialized one, and the only elk species endemic to the state of California. Tule elk are one of the flagship animals for the state, and - according to the National Park Service - a symbol of what California’s wild nature used to look like. It is estimated that in the early 1800s there were as many as 500,000 tule elk roaming the state (McCollough 1971). However, with the Gold Rush of 1849 came a massive influx of European settlers, and tule elk were heavily hunted during this period as a good source of protein, tallow, and hide. At the same time, elk habitat was being converted to agriculture. By 1870, over the course of a decade, they were thought to be nearly exterminated.
The last four to five tule elk were found in a drain swamp in Bakersfield, now considered as the source of the tule elk population in California today (McCollough 1971). Tule elk received official protection in 1971 with state Senate Bill 722, that prohibited hunting of tule elk, then numbering in the 500s, until their population reached 2,000. In 1978, the state decided to reintroduce Tule Elk into the Point Reyes National Seashore in a designated wilderness reserve area. In the past 40 years, as a result of management efforts by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the elk population grew to 2,000 in 1989. By 1998, there were more than 3,000 elk in California (Cobb 2010).
Thanks to these reintroduction efforts, there are now a few hundred elk in the Point Reyes Tule Elk Reserve alone and over 5,000 throughout California, which is considered a success story for the wildlife conservation community (Penrod et al. 2013). However, in limited space, a growing elk herd can outgrow its environment which leads to overpopulation, habitat destruction, stress, starvation and disease that has already been observed in the Point Reyes wildlife area (Cobb 2010). Therefore, the herds currently inhabiting the area are in need of space to expand to, but so far relatively little is known about Marin County and its potential suitability for tule elk to relocate from the limited space they have in Point Reyes seashore.
Following this need, our aim is to look quantify suitable sites available for tule elk in Marin County - outside the designated wilderness - an area of high interest for tule elk expansion. To maintain the tule elk’s status as a successful conservation story, conservation efforts should focus on sustaining suitable habitats as well as identifying potential new locations. In the following report, we briefly cover the following literature, introduce our data sources and methodology, and present the results of our suitability analysis of tule elk habitat in Marin County.
Otters on Pt. Reyes / Tomales Bay
Otter family on the beach, Tomales Bay September 2010
An afternoon at Point Reyes National Seashore
Tomales Point Tule Elk Preserve
Most of video is of elk alongside Tomales Point Trail. Beginning is the start of the trail, end is the end of the trail.
Point Reyes Ranching: 50 Minutes of Raw Shocking Footage
50 straight minutes of raw footage filmed within Point Reyes National Seashore. This sort of abuse shouldn't exist anywhere, much less within a national park unit.
#pointreyes #pointreyesnationalseashore #shameofpointreyes #cattle #dairy #ranching #corruption #jaredhuffman #wildlife #Bigag #tuleelk #california #californiaburning #invasive #agriculture #grazing #livestock #native #invasive #agriculture #poop #manure #cicelymuldoon #trump #trumpsters #climatedeniers #marin #marincountry #realityofmarin #slaveowners #marinindependentjournal
Tomales Point Trail Overview
An overview of the 9.4 mile (total) Tomales Point coastal hiking trail. The video from this hike was done on July 6th, 2019.
Technical Specifications:
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, 4K DCI 24p, BRAW 12:1
Tokina 11-16 Cine
Resolve 15.3.1 (rendered out at HD 24p)
Tule Elk takes a bath. Point Reyes