The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public comment on the Tomales Point Area Plan Environmental Assessment at Point Reyes National Seashore. The NPS should allow rare Tule elk to roam free by removing the elk fence on Tomales Point within the Philip Burton Wilderness.
Fortunately, thanks in part to public outcry by Wilderness Watch and our supporters, the NPS preferred Alternative B includes removal of the Tule elk fence and all water tanks and temporary water systems installed in the Philip Burton Wilderness during the most recent drought.
The plan to remove the fence and allow Tule elk to naturally roam in the Wilderness and across Tomales Point as they previously did for centuries is a good one, but Alternative B still needs several adjustments for the Tomales Point Area Plan to meet the strict requirements of the Wilderness Act and to ensure that any future actions will improve, and not degrade, wilderness character.
We made the following points in our comments:
• The best option is Alternative B, which is the NPS preferred option. Removal of structures in the Wilderness and the fence just outside of the Wilderness is the right choice. Alternatives A and C should be opposed as they degrade the Wilderness and endanger rare Tule elk. However, some other changes to Alternative B ought to be considered.
• Removal of water structures unlawfully built in the Wilderness must be done by non-motorized means. The structures are small and could easily be removed without the use of motor vehicles.
• Minimum Requirements Analysis (MRA) is needed for removal of tanks, troughs, exclosures, and the fence. The EA is inadequate without a discussion of how the water tanks, troughs, exclosures, and fence removal would take place. The NPS must include the MRA as a part of the analysis of Alternative B.
• Eliminate grazing by cattle. The cattle should not be allowed in Point Reyes or the Wilderness anymore as per the original agreement when the seashore was established.
• Don’t use herbicides in the Wilderness. Removing cattle and the fence would allow for better distribution of Tule elk and would mitigate against expansion of invasive plants.
• Allow natural fires to burn and shape the wilderness landscape rather than using manager-ignited fire to create artificial conditions. Too-frequent use of manager-ignited fire has the tendency to favor non-native invasive plants.
• Remove the PG&E power line. The power line is a structure or installation, which infringes on the undeveloped character of the Wilderness, and should be removed from the Wilderness. Urge the Park Service to explicitly state that the PG&E power line will be removed under Alternative B and its preferred action.
Photo: Allen Pecorino
