Karmactive Staff
The National Park Service (NPS) has begun dismantling a 2.2-mile fence at Tomales Point in Point Reyes National Seashore, ending a 46-year confinement of the Tule elk population. The decision, announced after receiving over 35,000 public comments, marks a pivotal change in wildlife management practices at the park.
The Decision and Its Implementation
“The benefit of removing this enclosure is to allow elk to access additional habitat, increase the species’ population resilience during drought, and promote a more natural population cycle,” said Anne Altman, Point Reyes Superintendent. The eight-foot-tall barrier, installed in 1978 when the elk were reintroduced, has confined the herd to a 2,900-acre reserve.
The current Tomales Point herd numbers 315 elk, according to NPS’s 2023annual count. The environmental assessment revealed that this relatively small area lacks adequate carrying capacity to support the population, particularly during droughts. The assessment also notes that “the response of the elk immediately following the removal of the fencing is not fully understood.”
Historical Impact and Environmental Toll
The fence’s impact on the elk population has been severe. Between 2012 and 2015, the population decreased from 540 to 283, a loss of 257 elk. In 2020, more than 150 additional elk died. “Five hundred elk died during two droughts,” stated Jim Coda, a wildlife photographer and former assistant U.S. attorney. “Two-hundred and fifty died very slow, inhumane deaths during each drought.”
Legal Challenges and Community Division
The removal decision emerged from persistent legal pressure, including a lawsuit filed by Harvard Law School’s Animal Law and Policy Clinic in 2021. Mary Hollingsworth, Animal Law & Policy Clinic Director, called the decision “a critical step in ensuring the welfare of the Tule elk.”
Agricultural stakeholders express concern about the change. Albert Straus, founder of Straus Family Creamery, criticized the decision and told the Mercury News: “It shows a lack of sensitivity and support for our community-centered farms and our food system.” The California Cattlemen’s Association has filed a legal challenge to halt the fence removal.
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Implementation Details
The new management plan includes:
- Remove existing tule elk enclosure fence
- Establish wildlife-friendly cattle boundary fence
- Remove supplemental water systems
- Remove elk exclosure fencing around vegetation monitoring plots
- Update management zoning for Tomales Point Area
Joseph Street, a Coastal Commission manager, in a report made to California Coastal Commission, noted that while the plan won’t convert agricultural lands to non-agricultural use, it “will allow the elk to expand their range into other portions of the Seashore, including grazing lands.”
Conservation Context
Tule elk, native to California, faced near-extinction in the 1800s before their reintroduction in the 1970s. The removal of the fence represents a shift toward natural wildlife management, though challenges remain in balancing conservation with agricultural interests.
Chris Green, ALDF Executive Director, emphasized the stakes: “The beloved Tule elk of the Point Reyes National Seashore have struggled to survive under worsening drought conditions without the natural resources they desperately need to thrive.”
The leases of agricultural operators within the federal park remain under negotiation between the NPS, environmental groups, and ranching interests.
