NPS Photo / Anela Kopshever The National Park Service (NPS) initiated a public planning process for the Tomales Point area of Point Reyes National Seashore on March 31, 2022. This plan will update management guidance of the wilderness-designated peninsula, including management of the tule elk herd in this region of the park. The park will collaborate with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to incorporate tribal views and traditional ecological knowledge throughout this process. The development of an area plan for Tomales Point is needed at this time based on the severity and frequency of two historic droughts in Marin County and Point Reyes National Seashore since 2013. Current management guidance for this area did not anticipate these drought conditions or consider climate change, resulting in emergency actions taken to provide supplemental water and minerals for the tule elk at Tomales Point in the summer of 2021. The planning area includes the 2,900-acre Tomales Point Tule Elk Reserve. More than 85% of the reserve is within the Congressionally-designated Phillip Burton Wilderness. The plan will review cultural and natural resources, management considerations in wilderness, and visitor use and access. The plan will include resource and site-specific analysis that can be implemented when the plan is final, as well as programmatic analysis and overall management of Tomales Point, as may be needed. This first pre-National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) public engagement will inform the development of an environmental impact statement anticipated to be initiated in the spring of 2023. Additional opportunities for public comment including public meetings will be offered at that time and after development of a draft planning document. The NPS anticipates completing the environmental review by the end of 2024. Once completed, this plan will replace the 1998 Tule Elk Management Plan and the park's General Management Plan for the planning area. This planning is separate from the recent General Management Plan Amendment which addressed ranching within the park and free-ranging tule elk. Sign UpMembers of the public play an important role in the Tomales Point Area Plan. Please sign up to receive email notifications and updates about the planning process. Signing up is a quick three step process:
Initial Public Comment PeriodPlease see our Tomales Point Area Plan Initial Public Comment Period page for details on the initial 30-day+ public comment period from March 31, 2022, to May 9, 2022. Background InformationPlease see our Tomales Point Area Plan Background Information page for information relevant to this planning process. News ReleasesPlease see our Tomales Point Area Plan News Releases page for all news releases related to this plan. Project Timeline
Events in bold above are opportunities for public engagement. QuestionsIf you have additional questions regarding the Tomales Point Area Plan, please call Outreach Coordinator Melanie Gunn at 415-464-5131. The Citizen's Guide to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a useful resource for those that are not familiar with NEPA or Council on Environmental Quality Regulations. This 45-page guide, published in December, 2007, describes the NEPA process and provides information on how citizens can get involved. |
Last updated: July 18, 2022