Point Reyes National Seashore : Water resources management plan : Second draft

National Park Service, Point Reyes National Seashore

Point Reyes National Seashore (PORE) is located in Marin County in north-central California, approximately 30 miles north of San Francisco. The Seashore is comprised of slightly more than 71,000 acres including 45 miles of seashore, backed by rolling hills, grasslands, and forested areas. The rich marine life and unique biological and historical features offered by the Point Reyes peninsula make for an ideal setting for a unit of the National Park System located near a major metropolitan area. The National Seashore is triangular in shape and is bounded by the Pacific Ocean, Drakes Bay, and the San Andreas Fault/Tomales Bay. The water resources of Point Reyes National Seashore are both diverse and unique. The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary is contiguous to the Seashore boundary — one quarter mile offshore. Tomales Bay, Drakes Estero, Estero de Limantour , and Abbotts Lagoon are considered some of the finest examples of ecologically intact West Coast estuaries. Freshwater resources include 36 streams (21 perennial/15 intermittent) , several natural lakes and numerous springs, as well as substanial wetlands and riparian areas. The National Seashore also contains a large number of man-made impoundments most of which are used for stock watering, but many of which have evolved into important habitat for species of concern. The protection and maintenance of these valuable resources is essential to the purpose of the National Seashore. The purpose of the Point Reyes National Seashore Water Resources Management Plan include: 1) identifying water resource-related issues and management concerns; 2) providing a summary of the existing hydrological information pertaining to these issues; and 3) providing park management with a recommended "action plan" for addressing water-related issues within the National Seashore over the next five to seven years . Water resource-related issues discussed in this report include: - inventory and status of water resources; - land use issues relating to watershed management within the Pastoral Zone ; - Lagunitas Creek and Tomales Bay management issues; - Drakes Estero and Estero de Limantour Protection issues; - anadromous fish re-establishment; - issues related to National Park Service operations and development; and - issues related to the Coastal Zone Management Amendments of 1990. Water-related management actions recommended within this "action plan" include identifying the need for additional inventory and assessment activities, implementation of a limited water quality monitoring program, and implementation of a number of resource management activities developed to address resource protection, watershed management, fisheries, and related needs. Twelve project statements relating to these activities have been developed for incorporation into the National Seashore's Resource Management Plan (RMP)