Point Reyes National Seashore, the ancestral land of the Coast Miwok, sits on the rugged California coast and is just a short drive from the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Rich in history and biodiversity, Point Reyes is the perfect outdoor classroom. The Seashore offers hiking trails across nearly 70,000 acres of wilderness, mountains, beaches, complex dunes, marshes, and scrub. It offers coves and bays for kayaking, trails for equestrians, and opportunities to see hundreds of bird species, tule elk, seals, sea lions, badgers, bobcats, otters, and more – it’s no surprise the Seashore is part of the Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve.
Seashore Conservation
Photo By: Daniel Dietrich
Video By: Pusher, Inc.
What We Do
Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) works year-round in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) to monitor and protect the natural and cultural resources within the park. We secure funding from several sources including private donors, government grants, and foundations to hire seasonal field staff. Our staff then work with NPS project managers on long-term inventory and monitoring of threatened and endangered species, habitat restoration and invasive species removal, and historic and cultural preservation projects in the park.
Species and resources that we help protect:
flora
Woolly Headed Spineflower
Headland Wall Flower
Blasdale Bent Grass
Northern Curly Leaved Monardella
San Francisco Owl’s Clover
Sonoma Spineflower
Beach Layia
Franciscan Thistle
Rose Leptosiphon
Perennial Goldfields
Tidestrom’s Lupine
fauna
Black Rail
Western Snowy Plover
Coho Salmon
Point Reyes Mountain Beaver
Northern Elephant Seal
Northern Spotted Owl
CULTURAL RESOURCES
Science Communication
The translation of hard science into digestible, public outreach materials is essential to the preservation of natural and cultural resources at Point Reyes. Each year, PRNSA funds Science Communication Internships to help young professionals learn environmental outreach strategies and techniques for communicating important park science. Here are some of their projects:
Protecting the Health of a Diseased Forest
StoryMap, Claire Baker
In the Weeds on Invasive Plants (Scotch Broom)
Article, Claire Baker
Climate Change Effects on Elephant Seal Habitat
Article, Claire Baker
The Space Between Land and Sea (Snowy Plovers)
Article, Claire Baker
An Upstream Battle Against Climate Change
Article, Claire Baker
A History of Black Abalone in California
Podcast, Theodora Mautz
Recovering the Black Abalone Species
Podcast, Theodora Mautz
Community Science at the Seashore
StoryMap, Theodora Mautz
Interested in joining PNRSA’s conservation staff – either in the field or as a science communication intern? Check our frequently updated jobs website page for conservation opportunities.
