FarallonNational WildlifeRefuge

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Photo: ©PRBO

Dense colonies ofcommon murres andcolorful puffins cloakcliff faces and crags,while two-ton elephantseals fight fierce battlesfor breeding sites onnarrow wave-etchedterraces below.

Natural History

Surrounded bycold water andplenty of food

Oakland

Golden Gate Bridge

San Rafael

PACIFIC OCEAN

San Jose

28 Miles

Fremont

Pt. Reyes

San Francisco

Gulf of Farallons

California

Westerngull

PigeonGuillemot

Farallon National Wildlife Refuge,made up of all the Farallon Islandsand Noon Day Rock, supports thelargest seabird nesting colony southof Alaska. Thirteen seabird speciesnumbering over 200,000 individualsnest here each summer. Throughoutthe year, six species of marine mammals

breed or haul out on theislands.

These islands are besidethe cold California currentwhich originates in Alaskaand flows north to south,they are also surroundedby waters of the Gulf of

Farallons National Marine Sanctuary.Lying 28 miles west of San FranciscoBay the Refuge is on the western edgeof the continental shelf. This area ofthe ocean plunges to 6,000 foot depths.

Cold upwelling water brought fromthe depths as the wind blows surface water westward from the shoreline, and the California current flowing

southward past the islandsprovides an ideal biological mixing zone along the continental shelf and around theSan Francisco Bay area.

Photos: © Brian O’Neil

Photo: © Brian O’Neil

Chart of seafloordepths aroundFarallon NWR

Common murre

California Current

Westward Winds

DeepCold Water

UpwellingMixing

NS

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Blackoystercatcher

Photo: © Ian Tate

USFWS

Upwelling occurs notably in the springwhen these wind and water currentswork together and saturate oceanwaters with nutrients brought up fromthe deep ocean. When this mixture

reaches the sunlit zone,plant plankton bloomsexplode onto thesurface, creating one ofEarth’s greatest showsof productivity. This isthe key to the islands’rich, yet variablemarine ecosystem.Animal plankton such

as tiny krill-like shrimp takeadvantage of this energy source,consuming the microscopic plants.They in turn are eaten by rockfishwhich spawn along the rocky shoresand provide food for breedingseabirds, salmon, marine mammalsand up the food chain to humans.

In El Niño years, warm surface watersfrom the equatorial Pacific may slow orstifle upwelling, and food resources inthe California Current are scarce.This causes seabirds to produce fewerchicks, but they are long-lived and inboom years reproduce abundantly.Adaptability to year-to-year change inthe marine ecosystem, and ultimatelyto long-term ocean/climate change, isa key to success for Farallon wildlife.

Threatened/EndangeredSpecies

Marine Mammals

Wildlife in the FarallonsLeach’s storm-petrelAshy storm-petrelFork-tailed storm-petrelDouble-crested cormorantBrandt’s cormorantPelagic cormorantBlack oystercatcherWestern gullCommon murrePigeon guillemotCassin’s aukletRhinoceros aukletTufted puffin

Six species ofmarine mammalsbreed or haul-outon the Refuge:Northern fur sealGuadalupe fur sealSteller’s sea lionCalifornia sea lionHarbor sealNorthern elephant seal

Steller’s sea lion: The Refuge andsurrounding waters are critical

habitat for this threatened species.The Farallon Islands and Año

Nuevo are the southernmosttip of their breeding range.

California brown pelican:This endangered speciesdisperses from breeding sitesin southern California andBaja California to roost onand feed from the FarallonIslands. Hundreds, andsometimes thousands ofpelicans drape West EndIsland and other roostingareas from late summerthrough fall. They alternatelazy flights over the islandwith spectacular plungedives in nearby waters.

Breeding SeabirdSpecies

Californiabrownpelican

Ashy storm-petrelCaliforniasea lion

© Brian O’Neil

© Anthony Battiste

Did You Know……Theodore Rooseveltestablished the refuge in1909.…that the first fur sealpup born on the Refugein over 150 years wasdiscovered in 1996.…half the world’spopulation of Ashystorm-petrels breed on

the Refuge.… the largest colony of western

gulls anywhere nests here.…that over 400 species of breeding andmigrant birds have been tallied at theRefuge.…molting elephant seals will not eat ordrink during their stay on the islands,which can be as long as five months, andlose up to 50% of their body mass.…most of the Refuge (141 acres) is adesignated Wilderness Area, where theforces of nature predominate and itsnatural character is preserved for futuregenerations.

Photo:© Brian O’Neil

Rhinocerosauklet

Westerngull

Bull elephantseals

Weather and wildlife dictate islandrhythms. The year is divided intothree biological seasons.

From December throughFebruary fierce storms,up to 50-knot winds, and25-foot seas pummel theislands. Rain or shine,biologists track thehundreds of puppingelephant seals. Missing forover 100 years, elephant

seals returned in 1959, and have beenbreeding on the Refuge since 1972.The first pup of the season is usuallyborn around Christmas!

March ushers in the seabird breedingseason, which lasts into August. Thelong days are filled with biologicalmonitoring: population counts, dietassessments, nest checks, and chickweighing. Weather is often windy andfoggy. During the infrequent calmnights, biologists can mist-net storm-petrels and rhinoceros auklets forbanding.

Tufted puffins

Ashy petrel chick

F A RA

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North F

NoondayRock

Rhythm of the YearU

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From September toNovember biologicalmonitoring focuses ontransient wildlifepopulations: bats,butterflies, cetaceans, andsongbirds are counted, thelatter including an amazingvariety of off-coursemigrants. Many birdspecies never before

recorded in California were seenfirst on the Farallon Islands. Whitesharks, attracted to Farallon watersby the abundant seal population, aremost numerous in fall, and biologistsstudy their populations andpredatory behavior from vantagepoints on the Refuge.

Our calmest andclearest weathergenerally occurs in thefall. This, together witha diminished and lesssensitive wildlifepopulation, makes it anideal time for the “4thFarallon Season” - The

Maintenance Season. Fall is a timefor repairing facilities and conductinghabitat restoration projects such asnon-native plant control.

Great Whiteshark

Maintenance“season”

IS

LA

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Farallon

Middle Farallon

Southeast Farallon

West End

Non-nativeplant control

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: © P

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Eggers circa1860s

Farallon light

Human History

Even though few people have visitedthe remote and rugged yet ecologicallyfragile Farallon Refuge, its humanhistory is filled with exploitation and

devastation ofits wildlifepopulations,especially duringthe 19th and early20th centuries.

Sir Francis Drakereputedly tookseal meat fromSoutheast FarallonIsland in 1769.The next knownhumans to landthere were U.S.sealers fromAtlantic ports, andRussian sealers inthe early 1800s.They huntedelephant seals

for oil and fur seals for pelts to localextinction. The Gold Rush era broughteggers who harvested staggeringnumbers of murre eggs for a boomingmarket in San Francisco. Murres willre-lay their single eggs, but so manywere taken that the seabird populationdropped from an estimated one millionto almost zero by 1900.

With maritime trade in San FranciscoBay flourishing, and shipwreckscommon, the U.S. LightkeepingService placed a lighthouse onSoutheast Farallon in the 1850s.Two Victorian-style houses, built in

1879 and still standingtoday, provided quartersfor lighthouse keepers

and their families.

Photo: © Ian Tate

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ConservationPartnerships andManagement

Monitoringseabirds

Light keepersquarters

The U.S. Navy established a mannedradio station on the island in 1905,which played a vital communicationsrole following the 1906 earthquake inSan Francisco: all messages in and outof the devastated city went throughthe Farallon station. The U.S. CoastGuard took over lightkeeping dutiesin 1939. During WWII as many as 72people lived here in 1942. Beginningin 1950 only caretakers remained untilthe light was automated in 1972.

In 1971 Point Reyes Bird ObservatoryPRBO) and the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService (Service) joined forces toprovide protection, monitoring,research, and management of theFarallon National Wildlife Refuge.PRBO biologists had been monitoring

migrant landbirds onSoutheast FarallonIsland for severalyears, but the concernfor marine birds andmammals drove thishistoric, decades long,joint cooperativeagreement. It was awell-made match, andto our knowledge, isthe longest-standing

partnership between the Service anda private organization in the nation.

Management activities includeremoving non-native plants that covernesting burrows and creating habitat

for crevice-nestingseabirdsfromunusedconcretefoundations.

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Photo: © Brian O’Neil

Artificialnesting habitat

© T

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Pat

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Installing solarpanels

Putting Wildlife First

Boardwalkconstruction

Since the Service began activestewardship in 1968, its managementgoal has been to allow species torecover their former abundancethrough natural processes. Humanintrusions and impacts are minimizedas much as possible through thefollowing actions:

■ Closing off the most sensitive areasto all human contact (even biologists!)

■ Controlling non-native flora andfauna

■ Installing boardwalks to preventwalking on sensitive habitat

■ Conducting studies fromobservation blinds so that wildlife isnot disturbed

■ Minimizing and screening nightlighting so that nocturnal species arenot disturbed

■ Installing nest boxes to minimizethe need for human encroachmentnear natural nesting sites

■ Removing unneeded structures andconcrete foundations to maximizenatural habitat available to wildlife

■ Limiting the number of peopleallowed on the island

■ Being vigilant about recycling andminimizing consumption

■ Converting to solar-generatedpower

Native lastheniamaritina

USFWS, M. Coulter

USFWS

Pho

to: ©

PR

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Having YourWildlife andViewing It Too

The seabirds and marine mammalsthat live on oceanic islands do soBECAUSE they are free from humansand other disturbances. In order togive wildlife the seclusion they needto mate, reproduce, and care for their

young, the public isnot allowed to landon the Refuge.Visitors canexperience theRefuge, and getgood views of mostof the breedingspecies, by taking aone-day Faralloncruise. Commercial

companies operating out of SanFrancisco, Sausalito and Emeryville,offer one-day natural-history boattrips to the Farallon Islands in springthrough fall.

Approaching theislands

If you journey to the FarallonIslands in a private boat or aircraft,be aware that Refuge regulationsprohibit all activities that result inharassment of wildlife. Harassmentincludes any disturbance (evenunintentional) that causes wildlife toflush. See 50 CFR Sections 27.34 and27.51 for more details; fines apply.

■ Airplane pilots, are encouraged tofollow FAA recommendations of aceiling of 2,000 feet above the Gulf ofFarallons Marine Sanctuary and theRefuge.

REMEMBER! It is a violation todisturb wildlife here, regardless ofyour distance.

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Boaters must observe the followingCalifornia boating regulations. Seesection 630(b)(71), Title 14, CaliforniaCode of Regulations or contact theRefuge for more details.

■ Speed Limit = 5 nautical miles perhour within 1,000 feet of all islands

■ Noise restrictions within 1,000 feetof shoreline of all islands

■ Between March 15 and August 15vessel traffic is prohibited within 300feet (one football field length) ofshoreline at specified portions ofSoutheast and North FarallonIslands. This includes no boatspassing between Saddle Rock andSoutheast Farallon Island

When you are around the islands, ithelps to have a heightened sense ofawareness. Your experience will bemore vivid, and you will be moresensitive to the effect YOU may haveon wildlife. If animals move awayfrom you or appear concerned aboutyour presence, move away..

Background Photo: USFWS

How to Help andWho to Contact

“Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs andactivities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is available to allindividuals regardless of physical or mental disability. For moreinformation please contact the U.S. Department of the Interior, Officeof Equal Opportunity, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240

Farallon NWR is one of more than530 refuges in the National WildlifeRefuge System. The Blue Goose logoat the left is the symbol of thesenational lands set aside for fish,wildlife and plant resources.

Additional information about theFarallon National Wildlife Refugemay be obtained by contacting theRefuge Complex Headquarters listedon the back of this brochure. Formore information about PRBO andthe Farallon Islands, log on to theirwebsite at www.prbo.org, or call415-868-1221.

USFWS

FarallonNational Wildlife RefugeP.O. Box 524Newark, CA 94560510/792 0222

http://pacific.fws.gov/visitor/california.html

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Servicehttp://www.fws.gov

For Refuge information1 800/344 WILD

California Relay ServiceTTY 1 800/735-2929Voice 1 800/735-2922

This brochure will be madeavailable in other formatsupon request.

September 2002

Photo: USFWS