Marin’s Tule Elk: From Near Extinction to Local Treasure

If you hike in Point Reyes National Seashore today, you might see a herd of tule elk (pronounced TOO-lee) grazing on the rolling hills. Not long ago, not a single elk could be found here. Their return to Point Reyes is a true homecoming story for this California native animal (a subspecies found nowhere else in the world).

In the early 1800s, tule elk thrived all across California. Absolutely massive herds, like the Dances with Wolves buffalo scene at a smaller scale. In the 1840s, someone counted 400 in a herd, while others believed there were over 1,000 in a single herd!

With the Gold Rush and increased cattle ranching, by the 1860s, the tule elk had vanished from Marin and were presumed extinct statewide.

Then came a stroke of luck. In 1874, a single breeding pair was discovered in the San Joaquin Valley. All of today’s tule elk (around 5,000 animals) descend from that one tiny herd protected by a local wealthy rancher. By the 1970s, after decades of effort, wildlife officials were ready to reintroduce tule elk to parts of their former range – including Marin County.

The big return came in 1978, when ten tule elk were released at Tomales Point – the first elk in Marin since the 1850s. They thrived in a 2,600-acre fenced reserve on the old Pierce Ranch. In 1998, some elk were moved to establish a free-roaming herd near Limantour Beach. Today about 700 tule elk roam Point Reyes across three herds. Hikers often see them grazing or hear the eerie bugling calls of bulls echoing through the misty mornings.

I’m grateful we get to see the tule elk today!

Another fun fact: The inspiration for this came from my 4th of July road trip to Southern California. You pass a Tule Elk Reserve sign on the 5 freeway close to where the lone remaining breeding pair was discovered. The slight slope at Kettleman City (where the In-N-Out is) actually used to be the edge of a massive lake. Tulare Lake was over 3 times as large as Lake Tahoe in surface area! It dried up around 1900 primarily due to Central Valley agriculture water needs.

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Thanks for reading. We will be back with the regular events and activities email Wednesday morning!

— Allison + Brian