News Release

The National Park Service seeks public input on the Tomales Point Area Plan at Point Reyes National Seashore  

Aerial photograph of Tomales Point.

NPS Photo / Anela Kopshever

News Release Date: May 6, 2024

Contact: Melanie Gunn, 415-464-5131

POINT REYES STATION, Calif. – The National Park Service (NPS) seeks public comment for the Tomales Point Area Plan (TPAP) and environmental assessment at Point Reyes National Seashore that analyzes three alternatives, identifies a preferred alternative, and incorporates feedback from public comments gathered in the summer of 2023 as well as during civic engagement in 2022.

The NPS preferred alternative includes removal of the tule elk fence and all temporary water systems installed during the most recent drought. It also includes potential opportunities to improve recreational uses and visitor experience at the historic Pierce Ranch, approaches to preserve and maintain the wilderness character of the Phillip Burton Wilderness in the planning area, and methods to better protect natural and cultural resources.

A final decision on the Tomales Point Area Plan is expected in the summer 2024.

The new plan will replace the 1998 Tule Elk Management Plan and revise the 1980 General Management Plan (GMP) for Tomales Point. The 2,900-acre planning area includes all lands north of and including the tule elk enclosure fence. More than 85% of the planning area is within the Phillip Burton Wilderness. This plan is separate from the recent GMP Amendment, which addresses all NPS lands leased for ranching and the management of elk on those lands.

The new plan will update guidance for this area with a focus on preservation of park resources, type and intensity of allowed development, guidance for visitor use and capacities, in addition to the management of tule elk at Tomales Point. The NPS is collaborating with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to incorporate Tribal views and traditional ecological knowledge into the management of this area.

Public and stakeholder engagement have been important to the development and refinement of this plan and the preferred alternative.

This additional 30-day public review and comment period begins today and will end on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at 10:59 pm Pacific Time (PT). The NPS will host a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at 5 pm Pacific Time. Meeting Registration Link: bit.ly/4d780Jl.

The preferred method for commenting is online through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website parkplanning.nps.gov/tpap.

Comments may also be submitted by mail or hand delivery to:

Tomales Point Area Plan
c/o Superintendent
Point Reyes National Seashore
1 Bear Valley Road
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Please note that comments will not be accepted by fax, email, USB drive, or any other way other than those specified above. Bulk comments submitted on behalf of others in any form are not accepted. 

The NPS hosted two other public comment periods with over 25,000 comment letters received in the summer of 2023 and over 4,000 comment letters during civic engagement in the spring of 2022. Public comment analysis reports and the text of all public comments are available on the park's website.

For more information, please visit the park's Tomales Point Area Plan web page at go.nps.gov/pore/tpap.

-NPS-

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