Point Reyes National Park By: James Rivard

Year Of Establishment Point Reyes, north of San Francisco California, was named a National Park on September 16th, 1962 by President John F. Kennedy. The rocky outcropping and shape had brought many travelers, including traveling ships dangerously close, migratory birds of all kinds, and flowering plant species. The park was established as a National Park because 20% of all flowering plants in the state and over 45% of all bird species in North America have been sighted in the region. It was also established because of the lighthouse, which sat and operated on Point Reyes for over a hundred years.

The Forming Of The Park Scientists believe that the peninsula formed 100,000 years ago, around 350 miles south, near the Monterey Bay. Around 15 million years ago, it began to slowly ride the Plate Tectonics north-westward to it’s current location. The Peninsula rests on the Pacific Plate, unlike the rest of the United States, which lies east, on the North- American Plate eastward over the San Andres Fault. The peninsula rests now Northwest of San Francisco on the west side of the San Andres Fault Line.

Rocks Found In The Park There are many rocks found on Point Reyes. The most commonly found minerals on Point Reyes are different types of Granite, Sand, Drakes Bay Formation, and Monterey Shale. Other rocks and minerals, such as Sandstone, Alluvium, and Point Reyes Conglomerate, can also be found scattered about in the National Park. The most commonly found minerals in the park are located, for the most part, in the center of the park, whilst the rocks not as common are mostly pushed to the shores of Point Reyes.

Special Landforms and Features In The Park There are a few special landforms and features listed in the park today. The largest, and probably most impressive, is the Monterey Shale. The Monterey Shale consists of large strips of rock that stretch outward to the ocean in wavy lines. They are known for their beautiful alternating colors and huge sizes. Along with the Monterey Shale, there are looming hills of Granite, Sandstone, and Alluvium, rising from the seashore at large angles to form gorgeous peaks. The tall hills and outstretched Shale highlight a big part of the National Parks natural beauty.

Land Changes At Point Reyes, not much of the land in the relative center is changing. However, on the coasts, much of it is. The constant attacks of slapping waves against the rocky sides of today’s Point Reyes has caused erosion over large periods of time. The narrow shores of sand that dip down from the looming mountains of rock on Point Reyes are constantly changing as the waves slice the sand. The old rocks that fall to meet the sea are slowly losing shape and size as millions of water particles bombard it each day, slowly removing tiny chunks of the rock in the National Park.

Environmental Issues Like many if not all other National parks in the world, Point Reyes is being affected by environmental issues. For the most part, there are only two major problems. The first is a disposal problem. Trash thrown onto the peninsula and trash thrown around the peninsula are polluting the landscape on and around the Park. The natural landscape is becoming damaged from tourism impurities. The other major effect on the peninsula is the lack of animal species on Point Reyes. The small area and inconvenient location allow the greater percentage of the animal population to consist of birds. The small collection of other animals are dwindling under the circumstances and besides birds, all the other animals are not migratory animals. These causes have put some what of a limit on the environment today.

Maps Of The Park

How Technology Is Used In The Park Technology in Point Reyes has little to do with the peninsula, but the part it does play is an important one. The park is almost all completely natural, without human interactions, on most parts. But technology does maintain and preserve the Point Reyes lighthouse. The lighthouse, now over 100 years old, is still preserved to the way it relatively was years before. The lighthouse’s beam of light still twirls around the peninsula, paving the warning just the same as it did a time ago.

Pictures

Bibliography Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S National Park Service). National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 18 May Web. 20 May Point Reyes - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 7 May Web. 13 May Point Reyes Lighthouse. Tomales Bay Publishing Company, 18 May Web. 20 May