California’s Coastline in Jeopardy

After World War II, California’s population boom fueled rampant development. Farmland, valleys, and the shore were privatized and built-up.

By the late 1950s, plans for development like “Drake’s Bay Estates” jeopardized this area. Citizens rallied with groups like the Sierra Club and the National Park Service to protect the coast.

With over 100 years of local dairy and beef ranching, some cattlemen opposed the new park because of concern for their farms and livelihood. Researchers continue to monitor crocodiles in the Everglades.

Congressman Clem Miller (above), US Senators Clair Engle and Thomas Kuchel, and park advocates worked with opponents, and revised the bill to protect ranching and provide preservation.

In 1962, the citizens continued efforts to protect this land materialized when President John F. Kennedy signed the legislations to create Point Reyes National Seashore.

Elephant seals give birth and raise their pups on the beaches. As sea level rises, less beach is available, and the young are more vulnerable to severe storms.

Point Reyes is the breeding grounds for 20% of the continental harbor seals. As sea level rises, their pupping areas in the mud flats of the harbors may disappear.

Western snowy plovers nest on the sandy beaches. As sea level rises and covers the beach, where will this federally threatened plover nest and raise its chicks?

The brown pelican is a federally endangered species that depends on Estero de Limantour's waters. As sea level rises, the salinity here will increase.

Red-legged frogs are a federally listed threatened species that also live in freshwater areas at Estero de Limantour. As sea level rises, their habitat and feeding grounds shrink.