• The Point Reyes Beach as viewed from the Point Reyes Headlands

    Point Reyes

    National Seashore California

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Operational Changes Took Effect on May 1

    The Lighthouse Visitor Center is now only open Fridays through Mondays. The Kenneth C. Patrick Visitor Center will be closed through late December 2013. More »

  • 2013 Harbor Seal Pupping Season Closures

    From March 1 through June 30, the park implements closures of certain Tomales Bay beaches and Drakes Estero to water-based recreation to protect harbor seals during the pupping season. Please avoid disturbing seals to ensure a successful pupping season. More »

Volunteer: Coho and Steelhead Monitoring

This program is filled to capacity and no longer accepting applications at this time. Please consider volunteering for other programs at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Overview
The Coho and Steelhead Monitoring Volunteer assists park staff in determining long-term trends in: a) distribution, abundance, and size of spawning coho salmon; b) abundance of smolt coho salmon and steelhead trout; and c) species diversity, distribution, abundance and size and age composition of juvenile coho salmon and steelhead trout. The volunteer also assists park staff in identifying gross changes in stream habitat.

Duties

  • Collect data relating to stream habitat, water quality, fish and invertebrate populations, salmon spawning, riparian area condition and stream channel substrate composition
  • Count numbers of spawning salmon, carcasses, and redds (nests) along Olema, Pine Gulch, Redwood, and Cheda Creeks during winter surveys
  • Help erect, repair and check smolt traps near creek mouths of Olema, Pine Gulch, and Redwood Creeks during spring surveys
  • Assist project staff during electrofishing operations by netting, measuring and recording data on juvenile fish during summer and fall surveys
  • Identify and record gross changes in habitat in Olema, Pine Gulch, Redwood, and Easkoot Creeks during summer and fall surveys

The volunteer must be able to follow verbal and written instructions and walk long distances over rough, uneven terrain in streams subject to high flows while carrying 20 to 40 lbs of equipment. The volunteer may be exposed to ticks, poison oak, rain and extreme temperatures.

Schedule and Time Commitment
Work days are scheduled Monday to Friday throughout the year and are dependent upon weather conditions and program needs. Work days last 6 hours from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Please contact us (see below) for work schedules.

Coho and Steelhead Monitoring is a drop-in program where volunteers are not required to work more than one day at a time. However, volunteers are welcome to work as many of the work days as desired.

Training
On-the-job training

Benefits to the Volunteer
The volunteer will gain knowledge on stream and fish sampling techniques while enjoying the satisfaction of helping to preserve salmon for current and future generations.

Group Type
Individuals are encouraged to participate.

Minimum Age
Minimum age is 16. Volunteers under 18 must have a signed parental consent form. Please contact us (see below) for more information.

Accommodations
Housing and RV sites are unavailable.

Application and Contact Information
Please apply under the Current Opportunities listing. For schedules and more information, contact Mike Reichmuth at 415-464-5191 or by email.

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Did You Know?

Bubblegum coral. Image courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

On the Cordell Bank, just 32 kilometers (20 miles) to the west of Point Reyes, there are deep-water corals that are 10 to 15 meters (33 to 50 feet) high and estimated to be over 1500 years old. More...