Natural Resource Condition Assessments for Point Reyes National Seashore

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The Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program provides framework, funding, and publishing support to parks to aid in the synthesis and documentation of natural resource conditions. Condition assessment reports are a tool to describe selected park resources, and record a snapshot of their current condition, identify trends, and identify potential or current threats and stressors. Understanding the condition and trend of natural resources is key for parks and NPS planners to appropriately prioritize and allocate stewardship resources.


 

Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore.

Photo by: Robert Campbell

Point Reyes National Seashore forms a large continuous expanse of land along the central coast of California that includes more congressionally designated wilderness than any other national seashore (32,370 acres or 46% of the park’s total 71,000 acres). From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes offers over 1500 species of plants and animals to discover.

NRCA reports completed for this park:

Traditional NRCA: 2019

Traditional NRCA Report: 2019

In an effort to better understand the natural resources of Point Reyes National Seashore, a Natural Resource Condition Assessment was completed and published in 2019. This report and the spatial datasets provided with it are intended to inform and support park managers and scientists in developing recommendations for improving or maintaining natural resource conditions along the seashore. Staff from the National Park Service (NPS) and the University of California, Berkeley worked together to identify the natural resources and stressors to include in this condition assessment. The final report includes eight focal resource topics:

		- Amphibians (California red-legged frog)
		- Breeding landbird diversity
		- Coastal dunes
		- Forests
		- Grasslands
		- Invasive plants
		- Rare plants
		- Salmonids

The majority of the selected focal natural resource topics were determined to be in moderate or good condition; only the condition of invasive plants was considered to be of significant concern and there was not enough data available to assign a condition to coastal dunes. Several stressors have been identified that influence the condition of multiple priority resources within Point Reyes. Those of primary concern include climate change, the presence of non-native species, and habitat loss and fragmentation due to human activity. Improved understanding of these threats, and how they relate to the condition of the assessed focal resources, would help Point Reyes National Seashore to prioritize management objectives and better focus conservation strategies to maintain the integrity of area ecosystems.

Links to NRCA Products
Materials produced by the park and the NRCA Program.

For other reports and natural resource datasets visit the NPS Data Store.

Source: Data Store Collection 7765 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.