![]() Some of them in recent weeks had been found up in the parking lot, under picnic tables and even on the ramp up toward the visitor center, having clambered over a wooden fence and leaving it in pieces, Dell’Osso said. What’s clear is they find it a safe and protected place to bear offspring.īy Monday, there were about 50 females with 40 pups and more on the way, as well as a dominant bull and several subordinates. ![]() In the absence of heavy visitor traffic and regular staff wildlife management, the burgeoning elephant seal colony that has been drifting along the shoreline from Chimney Rock for several years appears to have gotten a foothold at Drakes Beach, though it’s not entirely clear where the elephant seals there came from. 6 had to seek other employment because of the shutdown.īut in a bit of irony, one of the biggest challenges facing the seashore staff also could put limits on a popular park attraction: Drakes Beach, located at the edge of Drakes Bay and site of one of the seashore’s three visitor centers. He also said a handful of workers who were to have started new jobs Jan. The Marin County Parks department, which already was serving nearby county parks, also took on responsibility for the Bear Valley restroom, making it the only functioning restroom with flush toilets and running water in the park.īut over at park headquarters, Jeff Jewhurst, facilities chief, said he was still feeling slightly overwhelmed by the volume of unaddressed emails and the unknown extent of damage from recent storms that likely brought down limbs and maybe trees in the back country, perhaps clogging culverts and creating other problems. ![]() Park visitors also brought in trash bags to remove trash as some of the garbage cans filled up, he said. ![]() There was no official park trash collection, and only a small number of law enforcement rangers were working.īut a Novato debris and junk-removal company called Green Hauling stepped in a few weeks into the shutdown to empty dumpsters and trash cans from trailheads, beaches and parking areas, disposing of it at their own cost, Dell’Osso said. “That’s for damn sure.”ĭell’Osso said the seashore limped along more successfully than it might have during the shutdown thanks in large part to an outpouring of community support. “We’re glad to see the poor people back to work,” said Terwilleger, who was picnicking with friends Anne and Bruce Erts, of Portland. They were delighted to see such a beautiful landscape on such a lovely day - especially, said Andrea Terwilleger, 78, of Lake Placid, knowing there were 2 feet of snow on her roof at home. Three longtime friends and first-time visitors to the seashore from Oregon and New York said they were just lucky to hit the timing right during a stay in nearby Mill Valley. “Every January I like to come out and see them,” said Haag, 74. Sebastopol resident Teresita Haag was among those who waited for the seashore to reopen in full before making her annual pilgrimage to view the northern elephant seal pups at Chimney Rock and Lifeboat Station on Monday. The seashore started to bring back staff beginning Sunday. 22 ended on Friday, however, thanks to a deal between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats. The partial federal government shutdown that began Dec. The public was allowed during the federal shutdown to use trails and roads on the 193-acre seashore, a year-round attraction to locals and tourists alike.īut without employees, park facilities - like restrooms or visitors centers - weren’t operating or maintained as usual, and visitorship has been relatively light.
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