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54-673: The complex is composed of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge , Merced National Wildlife Refuge , San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge , and the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area . The complex consists of nearly 45,000 acres (180 km) of wetlands , grasslands, and riparian habitats , as well as over 90,000 acres (360 km) of conservation easements on private lands for the protection and benefit of wildlife. The complex

108-527: A colonial-nesting songbird , breed in colonies of over 25,000 pairs. Coyotes, ground squirrels, desert cottontails, beavers , and long-tailed weasels can also be seen year-round. Vernal pools are another type of wetland found on the Merced NWR. These special pools form when natural shallow depressions underlaid with clay soils fill with winter rainwater. The pools come to life as they fill with water: fairy and tadpole shrimp emerge from cysts embedded in

162-550: A diversity of breeding songbirds including grosbeaks , orioles , flycatchers and warblers , as well as least Bell's vireos – a threatened species which last nested in the San Joaquin Valley over 50 years ago. A wildlife viewing platform along Beckwith Road is a favorite location for viewing the Aleutian cackling geese along with other waterbirds from October through March. The Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (GWMA)

216-537: A group to attempt a preservation program for the elk. After more than 10 years of lobbying both on the federal and state levels, in 1971, California passed legislation (the Behr bill) requiring the elk may not be hunted until their numbers surpass 2,000 head statewide or until it could be determined that suitable elk habitat no longer existed in the state, and mandated the California Department of Resources to reintroduce

270-556: A herd of 18 animals was established in a large enclosure at the San Luis NWR and has since thrived. Elk from this herd are periodically relocated to establish new or join other Tule Elk herds throughout California. A true wildlife recovery success story, the statewide Tule Elk population has recovered to over 4,000 animals. Less well-known are the extensive upland habitats found on the refuge. Many of these habitats are characterized by saline or alkaline conditions which are accentuated by

324-668: A herd..." A more definitive second encounter 16 years later was described by Sebastian Rodriguez Cermeño , who was shipwrecked in December 1595, and in Drake's Bay with certainty. Cermeño's account described "deer walking about, the largest ever found, as could be seen by the antlers, of which the Captain carried away a sample". On a trip inland they found "a great quantity of deer horns, one of which, measured before this witness, showed sixteen palmas [11 feet] from point to point." Cermeno and his crew made

378-419: A maximum of five alleles at one locus, indicating that there has either been a mutation at this locus subsequent to the single breeding pair reported by Henry Miller and nineteenth century game warden A. C. Tibbet, or there were three surviving tule elk at the 1800s genetic bottleneck. Another microsatellite study in 2016 found no more than four alleles at any locus, consistent with tule elk having been reduced to

432-542: A myriad of tree-lined channels and oxbows , wetlands and native grasslands . Thousands of acres of wetlands, fed by an intricate set of canals, are managed to produce natural food supplies for migratory waterfowl . San Luis also contains the most extensive network of pristine native grasslands, shrubs , and vernal pools that still remain within the Central Valley. Thousands upon thousands of mallard , pintail , green-winged teal , and ring-necked ducks flock into

486-532: A single breeding pair. The first European explorer to see tule elk was likely Sir Francis Drake who landed in July 1579 probably in today's Drake's Bay , Marin County, California : "The inland we found to be far different from the shoare, a goodly country and fruitful soil, stored with many blessings fit for the use of man: infinite was the company of very large and fat deer, which there we saw by thousands as we supposed in

540-614: A small boat from their wrecked Manila galleon and sailed back to Acapulco, Mexico , with but a single trophy of their voyage to the Philippines , the set of large elk antlers. Next, Sebastián Vizcaíno described seeing elk on his December 1602 exploration of the Monterey area, "Among the animals there are large, fierce bears, and other animals called elks, from which they make elk leather jackets." When Richard Henry Dana Jr. visited San Francisco Bay in 1835, he wrote about vast elk herds near

594-449: A thousand elk in one herd." General John Bidwell of the 1841 Bartleson–Bidwell Party wrote: "In some of the fertile valleys, such as Napa and Santa Clara, there were elk literally by the thousand". Genetic studies based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA confirm that tule elk, Roosevelt elk and Rocky Mountain elk should be considered distinct subspecies. A 2007 nuclear DNA microsatellite study found single alleles at many loci, with

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648-527: Is a management tool used by the refuge to help control invasive weeds, provide and maintain short stature grasslands for goose grazing, and encourage native grasslands to thrive The San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge is located in Stanislaus County and San Joaquin County . It encompasses over 7,000 acres (28 km) of riparian woodlands, wetlands and grasslands that host a diversity of wildlife native to California's Central Valley. The refuge

702-671: Is headquartered in Los Banos, California and uses the Sierra National Forest Emergency Communication Center located in Fresno, California for emergency dispatch. The complex is located within the Pacific Flyway , a major route for migrating birds, including waterfowl. The extensive wetlands of the complex and surrounding lands provide habitat for up to a million waterfowl that arrive here each winter. Of

756-794: Is located in western Merced County, California , within the San Joaquin River basin and supports the largest remaining block of contiguous wetlands in the Central Valley. It is divided into an eastern and western division separated by the San Joaquin River. In the heart of the western division is the Grassland Resource Conservation District (GRCD), an area of 70,000 acres (280 km) of private wetlands and associated grasslands, and over 30,600 acres (124 km) of federal National Wildlife Refuges and state Wildlife Management Areas. These private wetlands constitute 30% of

810-456: Is showcased by one of three auto tour routes. The refuge is host to significant assemblages of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and plants; some of which, such as the California tiger salamander and San Joaquin kit fox , are endangered species . In 1966, the first parcel of the refuge was purchased with Federal Duck Stamp funds to provide a sanctuary for migratory waterfowl. Over

864-622: Is situated where three major rivers, the San Joaquin , Tuolumne and Stanislaus Rivers , join providing key wildlife corridor habitat. The refuge was established in 1987 under the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 . The refuge has played a major role in the recovery of Aleutian cackling geese by serving as a key wintering area and continues to be of major importance to this species. By 1975,

918-639: Is within Merced County . It is divided into four units: Merced Unit, Arena Plains Unit, Snowbird Unit and Lonetree Unit. It encompasses 10,262 acres (42 km) of wetlands, native grasslands, vernal pools , and riparian zone areas. It was established in 1951 under the Lea Act to attract wintering waterfowl from adjacent farmland where their foraging was causing crop damage. In the last few decades, changes in agricultural practices and refuge management have reduced these wildlife/crop issues. The refuge plays host to

972-528: The Diablo Range , Santa Clara County elk herd where more than 50% of the tule elk diet were grasses. A 2007 study at the Tomales Point Elk Reserve showed that tule elk appear to play a critical role in preventing succession of open grasslands to less diverse, shrub-dominated ecosystems. Elk grazing had a positive impact on native grassland species abundance and diversity, and seemed to increase

1026-612: The Golden Gate on December 27: "...we came to anchor near the mouth of the bay, under a high and beautifully sloping hill, upon which herds of hundreds and hundreds of red deer [note: "red deer" is the European term for "elk"], and the stag, with his high branching antlers, were bounding about...", although it is not clear whether this was the Marin side or the San Francisco side. The arrival of

1080-506: The Point Reyes National Seashore . Other possible explanations include failure to remove cattle until 1979 and the fact that 1977 and 1978 were drought years. Birth rates remained negligible until 1981, when they began reproducing at predicted maximum rates. Studies of fecal material documented that the tule elk preferred grasses and forbs with little use of shrubs such as willow. These results are consistent with findings on

1134-785: The Rocky Mountain elk which were introduced near Mount Shasta . In 1960, the state held a hearing in Owens Valley to determine how many elk should be allowed to live there. They decided the elk should be hunted to limit their numbers to under 500 animals. Through efforts of the California Department of Fish and Game, three permanent elk herds were established in California. By 1969, the Tupman State Reserve (32), Cache Creek (80) and Owens Valley, Inyo County (300 elk) were in place. A private citizen from Los Angeles, Beula Edmiston, formed

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1188-594: The San Francisco Bay : Sonoma in Sonoma County , as well as San Geronimo and Tomales both in Marin County . By 1986 numbers had increased to over 2,000 individuals distributed among 22 populations throughout California, largely due to successful reintroduction programs. By 1998, California's tule elk population exceeded 3,200. In 2007, the statewide population was estimated at 3,800. A 2014 report placed

1242-557: The San Joaquin Valley to a golf course in Monterey that grew to the size of a Rocky Mountain elk . Also hunter H. C. Banta described the tule elk in the 1850s as "I found no difference in size between these elk and the Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Colorado elk, and felt sure that the bulls would weight 700 to 800 pounds". The calves are similar to deer fawns, with brown coats and white spots. Tule elk herd size likely numbered in

1296-461: The 30 species of waterfowl using the complex, the most common include Ross's geese , Aleutian cackling geese , snow geese , green-winged teal , mallards , northern pintails , gadwalls , American wigeons , northern shovelers , and greater white-fronted geese . The complex is an integral part of a mosaic of federal, state, and private lands in Merced and Stanislaus Counties that together constitute

1350-907: The California Department of Fish and Game selected sites for the reintroduction of tule elk within the state. A herd was established at the San Luis Wildlife Refuge in 1974, and elk were released at the Concord Naval Weapons Station in 1977. In 1978, herds were established at Mount Hamilton in Santa Clara County , Lake Pillsbury in Lake County , Jawbone Canyon in Kern County , Point Reyes National Seashore , Fort Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, and Camp Roberts . McCullough identified nineteenth century tule elk antler specimens collected in three separate locations north of

1404-478: The San Luis NWR. The San Luis NWR has played a key role in the recovery of the Tule Elk , a non-migratory elk subspecies found only in California. Prior to the mid-19th century, an estimated 500,000 Tule Elk lived in California. Due to over-hunting and loss of natural habitat, they were nearly driven to extinction by the turn of the 20th century – by some accounts, the population was down to 10-20 individuals. In 1974

1458-510: The Spanish in the late 18th century introduced cattle and horses to the grasslands of the Central Valley, competing with the native elk. Unrestricted hunting further reduced the herds. By the time elk hunting was banned by the State Legislature in 1873, the tule elk was believed to be extinct. California cattle baron Henry Miller protected tule elk after a pair was discovered on his ranch in

1512-535: The area and benefit from the habitat protection provided by the easement program. San Luis National Wildlife Refuge The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California is one of the great remnants of a historically bountiful wintering grounds for migratory waterfowl on the Pacific Flyway . Located in the Bear Creek, Salt Slough, and San Joaquin River floodplain, it hosts

1566-605: The disease to the Tomales Point elk herd shortly after they were first established there in 1978. Two male and eight female elk were translocated from Merced County, California to Tomales Point on Point Reyes National Seashore in March 1978. The elk showed signs of nutritional stress including copper deficiency and antler anomalies by summer 1979 and two elk died. One explanation was molybdenum which expresses as copper deficiency. A former molybdenum mine existed in that area of

1620-654: The dwarf elk, this moniker may be misleading as the smaller size of some tule elk may reflect poor nutrition of elk subsisting on marginal habitat such as the Owens River watershed. California Department of Fish and Wildlife records show recent tule elk bulls on Grizzly Island in Suisun Bay weigh up to 900 pounds (410 kg). This is a similar size to Roosevelt elk bulls which weigh between 700 pounds (320 kg) and 1,100 pounds (500 kg). Wildlife biologist Dale McCullough described an elk transplanted from Buttonwillow in

1674-614: The elk into former habitats wherever possible. In 1976, the US Congress passed a resolution which stated 2000 tule elk is an appropriate national goal, and directed federal agencies to make federal lands available for preservation of tule elk. An Interagency Task Force of representatives from the National Park Service, US Forest Service, the Armed Forces, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and

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1728-554: The elk were transplanted 21 times, with each attempt failing to establish free-ranging herds. In 1933, rancher Walter Dow took a small group of penned elk from Yosemite to his ranch in Owens Valley , east of the Sierra Nevada . Although not native habitat for the elk, they thrived. In the same year, the state put a small herd at Cache Creek . This herd has not fared well due to poor range conditions. This herd may have interbred with

1782-574: The geese. It is estimated that 95 percent of the San Joaquin Valley's riparian woodlands were lost during the late 19th and 20th centuries due to changing land and water uses. However, this refuge is in the process of restoring this critical habitat. Within the borders of the San Joaquin NWR is one of California's largest riparian forest habitat restoration projects: 400,000 native trees such as willows, cottonwoods, and oaks have been planted across 1,700 acres (7 km) of river floodplain creating

1836-466: The grassy hills on the coast. The subspecies name derives from the tule ( / ˈ t uː l iː / ), a species of sedge native to freshwater marshes on which the tule elk feeds. When the Europeans first arrived, an estimated 500,000 tule elk roamed these regions, but by 1870 they were thought to be extirpated. In 1874–1875 a single breeding pair was discovered in the tule marshes of Buena Vista Lake in

1890-447: The largest block of contiguous riparian woodland in the San Joaquin Valley. This important riparian woodland habitat is host to many rare animals. Swainson's hawks nest in the canopy of tall cottonwood trees. Herons and cormorants form communal nesting colonies within the tops of the large oaks. Endangered riparian brush rabbits have been re-introduced to this restored habitat from captive-reared populations. These woodlands also support

1944-428: The largest contiguous freshwater wetlands remaining in California. This area has been recognized as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, an Audubon Important Bird Area, and as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site. The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge encompasses over 26,600 acres (108 km) of wetlands, riparian forests, native grasslands and vernal pools. A thriving population of tule elk

1998-658: The largest wintering populations of lesser sandhill cranes and Ross's geese within the Pacific Flyway. Each autumn over 20,000 cranes and 60,000 arctic-nesting geese terminate their annual migrations from Alaska and Canada to make the refuge home for six months. Here they mingle with thousands of other visiting waterfowl, waterbirds and shorebirds making the refuge a true winter phenomenon. The refuge also provides an important breeding habitat for Swainson's hawks , tricolored blackbirds , marsh wrens , mallards, gadwalls, cinnamon teal, and burrowing owls . Tricolored blackbirds,

2052-545: The low rainfall and arid conditions that characterize the San Joaquin Valley. These habitats support a rich botanical community of native bunchgrasses , native and exotic annual grasses, forbs, and native shrubs. Trees, such as the valley oak , cottonwood , and willow are found along riparian corridors. In these areas, visitors might encounter coyotes , desert cottontails , ground squirrels , western meadowlarks , yellow-billed magpies , loggerhead shrikes , as well as northern harriers and white-tailed kites coursing over

2106-435: The managed wetlands; while the wood duck lives throughout the tree-lined slough channels. Herons and egrets nest in mature oaks and willows and feed on the refuge's abundant frog and crayfish populations. A wide diversity of songbirds , hawks , and owls also use refuge habitat. Hunting is allowed in the winter season on a portion of the refuge, which also holds a herd of reintroduced endangered tule elk ,

2160-693: The mosaic of seasonal, and permanent wetlands that comprise a quarter of the refuge. Waterfowl generally remain until mid-April before beginning their journey north to breeding areas. Some mallards, gadwalls, and cinnamon teal stay through the spring and summer and breed on the refuge. Shorebirds including sandpipers and plovers can be found in the tens of thousands from autumn through spring. Large flocks of dunlin , long-billed dowitchers , least sandpipers and western sandpipers can be found feeding in shallow seasonal wetlands, whereas flocks of long-billed curlews are found using both wetlands and grasslands. Over 25 species of shorebirds have been documented at

2214-584: The pool basins. Once the vernal pools have dried out, Downingia and Colusa grass , a rare California species, appear in the parched basins. This annual coloring led John Muir to describe the valley floor as the "floweriest part of the world" he had seen. In addition to managing natural habitats, the Merced NWR contains approximately 300 acres (1.2 km) of cultivated corn and winter wheat crops and over 500 acres (2.0 km) of irrigated pasture for wildlife. Not only do these managed agricultural areas provide important sources of nutrition (carbohydrates) to

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2268-640: The remaining wetlands in California's Central Valley and are extremely important to Pacific Flyway waterfowl populations. Over 60 million duck use-day and 3 million goose use-days occur annually in the GWMA. The wetlands support diverse habitats including seasonally flooded marshlands, semi-permanent marsh, riparian habitat, wet meadows, vernal pools, native uplands, pastures, and native grasslands. This habitat diversity supports raptors, shorebirds, wading birds, and other wildlife species. Several federal and state-listed, endangered, and threatened plants and animals are present in

2322-486: The several hundreds historically. Joseph Warren Revere , the grandson of Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere , wrote in his book Naval Duty in California that he counted 400 elk in a single herd on Pt. Reyes in the 1840s. Stephen J. Richardson, son of Marin County pioneer Captain William A. Richardson , wrote "I think the largest herd in the world roamed over the deep grasslands of Point Reyes...I fully believe there were

2376-542: The smallest of the elk subspecies in North America, the tule elk were the dominant large ungulate in California prior to the arrival of the Spanish. The average weight of adult males is only 450 to 550 lb (200 to 250 kg) and females have an average of 375 to 425 lb (170 to 193 kg). Although tule elk have been reported as half the size of the Roosevelt elk ( C. c. roosevelti ), and sometimes referred to as

2430-535: The smallest subspecies of all American elks. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . Tule Elk Cervus elaphus nannodes The tule elk ( Cervus canadensis nannodes ) is a subspecies of elk found only in California , ranging from the grasslands and marshlands of the Central Valley to

2484-516: The soils the previous year. The endangered tiger salamander , along with other amphibians lay eggs and rear tadpoles. The vast number of aquatic invertebrates found in these pools provides a food source for wintering and migrating birds as they prepare for the long flight north to their breeding grounds. As spring arrives and the water in the vernal pools evaporates, wildflowers – such as goldfields, purple owl's clover , and butter-and-egg – germinate in colorful patterns of thick rings or halos around

2538-734: The southern San Joaquin Valley . Conservation measures were taken to protect the species in the 1970s. Today, the wild population exceeds 4,000. Tule elk can reliably be found in Carrizo Plain National Monument , Point Reyes National Seashore , portions of the Owens Valley from Lone Pine to Bishop , on Coyote Ridge in Santa Clara Valley , San Jose, California and in Pacheco State Park and areas surrounding San Luis Reservoir near Los Banos , California. Considered

2592-579: The statewide population at 4,200 in 22 herds. As of 2019, the total Californian population was estimated to be 5,700. Small numbers of tule elk in Point Reyes have tested positive for Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis or "MAP", a wasting disease known as Johne's Disease . The bacteria was apparently transmitted by dairy cattle or spraying of cattle manure on pasturelands. In 2016 more tule elk tested positive after being euthanized so that their gut tissue could be analyzed. Cattle transmitted

2646-506: The tens of thousands of arctic-nesting geese and sandhill cranes that make Merced County their winter home, they also help ensure that the birds will have adequate nutrient stores to make the long migration to their northern breeding grounds. Local farmers, under agreements with the refuge, oversee the ground preparation, seeding, and irrigation of these croplands. The refuge incorporates a livestock grazing program that works in partnership with local ranchers and farmers. Grazing cattle and sheep

2700-459: The total population was under 1,000 geese; however, removing nest predators (non-native introduced foxes) from the breeding grounds in Alaska's Aleutian Islands and improving wintering habitat resulted in its delisting as an endangered species and a population well over 100,000 and growing. Restoring wetlands and providing grasslands and croplands at this refuge has provided an ideal wintering habitat for

2754-417: The tule marshes near Buena Vista Lake by game warden A. C. Tibbett in 1874. Miller ordered his men to protect the elk and is credited for the survival of the subspecies. After his death, the huge Miller-Lux ranch was subdivided and the hunting of the elk resumed. The population was reduced to 72 head. By 1895, habitat loss and poaching had reduced the elk population to only 28. In the years that followed,

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2808-427: The vegetation and other raptors. Great blue herons , great egrets , and white-faced ibises are frequently sighted throughout the refuge. The refuge has three auto tour routes with associated nature trails and observation decks for the public to view and photograph wildlife and nature. The refuge also allows fishing at designated sites and has a large waterfowl hunting program. The Merced National Wildlife Refuge

2862-621: The years the refuge has steadily grown in size and today it comprises six contiguous units: San Luis, East Bear Creek, West Bear Creek, Freitas, Blue Goose, and Kesterson. The San Joaquin River bisects the eastern portion of the refuge. The refuge is a major wintering ground and migratory stopover point for large concentrations of waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds. Large flocks of northern shovelers, mallards, gadwalls, wigeons, green-winged teal, cinnamon teal , northern pintails, ring-billed ducks , canvasbacks , ruddy ducks , snow geese, Ross's geese, and greater white-fronted geese swarm over

2916-591: Was established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1979 and is composed of privately owned lands on which perpetual conservation easements have been purchased. These easements preserve wetland and grassland habitats and prevent conversion to croplands or other uses not compatible with migratory birds and other wildlife values. Daily management operations remain under the landowner's control. The majority of easement properties are wetlands managed for waterfowl hunting. From 1979 to date, over 65,000 acres (260 km) have been placed under conservation easements. The GWMA

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