Park Wavelengths - April 2010

 

Friday, April 30, 2010

Subject: New Marine protection May 1

The new California North Central Coast Marine Protected Areas laws take effect tomorrow, May 1, 2010. These new protective measures were reached after public meetings and review. A full accounting may be found at:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/northcentralhome.asp

Changes at Point Reyes include "no take of marine life"/no fishing along Drakes Beach, Chimney Rock, and the western end of Limantour Spit.

Fishing is permitted to the south side of Limantour or to the left as you walk towards the beach. Fishing on the Great Beach continues. Check tides and wind reports, especially in winter, for heavy surf and dangerous waves.

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Friday, April 23, 2010

The full moon rises on Wednesday, April 28 with dramatic low tides in the mornings:

Thursday, April 29 6:19 a.m. -1.3 feet
Friday, April 30 7:03 a.m. -1.2 feet
Saturday, May 1 7:45 a.m. -1.0 feet
Sunday, May 2 8:35 a.m. -0.7 feet

Snowy shrubs flowering along Limantour Road are Ceanothus with pale lilac flowers; some species have deep blue flowers. The tiny purple blue Sky Lupine are coming up in the Bear Valley pastures. The Great Blue Heron has moved its gopher hunting to the old rodeo grounds off Bear Valley Trail.

More signs of spring are flights of Brown Pelicans over the Lighthouse, and rafts of scoters mixed in with the occasional elephant seal. It is high wind season on the coast; if your visit includes Chimney Rock or the Lighthouse, check with the park's Visitor Centers or webcam for wind advisories. Gale force winds in excess of 40 miles per hour close the lighthouse steps.

As part of the Giacomini Wetlands Restoration Project, the sinking structure in Inverness Park across from the deli area will be removed this week.

Brown Bag luncheon series at the Red Barn Classroom on April 29 at 12 noon covers the non-native Atlantic Oyster Drill, a whelk that is impacting the recovery of native Olympia oysters in Tomales Bay. The lecture is free and open to the public. Following on May 5th will be a talk on the Tule Elk populations.

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Friday, April 23, 2010

Forwarded to Local Park Wavelengths List

Subject: New Superintendent!

Good morning and happy Friday!

I'm pleased to let you know that NPS Director Jon Jarvis has appointed Cicely Muldoon to be our new Superintendent at Point Reyes National Seashore. Cicely, who has been a PWR deputy regional director since 2005, recently served as acting Superintendent at Point Reyes while Don was detailed to Washington, DC. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Cicely when she arrives here in mid-May.

Attached is the press release from the Director's office in Washington, DC.

Gordon White, AIA
Acting Superintendent
Point Reyes National Seashore

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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

A new moon rises on April 14 and continues the spring-summer trend of early morning low tides for a week. The Lyrid meteor showers peak April 22, but visibility may be impacted by the waxing moon until around 3 a.m., when the moon should set.

Friday, April 16 7:00 a.m. -0.6 feet
Saturday, April 17 7:43 a.m. -0.7 feet
Sunday, April 18 8:28 a.m. -0.7 feet
Monday, April 19 9:23 a.m. -0.6 feet
Tuesday, April 20 10:25 a.m. -0.5 feet
Wednesday, April 21 11:33 a.m. -0.3 feet

Poppies are the latest wildflower to begin blooming along the Bear Valley pastures and Abbotts Lagoon. Plenty of buttery yellow Lupine at the Lighthouse perfuming the air on warm days and also beginning at Tomales Point. Spiky, yellow flowers on roadside shrubs are Red Elderberry.

Many of the deer are sporting knobby, velvet covered antlers. In about a month or two, look for shredded bark on willows and other smaller trees as they begin to scrape off the velvet and hone the antlers for upcoming tussles in the late summer.

Permits have been issued for a bike ride from Healdsburg to the Lighthouse on April 10 with 43 participants and for the annual "Ridge to Bridge" trip along the Bolinas Ridge Trail. Both should bring lots of activity to the area.

The shuttle bus season has ended for this year. The annual weekend service will begin its 13th year, weather permitting, on December 26, 2010.

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Last updated: September 18, 2022

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

1 Bear Valley Road
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Phone:

415-464-5100
This number will initially be answered by an automated attendant, from which one can opt to access a name directory, listen to recorded information about the park (e.g., directions to the park; visitor center hours of operation; fire danger information; wildlife updates; ranger-led programs; seasonal events; etc.), or speak with a ranger. Please note that if you are calling between 4:30 pm and 10 am, park staff may not be available to answer your call.

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