". " ~~. ll"'"'" ;.. ..... .

& Economic Feasibility Ilepor(

Proposed

POINT REYES

NATIONAL SEASHORE

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

UNITED STATES,.

DEPT. OF THE INTERIOR

LAND USE SURVEY

Proposed

POINT REYES

NATIONAL SEASHORE

prepared by

REGION FOUR OFFICE

Lawrence C. Merriam, Regional Director

180 New Montgomery Street

San Francisco 5, California

February 1961

UNITED STATES

PEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Stewart L. Udall, Secretary

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Conrad L. Wirth, Director

THIS REPORT NOT PRINTED AT GOVERNMENT EXPENSE,

Granite cliffs pounded ceaselessly by the surging sea; a ten- mile long

beach exposed to the thrust of wind and waves; the lowlands of sand

dunes and rolling hills enclosing lagoons and esteros; the sandy, shel­tered

and curving beach of Drakes Bay; the forest- covered Inverness

Ridge - all a geological island in time slowly moving northward. There

are bird rookeries on offshore rocks, herds of sea lions in sheltered

coves, marine birds relaxing on fresh- water lakes, mule deer on brush­covered

slopes; and the IJwhite cliffs of Albion" seen by Sir Francis

Drake. All these combine to make the Point Reyes Peninsula, so near

to the heart of San Francisco, an outstanding scenic, scientific, historic

and recreation area.

f r

c

Table of Contents

Introduction - Land Use Survey ...

Populatton - Present and Projected

Highway Access and Circulation ..

Human History on Point Reyes Peninsula

Geology of Point Reyes Peninsula

Landscape and Cover Types ...

Climate - Point Reyes Peninsula

History of Point Reyes Peninsula Land Ownership

Present Land Ownership and Use

Boundaries - Suggested Use Zone s .

Possible Development Layout

1

4

5

6

8

9

12

13

14

15

17

Intro( luction

bis is a LAND USE SURVEY of the proposed Point

Reyes National Seashore located in Marin County, Calif­ornia,

on the Point Reyes Peninsula. It is current as of

April, 1960. The proposal embraces the entire Point

Reyes Peninsula with the exception of the villages and ad...,.

jacent expansion areas, the Tomales Bay State Park, the

facilities operated by the U. S. Coast Guard, and certain

radio communications facilities of critical international

importance.

Included in the proposal are provisions for the continued

operation of most of the dairy ranches, suggestions for

expansion of commercial fisheries to furnish recreation

opportunities commensurate with the purposes of the sea­shore

proposal, and continuance of the oyster industry in

Drakes Bay to supply additional recreation facilities. The

area being conSidered approximates 53,000 acres ofland

and inland lakes, plus the included bays and esteros, and

the tidal and submerged lands Within one- fourth mile of

the coast of the proposed seashore.

A national seashore is distinguished from a national

park primarily in its method of development and manage­ment,

which may be somewhat less restrictive than in a

national park. The national parks are spacious land areas

which require in their public use programs exacting ap­plication

of protective controls to conserve, unimpaired,

their compelling manifestations of nature.

A national seashore, although it may offer certain unique

or outstanding natural history elements requiring absolute

preservation just as in a national park, generally will be

capable of sustaining as a major objective a varied public

recreation program less restrictive than would be suitable

itt a national park. Both types of areas are administered

under the laws, rules and regulations of the National Park

Service. All of the recreation activities reasonably al­lowable

in a national seashore are encouraged. Boating

and other water and beach recreation, softball, golf and

other sports and games may be highly consistent where

they can be worked out without endangering other impor­tant

considerations. ThUB, public use opportunities could

exert more rec. eation " pulling" force than is usually ex­pected

at a national park where the recreation is generally

of a more passive or contemplative nature. It is all a

matter of basic policy, planning, and programming for the

wisest use of resources.

The LAND USE SURVEY, made with donated funds, pro­poses

the dedication of about 53,000 acres of lands for the

national seashore out of a total of roughly 64,000 acres on

the Point Reyes Peninsula. The excluded 11,000 acres

would consist of Tomales Bay State Park, together with

private lands within it, villages on the Peninsula. and

adjacent lands for their expansion. Within the exterior

boundaries of the proposed seashore about 33,000 acres

of the Peninsula would be used exclusively for a variety

of public uses. The PUBLIC USE ZONE would make avail-

LAND USE SURVEY

able for public enjoyment a 70- mile coastal area with

many miles of sandy beaches, interspersed between steep

bluffs containing marine caves and flanked by offshore

rocks. Inland from the bluffs and beaches are grassy

terraces, sand dunes, or rolling uplands covered with

coastal brush, and wind- pruned trees.

On the southern half of the Peninsula, the Inverness

Ridge rises to a height of 1,400 feet. Its seaward side

supports broadleaf trees and Douglas firs in steep ravines

and along its summit. The eastern side of the Inverness

Ridge was solidly covered with a Douglas firforest before

1958 when a lumbering operation commenced. Aboutmid­way

of the Peninsula where Inverness Ridge rises, and

northward for some 8 miles, the forest is a mixture of

broadleaf and coniferous trees with bishop pines predom­inating.

The varied character of the proposed PUBLIC

USE ZONE, its natural condition and proximity to a large

urban center, make the area one of the five most outstand­ing

segments of unspoiled seashore remaining along the

Pacific Coast.

All of the lands on Point Reyes Peninsula suggested for

administration by the National Park Service are in private

ownership at the present time, and are devoted largely to

dairy farming or beef cattle ranching. This LAND USE

SURVEY proposes that 20,000 acres ofland in the central

part of the Peninsula would be leased for the operation of

dairy ranches or the raising of beef cattle. The RANCH­ING

AREA would preserve this portion of the proposed

seashore as " open space" for its scenic pastoral qualities.

The proposed boundaries of Point Reyes National Sea- .

shore include a total of 15 dairy ranches which raise ap- :

proximately 7,000 head of dairy stock, with about 3,200 '

head in active milk production, and 10 beef cattle ranches

with approximately 3,500 head of beef cattle. If a national ~

seashore were established and managed in accordance .

with the present proposal, about half the dairy and beef :

cattle ranches would continue operation under lease agree- .

ments. Ranching operations within the portion of the na­tional

seashore to be reserved for public use would be

largely, if not wholly, discontinued.

The oyster beds and oyster cannery on Drakes Estero:

would add recreation and economic value to the seashore!

and should be continued. The commercial fisheries on:

Point Reyes likewise have valuable recreation and econ-!

omie implications. The fishery operations could be ex-,

panded to furnish charter boat service for deep- sea sport

fishing. Construction of a harbor of refuge in the west

end of Drakes Bay where these fisheries are located, has

been proposed by State of California authorities. A safe!

anchorage off Point Reyes Peninsula would significantly

increase sport fishing and the useofthispart of the Pac~

ific Ocean by pleasure craft berthed in San Francisco Bay:

The two radio receiving installations on Point Reyes

Peninsula would continue to provide communication ser~

vices to the Orient, Australia, and ships at sea. Relocating

the Sir Francis Drake Highway farther away from these

installations and retaining the undeveloped status of ad­jacent

lands would insure less interference with radio

reception than will occur if the national seashore is not

established. Prevention of automotive traffic west of the

radio receivers on the presently State- owned beach, and

restricting boats on Abbotts Lagoon to canoes or rowboats,

would materially benefit these radio facilities and at the

same time would be within the concept of good public

recreation use.

Public recreation use of Point Reyes Peninsula is lim­ited

now to the enjoyment obtained from driving to Point

Reyes, where recreationists are permitted to visit the

Point Reyes Lighthouse, or from driving north on the

Pierce Point road to the vicinity of McClure Beach. A spur

road from Sir Francis Drake Highway leads to Drakes

Beach, a 52- acre county- owned park which is nearly all

marshland. Tomales Bay State Park contains delightful

picnic areas and three small beaches where visitors can

swim. Out of many miles of State- owned beaches on the

Point Reyes Peninsula less than five miles are publicly

owned and thus accessible for public enjoyment. With the

exception of these beaches, the lighthouse, the State Park,

and about 30 miles of public road, all of the Peninsula is

off- limits to the public. South of the road from Inverness

to Point Reyes the land is all privately owned and public

access is prohibited.

Day use visitation to the proposed Point Reyes N ationa)

Seashore would be derived largely from residents of the

nine- county San Francisco Bay Area, and the Sacramento

and San Joaquin Counties, plus some from residents of the

other counties of the State, and out- of- state visitors to

California. Considering the population growth anticipated

within the nine- county Bay area, and the increase of rec­reation

nationwide, it is estimated that the national sea­shore

would receive at least 2.1 million day use visitors

annually by 1980. Construction within the national sea­shore

of campgrounds, and the development outside its

boundaries of overnight accommodations by private in­dustry,

would increase overnight, weekend, and vacation

use, it is . believed, by an additional one- quarter million

visitors.

An economic survey made by theNational Park Service

in collaboration with University of California profession­als

and other authorities indicates that removal of lands

from the tax rolls in the event of national seashore estab­lishment

would not nece · ssarily result in increased tax

burdens to other property owners in Marin County. Loss

in tax revenues would be more than compensated for in a

short time by the various taxes paid by new facilities and

services outside the proposed seashore that would be es­sential

to serve seashore visitors.

The drawings herein, the accompanying pages of text,

and the photographs are a graphic interpretation of the

Point Reyes National Seashore proposal.

• 2 • Clyde Sundcrlund, Oa kland

Moulin Sludios, San FralH~ i5(~ O The few remaining open spaces near San Francisco are disappearing.

The undeveloped land in the foreground, where bulldozers were at work

in April 1950, is now covered with houses or soon will be. The un­developed

lands around Laguna de la Merced are golf and country clubs

and Fort Funston. Establishment of a national seashore 011 Point Reyes

Peninsula will secure for public use the only remaining large section of

undisturbed seacoast near San Francisco.

CONTRASTING LAND USES ; .. The Golden Gate Bridge links densely

populated metropolitan- San Francisco wi th southern Marin County. The

fast growing city needs more living space, and all the open land in Marin,

where homes can be built, , will disappear soon. Point Reyes Peninsula,

just visible near the top of the photograph, cannot escape a similar fate

unless it is set aside and managed officially as a public recreation area.

3

PRESENT AND pH- OJEe TED

Population

THE close relationship of the Point Reyes Peninsula to

one of the nation's most heavily populated and fastest

growing regions is a circumstance that israrelyfound in

combination with an extensive area endowed with such out­standing

natural attributes as is the Point Reyes Peninsula.

The Bay Region, comprising 13 counties within a dis­tance

' of about 100 miles of the Point Reyes Peninsula, is

one af the two most densely populated areas af California,

the other being the Los Angeles Urban Area. The coun­ties

within the Bay Region are listed below. Those pre­ceded

by an asterisk are within the immediate 9- county

San Francisco Bay Area- the counties that actually front

on the bay.

* Alameda

Sacramento

* Napa

Santa Cruz

Yolo

* Contra Costa

* San Francisco

* San Mateo

* Solana

* Marin

San Jaaquin

* Santa Clara

* Sonoma

In 1959, the 13 counties comprising the Bay Region

supported a combined population estimated at nearly 4 t

millian persons. This figure represents a gain of more

than 136% since 1930.

The greatest population density in the San Francisco Bay

Region occurs within the vast metropolitan complexknawn

as the San Francisco- Oakland Standard Metropolitan

Area. It lies southeast of Paint Reyes and rings the south­ern

half of San FranciSCO Bay. The population of this

metropolitan area was estimated at more than 2~ mil- , 4

lion persons in 1959- nearly two- thirds of the resident

population of the entire Bay Region in that year.

Other major population densities are located in the

Sacramento Urban Area at the northeast extremity of the

Bay Region, the San Jose Urban Area to the south in Santa

Clara County, and the Stocktan Urban Area to the sauth af

Sacramento in San Jaaquin County. Population statistics

for 1959 are not yet available for these urban areas. The

1950 U. S. Census lists their combined population at slight­ly

more than 500,000 persons.

In addition to the grawth trends that have been recorded

for the 9- county Bay Area and the 13- County Bay Region,

several independent population studies employing various

prediction methods have been made recently by such agen­cies

as the U. S. Bureau of Census, the California Depart­ment

of Finance, the San Francisco Bay Area Council, and

the Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Taking into account

the recorded growth trends of the Bay Region and the pop­ulation

predictions that have been made in the foregoing

studies, it seems reasonable to anticipate that the resi­dent

population of the 13- County Bay Region will have

reached at least 7,223,000 by 1980 and nearly 11,700,000

by the year 2000. Recorded trends and future predictions

are shown on Chart No. 1.

The present density pattern is expected to continue

throughout the period of analysis, but with added popula­tion

densities developing in the East and North Bay sec­tions

of the Region.

See population map in the appendix.

CHART No. 1

Population Trends and Predictions

13- Counly, Son Froncisco Boy Region

2000

( Prediction)

1980

( Prediction)

1959

( Estimate)

1950

1930

2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12

IN MILLIONS

4 •

· One of the most beautiful structures 1n the

world, the Golden Gate Bridge links

San Francisco with Marin County and the

proposed Point Reyes National Seashore

whicll lies about 30 miles beyond the far

end . of the bridge.

Redwood Empire Association

Highway Access and Circulation

THE Point Reyes Peninsula is about 30iniles northwest

of ' San Francisco and is thus centrally located in relation

to California residents and to national travelers who visit

the State. Present access to the Peninsula from the main

arterial traffic routes is by narrow winding roads which

will carry safely a limited amount of traffic only. Public

travel on the Peninsula is restricted to one highway with

two spur roads. Establishment of a national seashore

would mean planned road circulation to open for public use

portions of the Peninsula that are not now accessible to

the public.

San Francisco Bay Area residents who drive to the Point

Reyes Peninsula use the Golden Gate Bridge or the San

Rafael- Richmond Bridge to reach U. S. Highway 101 in

southern Marin County. The southern approach to Point

Reyes Peninsula from U. S. 101 is via State Highway 1. It

branches off the freeway four miles north of the Golden

Gate Bridge, and then (: Urns westerly to the coast which it

follows to Bolinas Bay at the southern end of the Penin­sula.

State Highway 1 continues northerly through the

Olema Valley, passes through the towns of Olema and

Point Reyes Station, and continues on along the east side

of Tomales Bay to northern California.

Sir Francis Drake Highway is the best road to the P en-

5 .

insula for Bay Area residents. It branches off U. S. 101 in

southern Marin County near' Greenbrae, runs westerly

through the county to Olema and Point Reyes Station where

it enters upon and crosSeS the Point Reyes Peninsula and

terminates at Point Reyes. Additional access from U. S.

101 is afforded by SeVei" al county roads, which although

slow- speed routes, are scenically interesting.

Other California residents and out- of- state visitors

may use a variety of State and Federal routes to reach

Point Reyes Peninsula. U. S. Highways 40 and 99 are Fed­eral

Interstate and Defense Highways. Both of these have

lateral roads which when improved as planned, will pro­vide

super highways for visitors from distant points to the

proposed Point Reyes National Seashore.

The completion of highways in Marin County now ap­proved

by the California Legislature as part of the Calif­ornia

Freeway and Expressway System will connect the

Peninsula with the major freeway systems of the State and

Nation. Portions of the Expressway System, scheduled for

completion within the next 20 years, are designated Legis­lative

Routes and are delineated as L. R. 51, 56, 69 and

252 on the HIGHWAY ACCESS Map in Appendix. Legis­lative

Route No. 56 calls for the improvement of California

State Highway 1 to freeway standards from its junction

With U. S. 101 to and beyond Point Reyes Station.

Sir Francis Drake Highway is scheduled under Legis­lative

Route No. 67 to become another four- lane freeway.

It will connect near Point Reyes Station with Legislative

Route 252, originating at Novato on U. S. 101. Improvement

of the present low- standard county road connecting Novato

and Point Reyes Station will provide direct access to the

Peninsula from points within Sacramento Valley. Legis­lative

Route No. 51 is essentially a continuation of State

Highway 1. It will extend this freeway to U. S. 101 at Santa

Hllma. n History OF POINT

THE Point Reyes Peninsula is more than a place of

recreation. It is a place which increases our understand­ing

of the past and causes us to think about the course of

our future, for here is a great sweep of shore, lowlands

and hills virtually unchanged since it was seen by the first

explorers. Here, for those who can read it, is the scene

of a vast historical pageant. CoastMiwoklndians lived on

the Point Reyes Peninsula and the location of known In­dian

occupation zones is shown on the accompanying draw­ing.

Their habitations along the west side of Tomales

Bay, around Drakes Estero and the seaward shores evi­dence

their dependence upon the marine animals for food.

Around the year 1500 A. D. there were probably more

Indians living on the Peninsula than there are Caucasians

at the present time. Doubtlessly no t' all of the 113 known

aboriginal village sites were occupied at the same time,

but the number of sites suggests a fairly heavy population.

While there are not many known archeologicalorprehis-

Rosa, California. These State road construction programs

would improve and speed access to the proposed Point

Reyes National Seashore for Bay Area residents and visit­ors

from more distant points both of California and of

the Nation.

Public travel on the Point Reyes Peninsula is limited

now to less than 15 miles of the Sir Francis Drake High­way,

some 14 miles of the Pierce Point road which

branches off this highway at the southern corner of Tom­ales

Bay State Park, and a 1.5 mile spur road from the

highway which leads to Drakes Beach County Park. The

Pierce Point road passes the entrance to Tomales Bay

' State Park and continues on to a small county- maintained

parking area near McClure Beach. These three points,

Drakes Beach, Tomales Bay State Park, and McClure

Beach, are the only public recreation areas on the P enin­sula.

The Point Reyes Lighthouse is open to the public,

but it is reached by a long steep descent which discourages

most visitors.

The suggested development for the proposed National

seashore as shown on the POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT

LA YOUT sheet in this report, calls for construction of

. approximately 25 miles of new roads, the improvement of

40 miles of existing roads, and about 25 miles of horse

and hiking trails. With these improvements, an area

possessing outstanding scenic, scientific and recreation

values within a short drive of one of the major metropoli­tan

centers of the United States would be open to visitors.

The southern half of the Peninsula within the proposed

Point Reyes National Seashore which only a few persons

are privileged to see or use, and which contains the most

scenic part of the Peninsula, would become accessible to

the public for the first time in more than a century.

REYES PENINSULA

torical sites of critical importance on the Peninsula­perhaps

not over two dozen at the most - the point is that

early people did utilize the Peninsula and lived there.

Here with a vivid sense of immediacy, one recalls the

courage of pioneer navigators who braved the unknown

Pacific Coast in their cockleshell vessels. Here one thinks

of the results - good and evil - of political and religious

rivalries. Here one relives the wonder of men who saw

these meadows and hillsides literally moving with mi­grating

elk and with wheeling flocks of waterfowl. Here

one honors the heroism of those who braved the shattering

seas in attempts to rescue the many unfortunates wrecked

on this section of the coast. And here one compares the

way of life of the Mexiean and American ranchers. whose

isolation and unhurried calm were in such vivid contrast

to the urban bustle of our lives today. Triangular symbols

with captions are used on the accompanying drawing to

generally locate these sites of historic interest.

. 6

The (: l'owning of Francis Drake by the Coast Miwok Indians

in 1579 is depicted in this illustration, The sketch appears

in a hook P! lblished in Amsterdam by the 17th century geo­f.(

raplwr Arnoldus Montanus in 1671. In addition to the

l:!' own. ing, the pictUre shows the erection of the brass plaque

tlll IVh, lCIl Drake elaimed the country for Queen Elizabeth,

and, III the distance, the Golden Hindcr the ship in which

Drake sailed around the world. ,

For the naticln as n whole, the most significant part of

this story relates to the po. ssibility that Sir Francis Drake,

the English seaman and the scourge of Spain, may have

repaired his v£~ ssel, the " Golden l- linde'\ here in 1579 be­fore

starting out across the Pacific on his journey around

the world. Although historians do not agree as to his t:.~ xact

landing place along the central Califor- nia coast, Drakes

Bay has long been considt~ rc~ d as the most probable loca­tion.

At any time, the remains of Drakt!' s stone fort may

be discovered, an eNe- nt which would catapult the area into

the ranks of tht.' nation's outstanding historical sites, since

it would mark the sc(~ ne of the first known English habita­tion

within the boundaries of tlw prt~ s(.' nt United States.

Point Reyes figured prominlmtly In the annals of ex­ploration

alon)!, the Pac: 1fic Coast. Drakes Day was then,

as now, a harbor of refuge shdwrcd from northerly

Winds but cxpost.' u to southern storms. Here in 1595 the

I I

Spanish explorer Sebastian Rodrlgul! s Cermeno suffered

the first recorded shipwreck in Californin waters when his

vessC! l, tll(! .1 San AgUSti~ l", was blown ashore near the

mouth of Drakes Esturo. Archeologists have recovered

from Indian mounds on tht! shores of Drakes Estero lots

of porpdain which almost surely canw from the " San

Agustin". Seven yum" s later, in 1602, the expedition of

Sebasdan VizcaIno, coming north froll1 Mexico, stopped

brieny near POint Reyes, giving dw anc/ 1orag(! the name

of Puerto de los Reyes or Port of tlw Kings.

The attempt of the Spanish to establish a settlement In

this port led to the discovery of one of the best natural

ports in the world. The Don Gaspar de Portola expedition

traveling by land up the coast from San Diego in 1769 was

thwarted in its search for Puerto de los Reyes by the es­tero

now called San FranciSCO Hay. Six years later and

173 y(! ars after Vizcaino visited Drakes Bay, Juan Manuel

de Ayala in the " San Carlos" made tlle first recorded pas"

sage through th'! Golden Gate. Thereafter, the anchorage

in Drakes Bay was overshadowed by the Port of San

Francisco.

During the C:! urly 19th century, Drakes Bay W, IS fammar

to the traders, whalt! rs, and fur hunters of the United

States, Mexico, Great Britain, and Russia and here the

well- known tFading vessel, the " Ayacucho" went ashore

in 1841.

Several large Mexican cattle ranches were established

on the Peninsula and later it became famed for its fine

dairy products, as it is today. For many years the pro­duce

from Point Reyes Peninsula was transported from

Drakes Estero and Tomales Bay to the San Francisco

markets in shallow- draft, coastal schooners. In l870the

Point Reyes Lighthouse was installed to protect shipping

on this dangerous section of the coast, the scene of many

tragic wrecks. A colorful chapter is formed by the ac­tivities

of smugglers in the region during the prohibition

period. During World War II artillery observation posts

and beach patrols were located on the Point Reyes Pen­insula

to defend San Francisco.

This, in brief, is the human story told by Point Reyes

PeninSUla. Perhaps nowhere else on the entire California

coast have the scenes of such a broad panorama of events

been left so untouched by the hand of man. As an unspoiled

bit of the country described by California' s early visitors,

it is unique. It enables us to place ourselves in the foot­steps

of these pioneers and to understand more vividly

their reaction to the scene. And it enables us to contrast

what they saw with the situation in most of the rest of Cal­ifornia

today and makes us think about the direction in

which our civilization is taking us.

The National Park Service would carefully plan the loca­tion

of developments and guide the recreation activities

in a manner which would leave important known historic

and archeological sites undisturbed so that specialists

would have opportunity to study them further and recom­mend

a course of action for preservation of important

sites. It is recommended that every possible attempt be

made to preserve for future study all types of archeologi­cal

sites on Drakes Bay, even those of modern derivation,

on the assumption that any spot indicative of aboriginal

occupation may yield data pertaining to the Drake Landing

question.

7 .

Clyde Sunder lund. Oakland Tomales Bay separates the north end of Point Reyes Peninsula from the mainlaQ

The depressed land surface beneath Tomales Bay extends southward through

Olema Valley at the head of the bay and continues on under Bolinas Lagoon. not

shown in the photograph. This depression delineates a short segment of the

San Andreas Fault Zone.

The Point Reyes Peninsula has moved slowly northward along this fault since

Cretaceous times 80 million years ago. but how far is not known. The present

rate of displacement is about two inches a year. After the great San Francisco

earthquake of 1906. a lateral land movement of 20 feet was recorded at the

THE head of Tomales Bay.

Geology OF POINT REYES

THE Point Reyes Peninsula can be conveniently divided

into four topographic sections. These are from east to

west: ( 1) the long straight depression occupied by Tom­ales

Bay, Olema Valley and Bolinas Lagoon, ( 2) the high

country of Inverness Ridge, ( 3) the rolling middleground

west of the ridge and ( 4) the promontory of Point Reyes

itself. Each of these landscapes reflects its geological

environment and history.

The long narrow valley extending from Bolinas Lagoon

to Tomales Bay, which separates the Peninsula from the

mainland, is the location of aportionofthe great San An­dreas

fault zone, along which the San Francisco earth­quake

of 1906 took place. Erosion of the shattered rock

along the fault zone has produced the long straight valley.

Lateral movement along the many earthquake cracks of

this fault zone, including the easily identified one of 1906,

8

PENINSULA

has produced a marked northward displacement of the

land west of the fault zone. As a result, the rocks of the

Peninsula which lie to the west of the fault . are completely

different in type and age from the rocks of the mainland

to the east; the Peninsula is an isolated geological unit.

The high country of Inverness Ridge is mOf'I.! yformed by

hard granite which has resisted erosion. The granite en­closes

areas of limestones, quartzites arid schists which

are the remnants of the rocks into which the granite was

intruded as a molten mass. These remnants are the old­est

rocks in the area.

Low rolling country of softer sa. nds and shales connects

Inverness Ridge with the promontory of Point Reyes, which

is composed again of hard granite as well as younger sed­iments.

The relation of these various strata can be seen

to advantage at the Point.

lip Hyde

WOODED UPLAND. The forest encircling Mud Lake illustrates

the two types of forests on Inverness Ridge. Broadleaf trees are

found in moist canyons an~ bordering the openings. Conifers are

, responsible for the name Black For est" which has been applied

to the Peninsula uplands. Mud Lake has an interesting history.

Most of the water drained out of the lake in the 1906 earthquake.

Landscape AND COVER TYPES

THE Point Reyes Peninsula is scenically and ecologi­cally

unique for the following reasons:

California's coastal climate has no counterpart in this

hemisphere. The warm, dry summers and cool, rainy

winters produce a Mediterranean type of climate. The

ocean fogs, which playa vital part in moderating seasonal

temperature variations, also create collateral climatic

conditions beneath the tall trees, and they influence vege­tation

on the Western slopes. These peculiar climatic

factors in combination with the great variations in topo­graphy

and soils of the Point Reyes. Peninsula have pro­duced

an extraordinary diversity of forests, brush lands,

grasslands, dune vegetation and marshes.

Point Reyes Peninsula flora evidences that the Penin­sula

has long been the meeting ground of northern and

southern California Coast Range floras, The Douglas fir

forest is a southern outpost of the Northern Forest Asso­Ciation.

In places stands of these trees around Inverness

Ridge resemble in density and uniformity the forests of

this species that grow far to the north. The Bishop pine

forest, on the other hand, is typical of the closed- cone

pine forests of coastal California which occur in isolated

groves from northern California south into Lower Calif­ornia.

Distributional relationships of other plants show

that the movements of floras have been much stronger

southward than northward.

The ranges of five species of plants are confined ex­clusively

to the Point Reyes Peninsula. Two endemic

Manzanitas, one having resemblances to a northern

species, the other resembling a southern species. occur

only on Mount Tamalpais and the Point Reyes Peninsula.

As a result of this diversified climate and plant life.

the wildlife exhibits a corresponding diversity, ranging

from salt- water shore birds to birds and mammals typ­ical

of dense mountain forests. One hurldred and sixty­three

species of birds and forty- three species of mammals

have been recorded.

WOODED UPLAND. A forest of Douglas firs grows on

the eastern slopes of Inverness Ridge and in some of the

deeper canyons facing the ocean. Bishop pines, unique to

the California Coast occur on the northern half of Inver­ness

Ridge. A small grove of Coast Redwoods adds to

the ecological variety. Mingled with the firs. or flanking

them at lower levels, are groves of broadleaf trees con­sisting

of California laurel, madrone, tanbark oak, live

oak, maple and wax myrtle, with a profusion of shrubS

including rhododendron, blue blossom, honeysuckle. wild

DHUSIiY SLOPES. Coastal brushland is a type of chaparral.

Slu'ubby plants, intermingled with perennial herbs, form tall,

dense thkkets on the moister siles. On drier, sunny hillsides

the same plants are lower and more bushy. Douglas firs are

illvading Ihe bl'ushland suggesting its existence is due to re­(!

urrin,:( fires which have been SUPPrl! ssed by civilized man.

Philip Hyde

• to.

GRASSY LOWLANDS. Several types of grassland on the

Point Reyes Peninsula are included in this category. Ora

growing on a delta at the head of Drakes Estero differs

similar plant associations found on the tops of adjacent

hills. Grassland associations have been modified by ca

grazing for so long that the present vegetation is not

sentative of natural conditions.

DUNES AND BEACHES. PLants growing on the sandy portion of the PeninsuLa

have adaptations which permit them to fill this niche In the scheme of nalure.

Persisting on the most recent geologic deposits they strive continuaLLy to hold

their ground. Those washed by the highest surf, or those literally anchor'lng

the dunes by their interlaced rootlets, differ markedly from inland species.

rose, and huckleberry. Here in thickets and tangles of

down logs, a few colonies of that living fossil, the moun­tain

beaver- which is not closely related to any other

rodent- still survive. Below the ridge crest and bordering

on the forest is an extensive belt of woodland, intersper­sed

with grasslands in which the California buckeye is a

common and conspicuous feature. This belt is a pleasant,

hospitable place for camping and picnicking. Deer, rab­bits,

quail, and many species of songbirds inhabit these

wooded uplands.

BRUSHY SLOPES. The brush covered slopes impart

their own unique scenic quality to the upland landscape,

and harbor bird species With comparably unique qualities.

The coastal brush association includes thickets of a chap­arral-

type growth on the seaward slopes, and wind- swept

plants on the maritime bluffs. In the hills and canyons,

the shrubs on the moister slopes form tall, dense thick­ets.

On the ocean bluffs plant growth is usually not so

dense, the plants are lower and more compact. In the

midst of the brushland, islands of Coast live oak and Cal­ifornia

laurel occur, the latter often wind- pruned. Some

twenty- five species of shrubs grow on these brushy slopes.

Coyote brush is a common colonizer and may occur as a

pure society.

GRASSY LOWLANDS. This very extensive zone covers

much of the seaward- facing lowlands, and gives to the

Point Reyes Peninsula the open space, the wide dimen­Sions,

the " elbow room" for which this area, so close to

the heart of San Francisco, remains uniquely valuable. A

profusion of wildflowers, dominated by lupines, decorates

this spacious area wherever grazing has not been too

severe. Brushland clearing on the flatter hilltops, and in

swales, has created artificial openings where grass pre­vails

with the help of man. Much of the grasslands on the

Peninsula may be due largely to agricultural practices.

Over the years, much of the lowland has been plowed,

planted to crops, and then seeded to grass. Heavy grazing

for over a century has drastically altered the natural

grassland complex. Possibly, the lowlands originally

were covered largely with brushy plants and the grass­lands

are mostly man- made.

DUNES AND BEACHES. The dramatic, see- saw struggle

of plants to bind the drifting sands along the Point Reyes

B each and establish themselves in spite of wind and waves

is a fascinating ecological story. Many of the dune

plants, particularly the lupines, produce a notable wild­flower

spectacle. Some of them are unique to the Penin­sula.

THE MARSHES. The fresh water marshes, although of

limited extent, are of great interest to plant ecologists,

to bird stUdents, and to scientists inotherfields. Vernal

pools behind sand dunes which have dammed drainages

produce a distinctive group of spring plants. The salt

water marshes are vital feeding grounds for a great var­iety

of waterfowl, including swans, marsh birds, and shore

birds, which forage the tidal pools where their food supply

becomes exposed twice daily.

11 •

t; limate OF POINT REYES

Point Reyes Peninsula climate is characterized by

wann, dry summers, and cool, rainy winters. This is

similar to the type of climate that prevails in the Medit­erranean

regions of Europe and Africa. Being located on

the sea coast, the Point Reyes Peninsula is strongly in­fluenced

by the Pacific Ocean. Constant winds of moder­ate

to strong velocity occur on the eXtxJsed headlands. The

prevailing westerly winds have high humidities which

accounts for the frequent fogs recorded at the lighthouse

on the western extremity of Point Reyes. These winds

have a moderating effect on coastal temperatures.

The U. S. Coast Guard Station located at the extreme

western end of Point Reyes is the only Government oper­ated

weather observation station on the Point Reyes Pen­insula.

Other weather observation stations in Marin Coun­ty

are located at Hamilton Air Force Base, San Rafael,

Kentfield, and Muir Woods National Monument. Thewea­ther

at these stations is often considerably different from

the Peninsula weather. It i. s believed therefore, that

weather observations from none of these inland stations

present a true picture of Peninsula weather.

The U. S. Weather Bureau and the U. S. Coast Guard

have maintained weather records at Point Reyes for at

least 60 years. TheCoastGuardnowmakes six observa­tions

each day, one every four hours. A summary of

weather conditions observed by the Coast Guard for the 5-

year period 1949- 1953 is given in Table No.!.

In summer the prevailing wind direction is northwest­erly.

There is a tendency for the winds to shift to the

south during winter. The annual average wind velocity

at the Coast Guard station on one of the most exposed

points of the Cape is about 11.5 miles per hour. The an­nual

average maximum velocity at the Station is about 43

miles per hour. November and December experience the

greatest wind velocities, but these occur during southerly

gales which happen infrequently. Inland from the headland

at Point Reyes, and along beaches sheltered by high bluffs,

the wind velocity decreases substantially.

Point Reyes and adjacent lands, especially along the 12

miles of beach on the north side of the Peninsula, almost

always experience gentle to moderate breezes, even on the

quieter days. Grass covered rolling hills in this vicinity

offer one of the best year around opportunities in the San

Francisco Bay Area for flying kites away from the danger

of traffic, power lines, and other hazards.

PENINSU LA

Elsewhere on the Peninsula the climate is hospitable

for swimming, picnicking. and Similar warm weather ac­tivities.

Drakes Beach, McClure Beach, and beaches on

Tomales Bay experience heavy public use in season.

Stinson B each State P ark. lying abOUt 3 miles south of the

Peninsula, had a visitation of about 500,000 people in

1959, attesting to the popularity of developed, accessible

beaches in a similar climate.

The temperature extremes recorded at Point Reyes

Lighthouse Station evidence the moderating inflUence of

the Pacific Ocean. The monthly average minimum and

maximum temperatures vary about 29 degrees Fahrenheit

throughout the year. Owing to the persistency of the fog

cover, through which it is said the sun's rays sometimes

fail to penetrate for three or even four weeks at a time,

Point Reyes has close to the lowest mid- summer tempera­ture

of any observation station in the United States. This

unique cool and moist climate on the Point offers a wel­come

refuge to the visitor coming from the hot and dry

Sacramento Valley, less than 100 miles away, where day­time

temperatures in the summer often rise to more than

100 degrees. In the summer the Point Reyes visitor can

usually experience the thrill of hearing the foghorn send

its deep- throated blasts seaward as a warning to off­shore

ships.

These temperature records, however, apply to thecli­mate

of the Point Reyes Lighthouse Station. Much higher

temperatures occur inland and especially on the beaches

of Drakes and Tomales Bays and the east side of Inverness

Ridge. In these places which are sheltered from the wind

and where the sun's rays are reflected from the light

colored sand or white colored cliffs, temperatures prevail

much higher than those recorded by the U. S. Coast Guard.

Headlands of capes on the Pacific Coast and offshore

islands are subjected to frequent heavy fogs. During most

of the year water temperature near the coast is lower

than that of the ocean farther to the west. The cooling ef­fect

of these coastal waters on the warmer, moist air

moving easterly produces fog which blankets the ocean

for 50 miles or more off the coast.

Summer fogs are common at the Point Reyes Lighthouse

Station in the months of July, August, September, and Oc­tober.

The U. S. COAST PlLOT published by the Depart­ment

of Commerce, states that Point Reyes is often spoken

of as being the actual center of heaviest and most frequent

fogs on the Pacific Coast. The Coast Guard operates its

Point Reyes fog signal an average of 1,493 hours per year,

and one year the signal was operated 2,920 hours or the

equivalent of about 122 days.

Rainfall averages about 11.6 inches per year at Point

Reyes with the greatest precipitation occurring during the

months of December, January and February. The summer

months receive little or no rain. A few miles inland front

the Point Reyes Peninsula rainfall is much greater, aver­aging

32 inches a year at the head of Tomales Bay, and 45

inches at Kentfield near San Rafael.

12.

History

OF POINT REYES PENINSULA LAND OWNERSHIP

A fundamental part of the history of the Point Reyes

Peninsula is the story of land ownership, beginning with

grants made by the Mexican Governors of California in

the 1830' s and 1840' s. The survey lines of these grants,

as later delineated by the U. S. Surveyor General, are

the basic land ownership lines of the area; some of them

are still to be found on official county maps and on topo­graphic

maps issued by the U. S. Government.

The lines continue to exist because title to the lands

had already been issued when the United State's took over

California in 1846, and because, by the terms of her

treaty with Mexico in 1848, the United States guaranteed

the security of property of the residents of these newly

acquired territories. It was the United States, however,

which determined the validity of the land grants and de­lineated

the boundaries of the lands previously granted by

the Spanish and Mexican governors of California. As we

shall see, the boundaries so determined did not necessar­ily

coincide with the lands actually occupied by the

grantees.

Most of the Olema- Bolinas Valley lying between To­males

Bay and Bolinas Lagoon was controlled by the Mis­sion

San Rafael during its period of power. In the 1820' s

most of the Indians in the valley and on the peninsula were

moved to San Rafael, leaving these lands vacant. Mission

San Rafael maintained its power until 1834, and the lands

over which it had control were therefore not available for

settlement. The first white family of record to move onto

the peninsula a, f ter secularization of the mission Was that

of Rafael GarCia. a retired corporal from the garrison at

San Francisco. He had been for some years a member of

the mil1~ ar¥ escort at Mission San Rafael. Some time in

1834 Garda settled in the Bolinas area. In July 1835 he

asked for, and recei, v ed the following year, a grant of about

8,800 acres. Garcia named his grant the Rancho Tomales

y Baulenes.

Then in 1836, James Richard Berry, in recognition of

services as a colonel in the Mexican Army, was granted

about 35,000 acres in the northern part of the Olema Val­ley

and on the west side of Tomales Bay. Berry named his

land the Rancho Punta de los Reyes. The relative posi­tions

of the two ranches are shown on the History of Land

Ownership map in Diagram No. 1.

According to the terms of his grant, Berry could not

sell or otherwise alienate his land. Nevertheless, in 1838

he did sell 8,800 acres along the shore of Tomales Bay

to Joseph F. Snook, an English sea captain and naturalized

Mexican citizen. Snook and Berry legalized the transac­tion

by the process of " denouncement!' This provision

of the Mexican law held that if a grantee were not using

all of his land, the unused portion could be " denounced"

by a second party, and if the c~, aim were found to be true,

that portion would be given to the denouncer. With Snook's

money already in Berry's pocket, Snook denounced the

8,800 acres, Berry assented, and the Governor gave the

land to Snook in 1839. Snook's portion of the Berry

Rancho is shown on Diagram No. 2.

Three months after Snook received the land officially,

he traded it for some prpperty in Southern California

belonging to Antonio Maria Osio, a government official

in Monterey, California. Osio continued to live in Mon­terey,

establishing a resident foreman on the northern

rancho. Then in 1840, OSio asked for a grant of the so­brante,

or remainder, of the Peninsula, and in 1843 it

I was given to him. In the meantime Rafael Garcia's bro-ther-

in- Iaw, Gregorio Briones, moved on to the land east

of Bolinas Lagoon and southerly along the coast. The

holdings in that year are shown on Diagram No. 3.

Boundaries of land grants were rarely clearly defined

in Spanish and Mexican California; there was plenty of

land for all. and in spite of generally vague property de­signations,

disputes were infre~ uent.

Nevertheless, because GarCia, Berry, Osio, and Bri­ones

were not actually using, the lands granted them, a

dispute arose in 1844. Garcia had moved up the Olema

Valley. crowding Berry into Osio's lands, and Gregorio

Briones had come into the land vacated by Garc[ a. The

relative positions occupied by the rancheros are shown on

Diagram No. 4, which is based on a report of the fiscal.

or Government attorney, in Monterey. December 28,

1844, when the three rancheros sought the assistance of

the Mexican Government to settle their boundaries. Fol­lowing

the American conquest of California in 1846, Osio

became dissatisfied with the new government, and in 1852

he moved his family to Baja California, selling his land -

the Snook portion of the Berry rancho, and the sobrante

- to an American resident of Monterey, Andrew Randall.

Randall began the long legal process of establishing the

validity of title through the United States Land Commis­sion

and the Federal Courts, but died before the process

was completed. The rancho was sold by the sheriff of

Marin County in satisfaction of a judgment, and eventually

was purchased by the San Francisco law firm of Shafter,

Shafter, P ark and Heydenfeldt. The firm also acquired

title to the Berry Rancho. and the Shafters, having bought

out their partners, were owners of most all of the Penin­sula,

as shown on Diagram No. 5,

Although the Shafter brothers had sold a 2,200 acre

ranch on Tomales Point to Solomon Pierce in 1858, they

and their heirs kept a tight hold on almost all of the re­mainder

of the Peninsula for over 60 years.

As Diagram No. 6 indicates. in 1869 lands jointly owned

by Oscar L. and James MeM. Shafter were divided into

six parcels. The Shafter brothers each retained two and

allotted two parcels to Charles Webb Howard, the son- in- I

law of Oscar Shafter.

The west end of Point Reyes was sold to the United

States, and the existing lighthouse was built there in 1870.

13 •

In 1889, several small tracts were sold by J ames Shafter

~ summer cottages in the Inverness area. Other than

Lor . d th

this subdivision, the lighthouse reservatlOn, . an e

Pierce ranch, the Shafter- Howard families retained own­ership

of their ranches until 1919. In that year the heirs

of Charles W. Howard sold their holdings to John Rapp,

who in turn sold the ranches to tenant farmers. In 1939

the James McM. Shafter and Oscar L. Shafter estates on

the Peninsula were sold, as is shown on Diagram No. 7.

The first ranchers who leased land from the Shafters

did not stay long. A comparison of the U. S. Census of

1860 and 1870 shows a complete population change in the

Point Reyes township in this decade. The names of only

two ranchers listed in the census of 1880 are found in the

PRESENT

Land Ownership and lIse

Essentially all of Point Reyes Peninsula proposed for

inclusion in the national seashore is privately owned. It

passed into private ownership before California became a

state. Most of this land was later acquired by the Shafter

family who held it until 1919 when a few of the present

ranch owners purchased their lands. The majority bought

in 1939 or later. Some of the persons listed in Table 2

purchased lands only a few years ago.

Sixty- two persons or corporations have properties

within the proposed boundary. Twenty- six of these prop­erties

are small tracts ranging in size from a few hun­dredths

of an acre to 14 acres. They account for a total

of 73 acres. Ninety- nine percent of all the lands on the

Peninsula suggested for seashore status is owned by 2S

persons or corporations. Six of these 25 properties con­tain

25,468 acres which constitutes 48 percent of all the

land in the proposed seashore.

Federal property within the exterior boundaries of the

proposed seashore includes three parcels. The old U. S.

Naval Compass Station, comprising 3.4 acres, is one

parcel. Another is the Point Reyes Lifebo at Station which

contains 12.21 acres that was conveyed to the United

States in 1913 by the Howard family for a life- saving sta­tion.

Nearly 10 of these 12 acres are rights- of- way for

roads which provide access to the Lifeboat Station from

the Sir Francis Drake Highway. The third parcel is the

120- acre lighthouse reservation on Point Reyes. It is not

contemplated that these lands would be acquired for public

seashore use unless so requested by the Navy or Coast

Guard.

The Marin County Drakes Beach Park of 52.12 acres

and the contiguous Drakes Historical Monument of 2.14

Marin County Great Register of lti': Jb. ::> orne of these

later ranchers lived on the Peninsula for longer periods;

for instance James McClure, a native of Ireland, was

naturalized in San Rafael in 1896 and that year was a reg­istered

voter in the Point Reyes precinct. He was still

living on the Peninsula in 1919, the year he bought a ranch

from John Rapp south of Abbotts Lagoon. His Wife, Mar­garet

McClure and two sons, David and George, now live

on the old Pierce ranch.

Thus it was not until relatively recent years that indiv­idual

ranchers have been able to own their own land on

the Peninsula. The present pattern of land holdings is

illustrated on Diagram No. 8.

acres would be included in the proposal, if agreeable to

the County.

Uses of land as of April 1960 within the boundaries of

the proposed Point Reyes National Seashore consist most­ly

of dairy and beef cattle ranching. Lands owned or

leased by dairy ranchers total about 19,000 acres, while

lands used for grazing beef cattle total about 23 ,000 acres.

About half ( 9,600 acres) of the lands comprising the dairy

ranches are proposed for lease- back in the Ranching

Area; the other half are in the suggested PUBLIC USE

AREA. Some 6,000 acres of the beef cattle ranches are

within the RANCHING AREA with 17,000 acres in the

PUBLIC USE AREA.

Lands included in both dairy and beef cattle ranches are

not all suitable for grazing. There are approximately

3,000 acres of sand dunes and sea cliffs which furnish

little or no forage for cattle. Practically all of these poor

grazing lands have been included in the PUBLIC USE

AREA. At least half of the 12,000 acres of densely for­ested

land in the proposed national seashore are designa­ted

above as beef cattle ranches. Parts of both dairy and

beef cattle ranches are covered with brush especially in

the steeper slopes where very little grass grows or is

available to cattle.

Considered here as dairy and beef cattle ranches are

the Radio Corporation of America and American Tele­phone

and Telegraph properties. The amount of land

used for the radio receiving stations and the areas leased

for cattle grazing has not been determined. Eighteen of

the 25 ranches in the proposed seashore are operated by

lessees.

14 •

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18

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TABLE NO. : 2 - PRESENT LAND OWNERSHIP

Proposed Point Reyes National Seashore

KEY

NO OWNER PUBLIC RANCHING TOTAL KEY PUBLIC RANCHING TOTAL

~~_~_~ . ____~ _ .• __' :.~ E AR!.~_.~. _. .~ ~~ E ....._ ~ ••~ ~~.~ E_ • NO •••.•_ ._ O_ W_ N. • E _ R _ _____. :::.: US::..:: Ec....:.: AR:..: E~ A_= AR::.: e::..:.: A_ _.:.:. AC:: R:.:: e::.:. AG:: E~

1. American Tel. & Tel. Co. 160.13 361.70 521.83 33. Mendoza, Zenna

2. Barnes, Fred H. 0.58 0 0.58 34. Menzies, R. H.

3. Benevenga, Emma K. 0.04 0 0.04 35. Murphy, Anna J.

4. Blair, FranCis P. 1.35 0 1.35 36. Murphy, Leland S.

5. Blancharo. Russell H. 0.34 0 0.34 37. Murray, Blaine, Jr.

6. Calif. Pacific Title Co. 252.69 596.26 848.95 38. Nunes, George P.

7. Chase, Richard D. 12.10 0 12.10 39. Onslow, Ford

8. Collins, H. A. 2.00 0 2.00 40. Ottinger, Millard R.

9. County of Marin 54.87 0 54.87 41. Parker, Alan B.

10. Danielson, Norman 1.45 0 1.45 42. Pt. Reyes Land & Dev. Co.

11. Gallagher, Edward 577.91 1,078.36 1,656.27 43. Powers, John J.

12. Gallagher, Thomas 1,053.3 0 1,053. S 44. Radio Corp. of America

13. Ghisletta, Ernest 162.78 1,077.22 1.240.00 45. RIghetti. Ethel

14. Gottschalk- Sieroty Co. 90. 0 90. 46. Santori, Frank

15. Grossi, D. 120.17 2,624.83 2,745, 47. Schluckebler, LudWig

16. Hagmaier, Daniel P. 499.04 0 499.04 48. Scoville, Loren P.

17. Hall, William T. 1,211.41 0 1,211.41 49. Silveira, Christina T.

18. Heims, Edward H. 273.50 841.50 1,115. 50. Smoot, S. A.

19. Hoefler, Otto 1.4 a 1.4.51. Spenger, Frank

20. Holter, Malone, Richards 63.0 43.0 106. 52. Stewart, Boyd

21. Jensen, Eileen C 1.0 0 1.0 53. Teixeira, Joseph F.

22. Jensen, Mary D. 5. 0 5. 54. Tevis Land & Livestock Co .

23. Kehoe, James V. 550.29 712.73 1,263.02 55. The Golden Rule Church

~. ~ elham, Grace H. 7,714.66 0 7,714.66 56. Turney, Sayles A.

26' Kllkenn~, Lillian H. 18.1 0 18.1 57. U. s. Pt. Reyes Lifeboat Sta.

2 • Ling, C a~ es D. 1.02 0 1.02 58. U. S. Naval Compass Sta.

2~' owman, alden C., Jr. 0.56 0 0.56 59. U. S. Pt. Reyes Lighthouse

• Lupton, Earl L. 0.95 0 0.95 60. Vedanta Society

29. McClure, James 735.21 956.76 1,691.97 61. Ward. John F.

SO. McClure, Margaret 2,536.76 0 2,536.76 i 62. Wistar, Richard

31. McDonald. Morton 0.75 0 0.75'

32. Marshall, Robert D. 452.40 1,406.16 1,858.56 Totals

Boundaries SUGGESTED USE ZONES

2,437.79

3.22

1.51

1,085.29

8.78

435.20

o

o

1.31

406.4

3.5

396.18

80.

0.50

1.

4.51

0.61

84.

9.06

889.61

230.24

• 3,605.20

3.348.22

709.53

12.21

3.4

120.

2,026.69

0.70

14.43

o

o

o

1,927.53

o

1,037.20

76.30

4,040.43

o

o

o

1,077.74

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

2.211.47

o

o

o

o

o

o

2,437.79

3.22

1.51

3.012.82

8.78

1,472.4

76.30

4,040.43

1.31

406.4

3.5

1,473.92

80.

0.50

1.

4.51

0.61

84.

9.06

889.61

230.24

3,605.20

3,348.22

2,921.00

12.21

3.4

120.

2,026.69

0.70

14.43

32,473.85 20,069.19 52,543.04

Recreation lands for public use, ranch lands for dairy

farms. and expansion areas for established communities

consitute major use zones of the national seashore pro­posal

for the Point Reyes P~ nin8ula. Additional uses in­clude

the Point Reyes Lighthouse, the Point Reyes Life­boat

Station, the fishing and oyster industries, and the

radio receiving installations.

covered. This part of the Peninsula includes the high In­verness

Ridge and the freshwater lake region.

Point Reyes Peninsula contains roughly 100 square

miles or 64,000 acres. The suggested . PUBLIC USE

AREA for recreation would contain about 33,000 acres,

the RANCHING AREA about 20,000, and the established

communities With their expansion areas approximately

11,000 acres.

The majority of the wooded uplands on the Peninsula

are included in the PUBLIC USE AREA because of their

high recreation values, and becaUSe the forest and hills

should be protected from additional timber cutting and re­sulting

soil erosion. The southern part of the PUBLIC

USE AREA accounts for more than half of the recreation

use zone. Three- fourths of this land is wooded or brush-

Beef cattle ranches in the PUBLIC USE AREA total

about 17,000 acres, and provided grazing for approximate­ly

1,500 head of cattle in the spring of 1960.

AU of the lands of three dairy ranches in the PUBLIC

USE AREA on that portion of the Peninsula south and

west of Drakes Estero eventually would be required for

recreation. If the national seashore were established,

heavy public use on both sides and around the southern

end of the Peninsula would materially interfere with the

use of the land for dairyrallching. Any attempt to allocate

the lands for both recreation and ranching would be unfair

to both seashore visitors and the ranchers.

Boundary lines for the PUBLIC USE AREA have been

drawn so as to interfere as little as possible with the

dairy and beef ranches. A large portion of these ranch

lands consists of terrain unsuitable for cattle grazing. A

narrow strip along the coast between Point Reyes and To­males

Point, for instance, is covered with dune sand. Much

15 .

of the narrow strip of land proposed for recreation which

encircles Drakes Estero consists of cliffs or steep hill­sides

covered with brush. Practically all of the east side

of Inverness Ridge, the majority of the top, and a large

share of the western slope are so densely forested and

covered with brush as to furnish relatively little forage

for livestock.

The RANCHING AREA of about 20,000 acres consists

primarily of dairy lands and it is proposed that they

should be leased back to the ranchers for continuance of

that type of land use. Within the RANCHING AREA, ten

dairy ranches run approximately 3,600 head of dairy

stock with about half of them in active milk production.

Six ranches in this area now raise a reported 2,000 head

of beef cattle. At least two of the latter ranches were

formerly dairy ranches and could be used again for pro­duction

of milk. Included as ranches are the properties

of the Radio Corporation of America and the American

Telephone and Telegraph Company. P arts of both of these

properties are leased to tenant ranchers - one of whom

operates a dairy ranch; the other raises beef cattle.

Half of the dairy ranches in the RANCHING AREA are op­erated

by tenants; about half of the beef cattle ranches are

run by tenants or close relatives of the owners.

Point Reyes Lighthouse, which has been an aid to navig­ation

for nearly a century, and the Point Reyes Lifeboat

Station would continue to be operated by the U. S. Coast

Guard. Both of these installations have fascinating his­tories

and stories which could show by proper interpre­tive

devices the role of the United States Government in

guiding ships and in saving the lives of sailors.

The commercial fishing industry on Point Reyes could

contribute significantly to public enjoyment of the pro­posed

seashore. Continuation of fishing, expansion of

facilities to include sea- food restaurants, markets, and

Surf fishing from the beaches, deep sea salmon trolling in Drakes Bay

abalone fishing on reefs or rocky shores, and clamming on tide flats

sports which could be enjoyed by fishermen if the shores of the

were accessible to the public.

charter- boat service for deep sea fishing, would be ac­tivities

compatible with the seashore recreation area con­cept.

Consideration is being given by other public agen­cies

to the construction of a jetty from the eastern end of

Point Reyes which would make a harbor of refuge for

pleasure craft. The presence of a safe anchorage near

good fishing waters, especially when salmon are running,

and a refuge when unexpected storms make the Golden

Gate hazardous for small craft, would permit a signifi­cant

increase in the use of these waters by boats berthed

in San Francisco Bay. Launching ramps within the harbor

of refuge would also permit smaller boats to fish Drakes

Bay.

The - oyster industry in Drakes Estero would be bene­fited

by establishment of the proposed national seashore.

Pollution of these waters, which would occur if the sur­rounding

land were subdivided and occupied, would put the

oyster operation out of business. A restaurant speciali­zing

in selling and serving fresh oysters and other sea

foods would add another recreation attraction to the pro­posed

seashore. Additionally, culture of oysters is an

interesting industry which presents exceptional educa­tional

opportunities for introducing students to the field

of marine biology.

Included in the PUBLIC USE AREA is the ocean beach

fronting the American Telephone and Telegraph Company

and the Radio Corporation of America properties. No road

would be built between the receiving stations and the

ocean. No vehicles would be allowed on the beach, nor

power boats on Abbotts Lagoon. Sir Francis Drake High­way

would be relocated in order to remove highway traf­fic

from the immediate vicinity of the radio stations. Re­tention

of the ranching area in its present- day agricul­tural

use would preclude electrical interferences which

would occur if the Peninsula were subdivided.

16 •

~ Hy de

BEACH USE. Hearts Desire Beach in Tomales Bay State Park is characteristic

of several beaches within the proposed seashore. A similar but larger beach in

Tomales Bay is suggested for development to provide for the usual activities

associated with beach recreation.

POSSIB LE

Development Layout

THE accompanying drawing shows in stippled pattern the

RANCHING AREA of 20,000 acres, and the adjoining PUB­LIC

USE AREA, of 33,000 acres. Also shown are Tomales

Bay State Park; the U. s. Coast Guard facilities, and the

community areas of Bolinas, Inverness, and Inverness

Park, which are excluded from the national seashore pro­posal.

Developments would be planned to avoid the RANCHING

AREA insofar as that is possible. The roads would tra­verse

the RANCHING AREA to some extent, of course, and

would be needed not only by the public but by the ranchers

as well. There are a number of existing roads in that

area, and it is felt that ultimately the road system most

satisfactory for all concerned would probably be somewhat

different from the road system presently in use. It is be­lieved

that there would be a total of about 25 miles of new

roads within the proposed national seashore, and about 40

17

miles of improved existing roads. The horse and hiking

trails, either new or improved, would total approximately

25 miles. The trail system would include short stretches

of trail which would be necessary to provide for public

access to the beaches from nearby parking areas at num­erous

points along the coast. Also there would be a num­ber

of miles of hiking trails and horse trails in the inter­ior

of the area ••

Beach developments would consist of bath houses, shel­ters,

comfort stations, food concessions, picnic facilities,

potable water and parking areas. One major development

of this kind would be possible at Drakes Beach on the im­mediate

shores of Drakes Bay, and a second major devel­opment

could be located in the Tomales Bay area. It is

believed that most of these facilities would be developed

and operated by concessioners.

Picnic areas would be developed at five major locali-

Philip Hyde

ties, to accommodate a total of about 2,000 people at one

time.

The proposed campgrounds represent probably the only

overnight accommodations which should be developed,

in the opinion of the planners. The nearby communities

are so close, and there is such a fine opportunity for them

to improve their public accommodations in caring for

many seashore visitors, that it hardly seems justifiable

to consider major overnight accommodations such as ho-

BEACH ACCESS. This parking area built by Marin County on the Piel

Ranch provides public access across private land to McClure Beach.

Planned development of roads in the proposed seashore calls for park~

areas that would make many beaches accessible to seashore visitors.

tels and motels within the proposed national seashore

itself. The total campground facilities contemplated

would be 500 units in three major centers- Inverness

Ridge, Drakes Estero, and the Bolema Club area. It is

believed that exceedingly attractive campgrounds could

be developed in these areas.

Riding stables could be developed on the Bear Valley

Ranch, utilizing existing barns and corrals which are

near the proposed entrance to the seashore area.

• 18 •

REPORT ON THE

Economic Feasibility

of the

Proposed

POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE

1961

prepared by

REGION FOUR OFFICE

Lawrence C. Merriam, Regional Director

180 New Montgomery Street

San Francisco 5, California

February 1961

UNITED STATES

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Stewart L. Udall, Secretary

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Conrad L. Wirth, Director

Report on the

Economic Feasibility of the PROPOSED POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE

INTRODUCTION

This report concerns a survey of the economic conse­quences

relating to the proposal to establish a Point Reyes

National Seashore. The survey was conducted by the

National Park Service in collaboration with University of

California Professor John W. Dyckman of the Department

of City and Regional Planning, and Professor Julius Mar­golis

of the School of Business Administration. Marin

County Assessor Bert Brommel and Executive Vice Pres­ident

Kenneth Davis of the Point Reyes National Seashore

Foundation also made highly important contributions.

A tentative economic report, based on preliminary data,

was completed in early 1960. The findings of that report

were later supplemented by additional, more detailed in­formation

- especially concerning assessed valuation -

which was brought out at a public hearing held in Kent­field,

California, by a Public Lands Subcommittee of the

Senate Committee QIl Interior and Insular Affairs.

Since the hearing, there has been opportunity to check

further with Marin County officials, and the former tenta­tive

report has been edited to bring it into concert with

the additional information presented at the Senate hearing.

This document, which reflects the changes that have been

made in ' the earlier report, represents a meeting of minds

between the Marin Coun~ y Assessor and the National Park

Service with respect to assessed valuations.

So far as the investigators are concerned this report

concludes the work to be done, at least for the time being,

on the economics of the Point Reyes proposal. At some

future time it may be feasible to develop other economic

aspects of the Point Reyes proposal, and thus make a fur­ther

contribution to the field of recreation economics, but

there are no specific ideas in this connection on the part

of the National P ark Service at this time.

SUMMARY

The proposed Point Reyes National Seashore is situated

on the Point Reyes Peninsula, a conspicuous promontory

on the coast of Marin County, California. The highway

entrance to the Peninsula is 30 to 35 miles northwest of

San Francisco.

The area under consideration includes approximately

53,000 acres of land, plus bays, inland lakes, and tidal and

submerged lands extending one- quarter mile to seaward

from mean high tide. The varied character of the shore­line,

with its wide sandy beaches, wave- swept caves and

offshore rocks, and steep coastal bluffs combines with

sand dunes and grasslands, chaparral and scenic fir and

pine forest to make the area one of the most outstanding

segments of unspoiled seashore yet remaining along the

Pacific Coast.

The proximity of the proposed national seashore to one

of the major metropolitan centers of the United States is a

feature that adds greatly to the recreation importance

of the area,.

Practically all of the lands within the suggested bound­ary

of the proposed area are in private ownership and

. 2.

those in productive use are largely devoted to dairy oper­ations

and beef cattle ranching. Under the present pro­posal

the Point Reyes National Seashore would be oper­ated

through two types of land management. Of the 53,000

acres which would be acquired, 33,000 acres would be

managed solely for public use. Some 20,000 acres of land

situated in the central part of the Peninsula would be

leased for ranching purposes to preserve the present

pastoral scene.

The suggested boundaries as of April 1960 include a

total of 15 dairy ranches which support approximately

7,000 dairy' stock, with about 3,175 head in active milk

production, and 10 beef cattle ranches with approximately

3,500 head of beef cattle. If the national seashore were

established and managed in accordance with the present

proposal, about half the dairy lands and beef cattle lands

would continue operation under lease agreements. Ranch­ing

operation within the portion of the national seashore to

be reserved for public use would be largely, if not wholly,

discontinued. Two existing trans- Pacific radio receiving

stations, maintained by the Radio Corporation of America

and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, res­spectively,

would remain and would continue operation.

Additional installations, consisting of public utilities in the

form of electric power and telephone services, not only

would remain in. operation but would require expansion

in connection with national seashore development.

Existing commercial oyster beds and an oyster cannery

at Drakes Estero, plus three existing commercial fisher­ies,

should continue under national seashore status be­cause

of their public values. The culture of oysters is an

interesting and unique industry which presents exceptional

educational opportunities for introducing the public, es­pecially

students, to the field of marine biology. Contin­uation

of commercial fishing, with expansion of existing

facilities to include sea food restaurants and markets and

charter boat service for deep sea sport fishing would be

compatible with the seashore concept.

Almost all of the Peninsula is privately owned and there

is very limited access to the shoreline. Thus recreation

now plays a relatively minor role within the boundaries of

the proposed national seashore. Public areas are limited

to two small developments along the shore.

On the basis of Marin County tax records, the total

assessed valuation of lands and improvements within the

53,000 acres of the proposed national seashore is approx­imately

$ 2,695,000. This figure includes approximately

$ 1,726,000 in lands and improvements that are assessed

locally ( by the County) and $ 968,550 in the State- assessed

commuriications and power utilities already mentioned,

which would remain if a national seashore were estab­lished.

Of the locally- assessed lands and improvements,

approximately $ 1,291,000 represents the assessed valua­tion

within the proposed PUBLIC USE AREA and approx­imately

$ 435,000 the value within the proposed RANCHING

AREA .

Lands and improvements in Marin County are presently

assessed at 23 percent of market value. On that basis,

the value of the locally- assessed lands and improvements

within the proposed area is estimated at about $ 7,500,000,

of which some $ 5,610,000 represents the value within the

proposed PUBLIC USE AREA and $ 1,890,000 the value

within the proposed RANCHING AREA. Since it is likely

that land is somewhat under- assessed for the reason that

assessments are presently based on a 1956 market level,

the actual fair market value will be greater than the fig­ures

indicate.

Taxes on property for the entire 53, OOO- acre area in

the 1959- 1960 fiscal year totalled slightly less than

$ 160,000. Tax revenues from the proposed PUBLIC USE

AREA amounted to $ 102,000 and revenues from the pro­posed

RANCHING AREA $ 58,000.

It is anticipated that the visitors who would use the

facilities at the Point Reyes National Seashore would be

derived from two groups: residents within the nine- county

San Francisco Bay Area, plus Sacramento and San Joaquin

Counties, who would account for most of the day use at­tendance

at the national seashore; and tourists, together

with residents outside fhe nine- county ring, ' who would

contribute substantially to the overnight, weekend and

vacation attendance.

In consideration of the population growth which is ex­pected

within the nine- county Bay Area, and others who

would visit the national seashore for day use types of

recreation, it is estimated that the national seashore would

receive at least 2.1 million days of visitor use annually

by 1980. Assuming that sufficient campgrounds were pro­vided

within the national seashore and that ample over­night

accommodations were developed by private interests

outside the boundaries, it is estimated that overnight,

weekend and vacation use could account for at least

250,000 additional visitors per year by 1980.

The value of the non- recreation land of the Point Reyes

Peninsula up to 1960 has not been great. Relatively few

land transactions have taken place during the recent past,

and average prices per acre have been low.

According to the Marin ' County Tax Assessor, if the

Point Reyes National Seashore is established and managed

as presently proposed ( assuming that all taxable property

except utilities on the 33,000 acres designated for public

use would be removed from the tax rolls, and the taxable

value of 20,000 acres designated for ranching adjusted to

a possessory interest tax basis), there would result a

local and county tax loss of possibly $ 60,300 annually.

The economic survey indicates that the removal of lands

from the tax rolls in the event of national seashore es­tablishment

would not necessarily result ' in increased tax

burdens to other property owners • . Also it indicates that

any possible loss in annual tax revenues as estimated

above unquestionably would be more than compensated for

by the various taxes paid by existing and new facilities

and services that would be essential to serve the visitors.

On the basis of research to date the question of whether

subdivision developments, which might occur if a national

seashore were not established, would increase or de­crease

the tax burdens of other reSidents would depend

largely upon the types of developments. However; accord-

.3.

ing to Marin County fiscal officials, lite addition of the

average tract home to the tax base does not react favor­ably

to the tax position of property owners in general.

This is so because the added tax revenue realized from

the new home is less than the costs of educati, on and other

governmental functions needed to service that home.

Marin County has fewer industrial properties in pro­portion

to residential properties than other counties in

the Bay Area- over 67 percent of the tax base is in im­proved

residential property. This fact, in turn, has re­sulted

in a property tax burden on households which is

greater than for any other Bay Area county. A national

seashore would serve in the same role as industrial

property in that it would attract taxable commerce and

facilities beyond what would otherwise be required to

serve the visiting public. Such expansion would add to the

property, sales, gasoline and other tax bases of the

county. In addition, the proximity of a national seashore

would attract new commercial enterprises to the region

because they would find that the recreation advantages of

Marin County would make it easier to hold skilled labor

and professional forces, especially of the substantial

types Marin County is trying to attract.

CRITERIA FOR NATIONAL SEASHORE DEVELOPMENT

A brief review of the criteria with which we are con­cerned

in this case is necessary before proceeding with

the economic appraisal itself. Since there is as yet but

one established national seashore, an explanation of how

this type of area differs from other units of the National

Park System is in order.

A national seashore is distinguished from a national

park primarily in its method of development and manage­ment,

which may be somewhat less restrictive than in a

national park. The national parks are spacious land

areas which have suffered little or no alteration by man,

and require exacting application of protective controls to

conserve, unimpaired, their compelling manifestations

of nature. A national seashore, although it may offer

certain unique or outstanding natural history elements

requiring absolute preservation just as in a national

park, generally will be capable of sustaining as a major

objective a varied public recreation program less res­trictive

than would be suitable in a national park. Both

types of areas are administered under the laws, rules and

regulations of the National Park Service.

The proposed Point Reyes National Seashore exem­plifies

critically significant ecological processes involv­ing

varieties of earth and life resources which combine

to produce rare scenery and a diversity of recreation

opportunities. All of the recreation activities reasonably

allowable at a national seashore are frankly encouraged.

Boating and other water and beach recreation, softball,

and other sports and games may be highly consistent

where they can be worked out without endangering other

important considerations. Thus, public use opportunities

could exert more recreation " pulling" force than is us­ually

expected at a national park where the recreation use

is generally of a more passive or contemplative nature.

Preservation of the unique attractions of the natural

scene is an obligation which should not be evaluated by

economic techniques. Hence, such an evaluation is outside

the scope of the report.

THE POllNT REYES AREA

Location

The Point Reyes Peninsula is situated on the coast of

Marin County, California~ The Peninsula extends north­ward

along 45 miles of seashore from a point some 15

miles north of the entrance to the Golden Gate Channel

of San Francisco Bay. The highway entrance to the Pen­insula

is 30 to 35 miles from downtown San Francisco.

Character of the Area

The proposed Point Reyes National Seashore is one of

five coastal areas identified in the Pacific Coast Recrea­tion

Area Survey, published in 1959, as possessing scenic,

SCientific, and recreation values of possible national sig­nificance.

That survey describes the area as follows:

" The shoreline varies in character, with wide sandy

beaches, wave- swept ca,,{ es, offshore rocks, steep coastal

bluffs and one three- mile long sandspit. The upland con­sists

of sand dunes and grassland graduating into chapar­ral

and magnificent fir and pine forests. Also included

are such features as Drakes Estero with its 28 miles of

shoreline, 9 inland fresh- water lakes plus Abbotts Lagoon

of several hundred acres, several fresh and salt water

marshes, and an interesting · variety of birds and mam-mals."

-

Two other commanding facts of the proposed national

seashore which have to do with its location are particu­larly

worthy of attention.

First, it is extremely rare for such a large unspoiled

area of great natural interest to be within such easy reach

of a major metropolitan area ( The San Francisco- Oakland

Metropolitan Area) as is the Point Reyes Peninsula. The

values inherent in superlative natural areas identify and

characterize them, of course, regardless of their geo­graphic

relation to user populations; and it so happens

that most of them are far more distant from population

centers than is Point Reyes.

The second locational attribute is that found in the ris­ing

attractiveness of water- related recreation. The most

rapidly growing recreation activities are those of boating

and other water- related uses. Where conservation objec­tives

can include the creation of opportunities for rec­reation

water use, an impressively large volume of bene­fits

can result, as the reservoirs impounded by the U. S.

Bureau of Reclamation, the Corps of Engineers, and other

agencies attest.

These two factors of the Point Reyes area, its nearness

to major populations and the added recreation lure of

swimming and boating water, would be important factors

in the total benefits accruing from national seashore

development.

Access

The Point Reyes Peninsula is well located with respect

to both the large northern California metropolitan popu-

. 4.

lation, and the sizeable volume of national tourists who

visit California each year.

At present, two highway routes provide major access to

the Peninsula. U. S. Highway 101, the main arterial traf­fic

route through San Francisco, is less than 15 miles to

the east of the proposed national seashore. State Highway

1. which follows the coastline and connects with U. S. 101

about 13 miles south of Bolinas Bay and 4 miles north of

the Golden Gate Bridge. is immediately east of the Pen­insula.

Additional access is afforded by certain county spur

roads which connect these two main highways atfrequent

intervals north of the above junction. These are slow­speed

and scenically interesting roads.

East- west U. S. 40 inter- connects San Francisco and

Oakland with Sacramento on U. S. 99, which roughly

parallels U. S. 101 about 70 miles to the east. U. S. 50

connects the same two cities with Stockton; U. S. 40 joins

trans- continental U. S. 30 at Salt Lake City; and other

major trans- continental routes connect with U. S. 99 at

various points. The improvement of U. S. Highways 30

and 99 as part of the Federal Interstate arid Defense

Highway System will further the presently good access

to Point Reyes by national routes.

In addition, the completion of routes now approved for

the California Freeway and Expressway System, all

scheduled within the next 20 years, will bring virtually

alL sections of the Peninsula in direct contact with the

major freeway systems. Legislative Route No. 69, over

the existing Sir Francis Drake Highway which connects

Point Reyes Station with the Marin County seat at San

Rafael and U. S. 101, will be brought up to freeway stand­ards

over its 25- mile length. Legislative Route No. 252,

which will join the Sir Francis Drake Highway near Nica­sio

five miles southeast of Point Reyes Station, will feed

in from Novato on U. S. 101 and will provide direct access

to Point Reyes from points within the Sacramento Valley.

Legislative Route No. 51 will extend from the community

of Valley Ford, about seven airmiles northeast of Tom­ales

Point, to the City of Santa Rosa on U. S. 101, serving

the Sonoma Valley. Legislative Route No. 56 calls for the

improvement of California State Highway 1, the Coast

Highway, to freeway standards over a 48- mile stretch

reaching from its junction with U. S. 101 near the Golden

Gate Bridge to its intersection with Legislative Route No.

51 at Valley Ford, thus greatly reducing time- distances

to Point Reyes from both north and south.

These Federal and State programs will greatly improve

and speed access to Point Reyes; connections between it

and major U. S. travel routes, such as U. S. 99 and local

traffic interchanges at San Francisco, will provide fur­ther

ready access. Interior access, however, now is

extremely limited by large ranch holdings which are not

traversed by public roads. Suggested development for the

proposed national seashore calls for construction of ap­proximately

25 miles of new roads, the improvement of

an additional 40 miles of existing roads, interior road

bridges, an entrance road tunnel and about 25 miles of

horse and hiking trails.

With these improvements, a wide range of attractions

would be opened to the visitors. In addition to the natural

attractions the area possesses, which could be opened to

public use merely by providing access such as the sug­gested

hiking and riding trails and scenic overlooks,

many others would have supporting facilities and devel­opments

for full public use and enjoyment.

The National Seashore Proposal

Preliminary plans provide for the acquisition of ap­proximately

53,000 acres of land for the proposed Point

Reyes National Seashore. The suggested boundaries also

include tidal and submerged lands extending one- quarter

mile to seaward from mean high tide. The existing com­munities

of Bolinas and Inverness, plus lands required

for their expansion, and the existing I, Ol9- acreTomales

Bay State Park, administered by the California StateDiv­ision

of Beaches and Parks, are excluded from the bound­aries.

Although they are situated within the exterior

boundaries as presently proposed, 120 acres ofland com­prising

the U. S. Coast Guard Point Reyes Lighthouse

Reservation and the Coast Guard's Lifeboat Station of

about 12 acres, also are excluded from the proposal.

Two types of land management are proposed within

the exterior boundaries of the proposed national seashore.

Thirty- three thousand acres of land, including the pro­montories

of Point Reyes a., d Tomales Point and the for­ested

eastern and southern portions of the Peninsula,

plus inter- connecting strips along the coastline, would be

managed solely for public use. The 20,000 acres of land

situated in the central part of the Peninsula also would

be acquired in fee simple by the Federal Government,

but would be leased back to the ranchers to preserve the

present pastoral scene which is such an important qual­ity

in the Point Reyes Peninsula landscape.

Present Land Uses

Though the Point Reyes Peninsula is within the San

Francisco- Oakland Standard Metropolitan Area, it has

been off the main path of urban development to date. With

the lag in development until recently, land prices on the

Peninsula have remained relatively low and use of the

land has remained at a relatively low intensity. Nearly

70 percent of the Peninsula is taken up by brushlands

and grasslands which are used for the grazing of live­stock.

Forest lands total about 12,000 of the 53,000

acres within the exterior boundaries of the proposed

national seashore. The forest consists mainly of Douglas

fir, Bishop pine and several species of broadleaf trees.

Spectacular dunes and sea cliffs account for about

3,000 acres.

Considerable land on the Point Reyes Peninsula was

under cultivation during World War II. Since that time,

however, this form of land use has been almost entirely

discontinued, due largely to the problem of obtaining and

holding the labor required in connection with cultivated

crops. At the present time, only a very minor fraction

of the total acreage on the Peninsula is devoted to this

use., It consists of grain crops and grain- type hay for

livestock, rather than the more diversified crops that are

raised elsewhere in Marin County. The major types of

existing land uses are indicated in the following table:

.5.

TABLE I

Acreage in

Existing Major Land Uses

Within Exterior in

Boundaries of Proposed Public Use

National Seashor e Arl.! a

Forest 12,000 11,000

Brushland and Grazing 36,500 18,160

Dunes and Cliffs 3,060 3,060

Cultivated Lands:

Grain- type hay 340 80

Grain crops 1,100 700

Total Acreage 53,000 33 ,000

In

Ranching

Area

1,000

18,340

260

400

20,000

As the large acreage of brush and grazing lands in the

foregoing table would indicate, dairying and beef cattle

ranching are the dominant land uses at the present time

on the Point Reyes Peninsula.

A National Park Service field survey of land ownerships,

conducted in March and April of 1960 on a personal in­terview

. basis, showed 15 dairy ranches totalling about

19,000 acres and 10 beef cattle ranches with a total of

23,000 acres to be located within the presently designated

boundaries of the proposed national seashore. The survey

also showed that on the PointReyes Peninsula ( as in many

parts of California) the practice of renting dairy farms is

prevalent. It was found, for example, that 18 of the 25

ranches within the proposed national seashore boundaries

are operated on a rental basis. Eleven of the 18 ranches

so operated have completely absentee owners, and the

other 7 are operated on a tenancy basis through family

or estate arrangements.

Although the major part of the acreage comprising the

dairy and beef cattle ranches is in brushlands and grazing

lands, it also includes a considerable amount of forested

land as well as unvegetatecfdunes and cliffs. Lands usable

for agriculture are limited to the brushlands and grazing

lands, improved pastures and hay acreage. Thus, of the

19,000 acres that are estimated to comprise the dairy

ranches, some 20,000 actually are used for dairying op­erations.

Of the 23,000 acres of beef cattle ranches,

about 20,000 acres consist of lands that are actually

used for that purpose.

The above- mentioned field survey also revealed that

the 15 existing dairy ranches support approximately

7,000 dairy stock, with about 3,175 head in active milk

production, and that the 10 beef cattle ranches support

approximately 3,500 head of beef cattle. The dairy stock

within the proposed boundaries constitutes about 16 per­cent

of the 43,000 total dairy stock in Marin County, based

on the Annual Livestock and Agricultural Report of the

County for 1959. The beef cattle total represents slightly

less than 90 percent of all stock of that type in the County

for-- 1959.

If the proposed Point Reyes National Seashore were es­tablished

and managed in accordance with the suggested

acquisition program about half the dairy lands and some

37 percent of the beef cattle lands would be situated Within

the proposed ranching area and would continue operation

under lease agreements. The rest of the lands now used

for dairying and beef production would be included within

the proposed public use area, and ranching operations

there would be largely if not wholly discontinued.

Although exact data on the annual catch are not avail­able,

commercial fishing, together with oyster farming

and processing, is of undoubted economic importance to

the Point Reyes area and Marin County. The economic

advantages of this location are clear and undisputed.

Commercial oyster beds are located in Drakes Estero.

The beds are leased from the State, and an oyster cannery

is situated on the upper reaches of an arm of the Estero.

Three commercial fisheries, operating on a year- round

basis, are located on the west shore of Drakes Bay. Each

commercial fishing company owns one wharf and, in ad­dition,

leases a small amount of land from the land owner.

Information obtained during the 1960 field survey indicated

that the annual catch consists of crab, salmon, and bottom

fish. Part of the catch is trans- shipped to San Francisco

via boat, and the remainder is taken out in trucks to the

various processing plants. In addition to fishing with

their own boats, the companies purchase fish from inde­pendent

operators. In the opinion of company represen­tatives,

the annual catch of salmon alone amounts to one

million pounds.

Both the oyster production and the commercial fishery

operations, in the thinking of the National Park Service

planners, should continue under national seashore status

because of their public values.

The promontory of Point Reyes has long served as a

lookout and beacon to ships at sea. Here the United States

Coast Guard maintains one of the most important Pacific

Coast lighthouses: Lands comprising the Point Reyes

Light consist of 120 acres. In addition, the Coast Guard

maintains a lifeboat rescue station on a small property of

about 12 acres. The station is situated at the west end of

Drakes Bay, about three miles east of the Point Reyes

Light.

Two religious organizations also engage in agricultural

pursuits in the proposed area. The Church of the Golden

Rule conducts dairying operations on 3,100 acres of land

situated on the southern part of the Peninsula and, ac­cording

to field information, has about 700 acres under

cultivation, plus a plant nursery. However, this ranching

operation ( with the exception of the nursery) is conducted

solely for the benefit of the religious organization rather

than for general commercial purposes. It is one of the

15 dairy ranches mentioned above.

The Vedanta Society has a religious retreat, also sit­uated

on the southern part of the Peninsula within the

proposed seashore boundaries. The lands are primarily

forested, although a few livestock are kept. There is some

development including living quarters, resthouse and tool­house

for monastic and lay workers.

Two trans- Pacific radio receiving stations are main­tained'

on the Peninsula by the Radio Corporation of Am­erica

and the American Telephone and Telegraph Com­pany

respectively. The former owns 1,474 acres of land,

while the latter owns 521 acres. In addition to serving

radio communications, these lands also are leased for

dairying or cattle ranching operations.

. 6.

Recreation now plays a relatively minor role in the

land use pattern within the designated botmdaries of the

proposed national seashore, and is limited to two small

public areas. Both are very popular. One of these, known

as McClure's Beach, comprises about one- half mile of

excellent beach frontage located near Tomales Point. The

private land owner has made the area accessible to the

public through cooperation with Marin COtmty.

Drakes Beach County Park, developed and managed by

Marin County, is the only other recreation area within

the proposed boundary that is open to the general public.

It includes 52 acres of lands situated on the shore of

Drakes Bay a short distance west of the entrance to

Drakes Estero.

A third area, known as the Bolema Club, comprises

681 acres of land north of the promontory known as

Double Point, near the southern end of the Peninsula.

It is restricted to members of the Bolema Club. a

sportsmen's organization.

Although the forests do not constitute timber of good

commercial quality in the view of experts who have stud­ied

the national seashore proposal, timber rights have

been sold in several instances, and logging operations

have been conducted over the past year and a half. Some

800 acres were logged up to mid April 1960.

Assessed Valuation and Tax Revenues

The Marin County tax base is made up largely of pri­vate

homes, neighborhood shopping and serviCing fac­ilities

for the homeowners, dairying, and a few industrial

enterprises.

An analysis of tax records, for the year 1959- 60

shows the total assessed valuation of all land, improve­ments,

secured and unsecured personal property within

the proposed national seashore to be approximately

$ 3,244,000. This figure includes $ 2,695,000 for lands,

improvements and secured personal property and $ 549,000

for unsecured personal property. It represents not quite

1.5 percent of the total county tax base.

Assessed valuation of State- assessed public utilities

( the Trans- Pacific receiving facilities of the Radio Corp­oration

of America, the American Telephone and Tele­graph

Company and electric power and telephone facil­ities)

amounts to approximately $ 968,550. The portion

of the tax base formed by these utilities amotmts to nearly

30 percent of the total tax base within the proposed nation­al

seashore.

Secured and unsecured personal property and State­assessed

public utilities must be taken into consideration

in analyzing the effects on the local tax base of national

seashore establishment. Even though included within the

national seashore area, neither the personal property nor

the public utilities would be acquired by the Federal

Government. The personal property situated within the

proposed public use area would, however, be removed

from the tax rolls together with the land and improve­ments.

The taxable property within the proposed r~ ch­ing

area would be adjusted to a possessory interest basis

for tax purposes, while the public utilities would continue

in operation .

The total assessed valuation ( tax base) of the lands and

improvements within the proposed public use area is ap­proximately

$ 1,291,000 and approximately $ 435,000 for

the proposed ranching area. This totals about $ 1,726,000.

These assessed valuations represent 23 percent of the

fair market value appraisals made in relation to 1956

market levels. The 1956 value of locally assessed pri­vate

lands and improvements within the area now pro­posed

as a national seashore is estimated at approximate­ly

$ 7,500,000. Of this total approximately $ 5,610,000

represents the value of lands and improvements within

the proposed public use area and $ 1,890,000 the value of

lands and improvements within the proposed ranching

area.

According to the Marin County Tax Assessor, adjust­ment

of the market value of the lands and improvements

within the boundaries of the proposed national seashore

to reflect current conditions results in a maximum figure

somewhat in excess of $ 10,300,000. It is emphasized

that this amount would not necessarily represent the

final cost to the Federal Government in the event the

area were acquired for national seashore purposes.

The national seashore proposal itself has generated con­siderable

interest in the area and there has been a sub­stantial

increase in real estate sales and subdividing

during the past two years. It is logical to believe, there­fore,

that the longer acquisition is delayed, the greater

the land costs will be.

Taxes for the entire 53,000- acre area in the 1959- 60

tax year totalled slightly less than $ 160,000. Tax rev­enues

from the proposed public use area amounted to

some $ 102,000, while revenues from the proposed ranch­ing

area totalled abut $ 58,000.

POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS AND TRENDS

It has been found that urban centers in this country

generate upwards of 90 percent of the day use of acces­sible

outdoor recreation areas. Records at national and

state parks and recreation areas suggest that where they

are located within close proximity to a major population

center, that center may be expected to dominate the

visitor use at the area.

The population growth of the 9- county San Francisco

Bay Area and the 13- county San Francisco Bay Region,

therefore, may be expected to be primary factors in the

demand for recreation at the proposed Point Reyes Na­tional

Seashore. The counties within the Bay Area and

Bay Region are listed below. Those preceded by an as­terisk

are within the nine- county San Francisco Bay Area.

· Alameda

· Contra Costa

· Marin

· Napa

Sacramento

* San Francisco

San joaquin

* San Mateo

Yolo

* Santa Clara

Santa Cruz

* Solano

"' Sonoma

In terms of future travel time and ease of access, the

San Francisco- Oakland Standard Metropolitan Area, the

Sacramento Urban Area, and the Stockton Urbanized Area

of San joaquin County could be expected to provide most

. 7.

of the visitor use of the National Seashore from within

the entire 13- county San Francisco Bay Region. The

population of the San Francisco- Oakland Standard Metro­politan

Area was estimated in 1959 at more than two and

three- quarters million persons, 1 or nearly two- thirds

of the resident population in the entire 13- county San

Francisco Bay Region.

In addition to the growth trends that have been recorded

for the 9- county Bay Area and the 13- countyBay Region,

several independent population studies employing various

prediction methods have been made recently by such

agencies as the V. S. Department of Commerce, 2 the

California Department of Finance, the San Francisco

Bay Area Council, and the Bay Area Rapid Transit Dis­trict.

Taking into account the recorded growth trends and

the population predictions made in the studies mentioned

above, the population of the 9- county Bay Area ( estimated

at 3.6 million as of july 1, 1959,) could well be expected

to grow to a level of about 6 million by 1980 and to 8.3

million by the year 2000. Thus, during the next 40 years

some 4,700,000 persons probably will be added to the Bay

Area. More than 2,000,000 persons, by conservative

estimation, will be added to the Bay area population in

the twenty years from july 1, 1959.

'( RA VEL TRENDS

A study of travel trends in California was conducted

in 1957 and 1958 by the Department of Public Works as

a partial basis for a State- wide plan of freeways and ex­pressways.

The findings of this study are embodied in

the report liThe California Freeway and Expressway

System" which was published in September 1958. Many

of these findings have a direct bearing upon the proposed

Point Reyes National Seashore and its importance to the

people of California, particularly those in the San Fran­cisco

Bay Area, as well as to the Nation.

The report reveals that California's travel is dominated

by the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and the San

Francisco Bay Region. 3 The residents of these areas

generate two- thirds of California's vehicle miles. Bay

Area residents were found to travel widely through the

northern and central regions of California. The report

states that they " even contribute nearly seven percent of

all travel in the Santa Barbara region," a distance of

some 300 miles to the south. Northern California re­ceives

about 37 percent of the travel generated by Bay

Area reSidents, and the Monterey section of south central

California about 24 percent. In contrast, the Point Reyes

Peninsula is located a radial distance of but 40 miles from

1/ Estimate by Financial and Population Research Sec­tion,

Caiifornia Department of Finance.

2/ Future Development of the San Francisco Bay Area,

1960- 2020, December 1959.

3/ The San Francisco Bay Region, as defined by the

California report, includes nine counties.

the central core of the San Francisco- Oakland Standard

Metropolitan Area. A SO- mile radius from Point Reyes

encompasses all but the outlying portions of the Metro­politan

Area.

A finding of particular interest, in that it reveals much

about the importance of recreation in the day- to- day

lives of Californians, is that 29 percent of all travel in

the State is for social and recreation purposes.

The increasing mopility of California residents is il­lustrated

by yet another finding of the freeway study. The

7,492,000 motor vehicles registered in the State in 1957

meant about one auto or truck for every two residents

during that year. The report found that the number of

vehicles is increasing slightly faster than the population,

and estimates that by 1980 the persons- per- vehicleratio

will decline to about 1.85. About 20 percent of all vehicles

by that date are expected to be of the registered com­mercial

type.

Further findings concerning travel characteristics

are contained in a travel survey for Yosemite National

Park, published in December, 1953. 4 . The survey shows

that three districts of population concent: rinion -- the

southwestern, the Sari Francisco Bay Area, and the Cen­tral

Valley -- contributed some 90 percent of the park's

California visitors during the calendar year.

Travel by out- of- state tourists is another important

facet of the California travel pattern and is of major

economic importance to the State. According to the travel

research agency, Californians, Inc., manufacturing, ag­riculture,

and the tourist industry in that order are the

three most important industries in the State as sources

of basic income.

Travel in California by out- of- state tourists since

1950 is shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2

TOURIST TRAVEL TRENDS IN CALIFORNIA*

Percent Increase Percent Increase

or Decrease Over or Decrease Over

Tourists 1950 Expenditures 1950

1950 2,968,000 0 $ 560, 168,000 0

1951 3,330,000 12.2 625,489,000 11. 7

1952 4,191,000 41. 2 653.128,000 16.6

1953 4,334,000 46.0 771,833,000 37.8

1954 4,270,000 43.9 692,353,000 23.6

1955 4,414,000 48.7 734,719,000 31. 2

1956 4,732,000 59.4 775,058,000 38.4

1957 4,763,000 60.5 787,289,000 40.5

1958 4,537,000 52.9 700, 172,000 25.0

1959 4,877,000 64.3 839,983,000 50.0

* Californians. Inc.

Total visits to California by out- of- state tourists have

shown a strong upward trend since 1950, though they are

somewhat sensitive to changes in the economic climate,

as shown by the decline in visits and in tourist spending

during the recession year of 1958.

Out- of- state tourist travel to the San Francisco Bay

Area increased 10.5 percent in 1959 over 1958. The total

. 8.

number of such visits to the Bay Area in the latter year

was 1,622,923, according to statistics by Californians, Inc.

Reducing the two- thirds growth in out- of- state tourists

to California, which was achieved in the fifties, to allow

for the effect of a somewhat slower rate of growth in the

future, it is still possible to arrive at an estimate of

over 2,000,000 out- of- state tourists who will visit the

Bay Area annually by 1980, and over 2,500,000 out- of­state

tourists to the 13- county Bay Region. With the in­creases

in leisure time, mobility and disposable income

per capita expected in the decades ahead, the tourist

total could be much greater.

PROPOSED NATIONAL SEASHORE DEVELOPMENT

If the Point Reyes National Seashore were established,

the follOWing types of facilities would be provided on the

land in the Public Use portion of the area:

Interior access would be provided by a road system,

utilizing existing roads wherever feasible, but about 25

miles of new roads also would be built as outlined in a

previous section of this report. These would be supple­mented

by hiking and riding trails, also mentioned in the

previous section on access.

Campgrounds, with tables, grills, sanitation facilities,

utilities and parking areas, would be established in suit­able

locations.

Bathhouses, shelters, comfort stations, water, food

concessions, picnic facilities and parking areas would be

available at Tomales Beach and Drakes Beach to create

more favorable conditions for swimming and beach use.

Picnic areas, with tables, grills, sanitation and potable

water and parking, would be provided at such areas as

McClure Beach, Abbotts Lagoon, Limantour Spit, Bear

Valley and Double Point.

Docks would be constructed to make possible the enjoy­ment

of pleasure boating.

The visitor would have the opportunity of learning

firsthand the full story and the meaning of the earth and

life resources of the Point Reyes Peninsula through a

system of interpretive devices and structures, such as

self- guiding trails and interpretive signs and markers.

Through this medium, his enjoyment of the area and his

total seashore experience would be enhanced.

Riding stables would be developed in the area and would

be operated on a concession basis.

Five overlook developments would be programmed to

take advantage of the many landscapes and seascapes

which are outstanding features of the Point Reyes Pen­insula.

Under the present proposal, the existing commercial

fisheries at Drakes Bay and the existing oyster cannery

at Drakes Estero would continue under private operation

as at present, but with some added facilities such as en­trance

roads and parking areas.

A headquarters development would be programmed, to

include employee housing, utility buildings, an adminis­tration

and public contact building, and necessary roads,

power service, water and sewage disposal.

4/ Conducted by National Park Service in cooperation

with California Division of Highways and U. S. Bureau

of Public Roads.

ESfIMATED ATTENDANCE

Extent of the Market and Area Capacity

The visitors who would be expected to use the facilities

at the Point Reyes National Seashore can be divided into

two groups for purposes of estimation: those residing in

nearby counties and those residing in other places.

The volume of actual visits in each case would be gen­erated

from three main sources: the growth of popula­tion,

the increase of leisure time and disposable income,

and a certain number of visits which would re, sult from

the substitution of the Point Reyes experience for rec­reation

at other points.

The geographical extent of the market for vi~ its is

determined by the character of use that is anticipated.

The day- use portion of the market will be derived pre­dominantly

from the nine- county San Francisco Bay Area,

plus Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties. The over­night,

weekend and vacation visitors would be drawn

largely from vacation Jourists traveling from all sections

of the United States.

Over the past years, total attendance at State parks has

been increaSing more rapidly than population growth. 5

But, if the rate of park attendance were stabilized at the

1954 national average of 1.05 guest days per capita of

state population the population growth alone would mean

3.8 million visits in 1960 and 6.3 million in 1980 for

the nine- county Bay Area. This is a most conservative

assumption, especially in view of the fact that in 1958 the

national average of guest days per capita rose to 1.38,

and to 1.43 per capita in California the same year. If

the Point Reyes National Seashore were to attract one­third

as many visitors as State parks in the Bay Area,

based only on population in the nine- county Bay Area

( again a conservative figure) it would receive 2.1 million

visitors in 1980.

The tourist component of the estimated total annual

attendance would be made up of t'. vo parts: ( 1) the

growth of California tourist population, which would con­tribute

many trips to the National Seashore; and ( 2) the

additional touristry which would be induced by the estab­lishment

of the National Seashore.

It is difficult to estimate the volume of touristry which

would be generated by the addition of a national seashore

in this area. California already contains several units of

the National Park System - such as Yosemite National

Park - which attract many national visitors. A Point

Reyes National Seashore would provide an attractive ex­tension,

or side trip, for many of the visitors to Yosemite,

as it would for many visitors to San Francisco. The

highway improvements mentioned above would permit

visitors to reach Point Reyes from Yosemite National

Park in a half day's normal driving time. It is not pos­sible

to estimate the marginal increment to the total

visits to Yosemite which would result from adding a stay

at the Point Reyes National Seashore to the journey of

the Yosemite visitor, but it is safe to say that it would be

a positive factor.

The actual volume of the overnight market at the Na­tional

seashore would depend heavily on the facilities

provided. If sufficient campgrounds were provided within

the national seashore, and sufficient overnight cabins,

lodges, and motels were made available by private in­dustry

outside the boundaries, overnight stays could

easily account for 250,000 visitors per year by 1980

in addition to the 2.1 million estimated above.

Tourist visits depend in large measure upon the nature

and cost of accommodations which are available. The

tourist potential if the Point Reyes National Seashore

were established would be likely to exceed the available

accommodations for some time after its development.

In summary, it is seen that while the present popula­tion

would support a substantial use the largest single

factor in the increased demand for recreation at the pro­posed

Point Reyes National Seashore would inevitably be

the population growth of the northern California region

as a whole.

A 1957 study by staff members of the School of Fores­try

of the University of California found that growth of

California population was a good indicator of growth in

numbers of visits to national parks located in the State

even where there had been no significant increase in fac­ilities

at those parks. 6

The more conservative population growth forecasts for

the San Francisco Bay Area indicate a growth in number

sufficient to generate at least as much attendance at a

Point Reyes National Seashore as there was at Yosemite

Kings Canyon and Sequoia, and Lassen Volcanic Nationai

Parks combined in 1955 ( 2,362,707 visitor days).

EFFECTS OF NATIONAL SEASHORE ON THE ECONOMY

Of the Point Reyes Peninsula

. 9 .

Using market evidence, it is relatively easy to estab­lish

that the value of the non- recreation use in the past

of the Point Reyes Peninsula has not been great. Rela­tively

few land transactions have taken place in the area

during recent years, and the prices per acre have been

low on the average.

Under present proposals for the Point Reyes National

Seashore, Marin County would not lose the total value of

the output of the dairy and beef cattle herds. From the

figures cited in the previous section, " Present Land

Uses," it would seem that the area in question is very

important to Marin County for beef cattle. But the total

size of beef herds, and the yield from that activity, are

both low, and in fact Marin County is not an important

beef producer.

Similarly, dairy use of the particular acres of the

proposed seashore now used for that purpose is not a

unique or critical factor in the total dairy production of

Marin County. For one thing, the combined output is not

large compared to the total output of the County, and

5/ Attendance figures from National Park Service, State

Park Statistics.

6/ J. Zivnuska and A. Shideler, " A Projection of the

Recreational Use of Public Forest Areas in California

to 1965," Forest Science, September, 1957 .

probably could be compensated for by adjustments in

output in other nearby rn, ilk- producing areas, or by relo­cation

of the Point Reyes herds and contracts to other

areas in West Marin. But even more significant, there

is no consistent relationship between the available acre­age

within a given ranch and the number of stock or milk­producing

cows on the premises. Vegetative coveron the

brushlands and grasslands does not furnish the forage

needed to support dairy ranching operations in most cases.

Much of the hay and grain concentrate required is import­ed,

and the lands are used primarily as holding areas.

Much of the available pasturage is used for dry and young

stock, while some pasturage is used for the milk- pro­ducing

herd in the spring. As a result, the discontinuance

of approximately half the acreage of the dairy lands would

not necessarily mean a proportionate reduction in the

gross dairy product of the Peninsula.

In view of the present day surpluses of milk in Calif­ornia

any diminution of the relatively small supply coming

from Point Reyes Peninsula would not necessarily result

in any overall, critical disadvantages to the dairy industry

or to the consumer. This is borne out by the dairy in­formation

bulletins issued monthly by the California Crop

and Livestock Reporting Service.

In Marin County, there are more than one hundred tax

code districts. It might perhaps be argued that if the area

becomes a public reservation and is removed from the

tax rolls the property owners who are in the same tax

district as the National Seashore would suffer, since they

would then have to pay- a larger share of the tax burden.

The fear of this undue burden on the neighboring property

owners if often magnified by the belief that if left in pri­vate

hands and permitted to develop in urban uses, the

lands would produce substantial tax revenues for the local

governments and would relieve some of the tax burden

from neighbors. In analyzing the probable effects, it is

necessary to consider both the current and the prospec­tive

tax situations.

A considerable portion of the monies that arenow col­lected

in taxes from properties on the Point Reyes Pen­insula

need not be lost from the tax rolls under the pre­sent

national seashore proposal. The two trans- Pacific

radio receiving stations, for example, would continue to

be privately operated as long as these facilities are

needed. In addition, other public utilities, such as elec­tric

power and telephone service, would be needed for

national seashore operation and by the private lessees

within the ranching area. Basically, therefore, all the

public utilities not only would remain in operation if a

national seashore were established, but development of

the seashore for public use would require additional in­stallations

of public utilities and thus increase that por­tion

of the present tax base.

Further, the proposal to lease the lands within the pro­posed

ranching area back to private individuals if a na­tional

seashore is established would not mean the loss of

taxes now paid to the County by the ranch operators. Each

lessee, by virtue of the temporary rights he would receive

under the lease, would be subject to possessory interest

taxation, and the taxable value of the ranches would be

adjusted to a possessory basis ( which would however, be

less than the tax on an unimpaired interest). Within the

legal framework, this would also apply to any concessions

developed within the national seashore.

The Marin County Assessor has estimated that a maxi­mum

of about $ 60,300 ( of the $ 160,000 total 1959- 60

tax revenue) would be lost to county- Wide and local gov­ernments

if the national seashore were managed as pre­sently

proposed, and if the Federal Government made no

compensatory arrangements for in lieu tax payments,

and if there were no taxable public use developments by

private interests. This loss would result in a reduction

in the current county tax base of .58 of 1%. The largest

loss in tax revenue would be sustained by the four local

school districts serving the Point Reyes area. 7

It should be pointed out, however, that losses to the

school districts could be largely mitigated, or the pre­sent

situation perhaps even improved, through reorgani­zation

of the districts, which is currently under study.

Such reorganization would be contingent on the will of

the people to reorganize the districts, and no recom­mendations

therefore can be made in this connection.

The full loss in tax revenue would not be shifted to other

groups in the district. Associated with the transfer of

property ' Would be a transfer of services. The decline in

resident population within the national seashore would

reduce the volume of local services such as police and

Ore protection and road maintenance within the national

seashore, because they would be largely assumed by the

Federal Government.

Associated with the national seashore would be an in­crease

of commercial activities nearby to serve the

visitors, and income producing property, income and

sales taxes. Motels, gas stations, restaurants, and stores

would develop. The area itself would have a substantial

payroll from resident staff, and would provide from time

to time construction and maintenance projects of financial

value to the local economy. These would provide private

property and sales taxes in amounts far greater than the

increase in local public expenditures necessary to protect

or service them. While it would be difficult to estimate

reliably the local tax payments of the new establishments

which would be built near and on account of the National

Seashore, those tax payments certainly would far exceed

the amount of $ 60,300 which the County Tax Assessor

estimates would be lost in the event of national seashore

establishment. For example, $ 150,000 accrues to Mari­posa

County annually from concessions in Yosemite Na­tional

Park, and it is estimated that additional tax income

from businesses in the vicinity, which are supported by

visitors to the Park, totals $ 278,000 annually. As further

evidence that local tax payments would more than com­pensate

for tax losses, a study by the Marin County Plan­ning

Department shows that one 65- unit motel with res­taurant-

bar and swimming pool on five acres of land in

Marin County pays \ in annual tax revenue to the County

of nearly $ 8,000.

7/ West Marin Union School; Tomales Union High School;

Point Reyes School; and Bolinas School.

. ' 0.

Therefore, eight such motels ( which would incidentally,

accommodate a total of only 520 visitors per night) would

more than compensate for the maximum $ 60,300 which

could be lost in the event that Point Reyes National Sea­shore

were established.

Assuming that the Point Reyes Peninsula would be

devoted primarily to subdivision developments if a na­tional

seashore were not established, it is by no means

clear whether such development would lighten or aggra­vate

the tax burdens of the present neighboring populace.

A development of low denSity, high income homes with few

children would mean property tax payments which would

exceed the needs of the residents for public services. This

type of development it is believed would also result in

lower sales taxes · and higher subventions to the units of

government within the County. A more intensive urban

settlement might result in a Mgher volume of property

added to the tax rolls but, at the same time, a more than

proportionate increase in demands for urban services.

In this case, the neighboring property owners could well

find their tax burdens increased materially.

The fact that residential uses may have associated

public expenditures which are greater than their tax pay­ments

has been borne out by several studies, both in Cal­ifornia

and el!! ewhere in the Nation. This also has been

found to be the case in many instances in M~ rin County,

according to a statement made in October 1959 by the

Marin County Tax Assessor to the Citizen's Advisory

Committee on Development of Marin County, which was

included in a report of the Committee and presented to

the Marin County Board of Supervisors in March 1960.

The Tax Assessor stated that, although there are resid­ential

areas in Marin County which amply carry their

load, most of the normal type of subdivisions in the

County tend to create a burden on property owners in

general. Those residential developments which are self­supporting

in taxes in the County consist of residences

from $ 25,000 to $ 50,000 in value, situated on half- acre to

one- acre sites.

There is no way in which the National Park Service at

this time can speak with confidence about the patterns

of possible urban settlement on the Peninsula if a National

Seashore is not established. More investigation than time

has permitted to date would be required in answering

that question. SUffice it to say that a burdening of the

local people with greater taxes than they have now would

be as likely as . lightening of them

Setting aside the question oftaxes borne by local people

and turning to other points, one could reasonably assert

that the local people, who have found almost perfect

tranquility in living in this vicinity, would benefit in some

ways if the Peninsula were accorded national seashore

status. Their proximity to the national seashore

would permit them to use it far more intensively than

could any other part of the metropolitan area or Nation.

This is borne out by the pattern of usages at existing

state and national parks in California. The immediate

neighbors of the Nationel Seashore would benefit greatly

by the increased demand for commercial facilities to

accommodate the visitors. The