#Point reyes national seashore photos full#
#Point reyes national seashore photos professional#

The Franciscan missionaries set the stage for the explosion of dairy in west Marin with the introduction of feral cattle in 1817. Unknown to the early ranchers, the expansive coastal prairie was most likely the byproduct of burning, weeding, pruning, and harvesting for at least two millennia by Coast Miwok and their antecedents. Abundant grass and forbs, a long growing season, and sufficient fresh water supplies promised productivity well in excess of domestic need.

The early American settlers of the 1850s were impressed with the cool, moist climate of Point Reyes, providing near-ideal conditions for raising dairy cows. The treeless coastal plain beckoned with opportunity. With their dairying skills honed in their previous homes, they could envision production of golden wheels of cheese and casks of butter to provision the growing population of nearby San Francisco. Some of those who vainly sought mineral gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills came further west, finding gold of another kind at Point Reyes.

#Point reyes national seashore photos professional#

The 1849 California Gold Rush brought an influx of capitalists, merchants, professional practitioners, laborers, and agriculturists, among others seeking alternative wealth along the shores of San Francisco Bay. In fact, the National Seashore visitor has happened upon one of the earliest and largest examples of industrial-scale dairying in the state of California. There, the mix of redwood homes and barns from the 1800s with aluminum and steel utility buildings from the 1900s becomes evident, suggesting the evolution of the dairy industry. At first glance, open pastures and rolling fencelines are punctuated by windbreaks, stockponds, and feedlots arrayed around a ranch core.

This open, working landscape is known as the Pastoral Zone. Read about Point Reyes Field Station’s vision and mission as well as the colonial history of the Hagmaier Ranch and the Olema Valley Historic Ranching District.When you cross Inverness Ridge toward the Point Reyes headlands, you leave the pine/fir forest behind and enter the stark beauty of the coastal grasslands, dotted with cattle and scattered ranches. Overnight accommodations include bunk beds in two bedrooms downstairs, a double bed in a private room upstairs, and an outdoor camping area immediately south of the Hagmaier Ranch house, which is suitable for individuals, small groups, and large field classes.

#Point reyes national seashore photos full#

The refurbished 1915 ranch house provides field station day and overnight users with a full kitchen, meeting room with folding tables and chairs, wi-fi internet access, and work areas. The facilities at the Point Reyes Field Station provide an ideal setting for class visits, field research projects, staff retreats, meetings, and collaborative work. Taylor State Parks, Marin Municipal Water District, Audubon Canyon Ranch properties, several Marin County Parks and Open Space areas, and Muir Woods National Monument.

It is uniquely situated for research on well over 100,000 acres of remarkably diverse biological, cultural, and historic resources within Point Reyes National Seashore as well as the large number of open space lands in the surrounding area, such as Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mt. A partnership between UC Berkeley and the National Park Service, the field station is the 40th reserve in the UC Natural Reserve System. Point Reyes Field Station is located within the boundaries of Point Reyes National Seashore in the historic Hagmaier Ranch house about six miles south of Olema, California. Hagmaier Ranch House (photo by Allison Kidder)