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Wednesday, July 30, 2014 The full moon on August 10 will make viewing the annual Perseid meteor shower more difficult. The peak of the Perseids this year is August 9 through August 14. On a fogless night, up to 60 meteors per hour may be seen, one of the most active of the year! A return sighting: by-the-wind sailors (Vellela vellela) washing up on park beaches. An oval disk with a crescent sail; they look like crumpled cellophane. The living animal is a bright blue. Typically, they are drifting on the surface of the ocean and when winds change, masses are driven up onto beaches in the tide line. Tule Elk Docents return to Tomales Point as the tule elk breeding season—or rut—begins. They will have binoculars and spotting scopes to point out behaviors and answer questions. The rut begins in August and lasts through the fall into October. Wednesday, July 16, 2014 The Delta Aquarid meteor shower may be viewed over the July 25–27 weekend. The small, crescent moon should making viewing easy. About 20 meteors per hour are predicted. It has been a particularly bloom-filled year for yellow bush lupine, which remains flowering along Sir Francis Drake Highway toward the Lighthouse. The first blackberries are in fruit; picking fruit [sic] is permitted in the park for personal use - two quarts per person per day. [Please note: not all fruit may be picked in the National Seashore. Per the Superintendent's Compendium, only blackberries, raspberries, thimbleberries, gooseberries, salmonberries, huckleberries, or apples may be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption. - Ed.] It's Big Time! The annual celebration of traditional California life is slated for Saturday, July 19, 2014, from 10 am to 4 pm at Kule Loklo, the Coast Miwok Exhibit. Dancers, basketmakers, and flintknappers will demonstrate their skills. Bring a picnic and enjoy the day. A public scoping meeting on the planning process for Sir Francis Drake Highway improvements from Pierce Point Road to A Ranch is scheduled for July 22 from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Red Barn Classroom. A multi-agency consortium is gathering information on public concerns and answering questions about the proposed project. Wednesday, July 2, 2014 All park visitor centers will be open this holiday weekend. At Bear Valley, most exhibits have reopened after the lighting retrofit that will reduce energy consumption 51% annually! Wind and dry weather conditions heighten fire danger. Check at visitor centers for beach fire permits before heading out. Fireworks are not permitted in Marin County, the county in which Point Reyes is located. Beach visitors remember: do not turn your back on the ocean! A temporary beach closure on the Great Beach between North Beach and Abbotts Lagoon is in place from Friday, July 4, through Sunday, July 6, to protect nesting snowy plover during this critical phase. In 2013, of 11 newly hatched chicks, only three survived past the 4th of July weekend. It is hoped the temporary closure will protect this threatened species. Map (288 KB PDF) New photography exhibit at the Bear Valley Visitor Center from Kevin Loslaw of nature scenes from around the state. |
Last updated: February 28, 2015