74-469: Seal Rock , Seal Rocks , or Seal's Rock may refer to: Seal Rock Seal Rock, Farallon Islands , California Seal Rock (San Mateo County, California) Seal Rock State Recreation Site , Oregon Seal Rock, Oregon Seal Rock, a National Register of Historic Places site in the vicinity of the Oregon community Seal Rocks, the offshore rocks for which
148-513: A 16-foot male white shark that was featured in an episode of the 2012 season of Shark Week called "Great White Highway," is believed to be the oldest living white shark so far documented returning to the Farallones, estimated at 25–30 years old. Some individual sharks have been tagged and found to roam the Pacific as far as Hawaii and Guadalupe Island off Baja California , returning regularly to
222-664: A broad spectrum of service programs by enforcing conservation laws established to protect the fish, wildlife, cultural, and archaeological resources the service manages in trust for the American people. They also educate the public about the FWS's mission, contribute to environmental education and outreach, provide safety and security for the visiting public, assist local communities with law enforcement and natural disaster response and recovery through emergency management programs, and help protect native subsistence rights. They are routinely involved with
296-537: A habitat for endangered species , migratory birds , plants, and numerous other valuable animals, implemented the NWRS Improvement Act, acquired and protected key critical inholdings, and established leadership in habitat restoration and management. Under the act, the NWRS has created Comprehensive Conservation Plans (CCPs) for each refuge, developed through consultation with private and public stakeholders. These began
370-449: A regional, integrated level adds to the effective conservation achievements of the FWS and allows individual refuges to respond more effectively to challenges. Wildlife and habitat management activities include: During fiscal year 2015, the refuge system manipulated 3.1 million acres of habitat (technique #10 from the preceding list) and managed 147 million acres of the system without habitat manipulation (using techniques #1 through 9 from
444-424: A review process by stakeholders beginning in 2013. The CCPs must be consistent with the FWS goals for conservation and wildlife management. The CCPs outline conservation goals for each refuge for 15 years into the future, with the intent that they will be revised every 15 years thereafter. The comprehensive conservation planning process requires a scoping phase, in which each refuge holds public meetings to identify
518-427: A rich pelagic food web. Orca whales are also found around the islands. Gray whales are reliably found near the Farallones during their spring migration north and the fall and winter migration south. Some gray whales may also be found during the summer, when a few whales skip the trip north to Alaska and spend the summer months off the coast of Canada and the continental United States. In December 2005, one humpback
592-473: A sealing station in the Farallones from 1812 to 1840, taking 1,200 to 1,500 fur seals annually, though American ships had already exploited the islands. The Albatross , captained by Nathan Winship, and the O'Cain , captained by his brother Jonathan Winship, were the first American ships sent from Boston in 1809 to establish a settlement on the Columbia River. In 1810, they met with two other American ships at
666-466: A solo sailing trip from San Francisco to the Farallones on January 28, 2007. Despite an unusually thorough search, neither his body nor his boat was ever found. On April 14, 2012, the sailing yacht Low Speed Chase capsized during a race at Maintop Island, killing 5 of the 8 crew aboard. Three people have successfully swum from the Farallones to the Golden Gate, with two more swimming to points north of
740-648: A variety of different administrative and funding mechanisms. Setting aside the sections of Marine National Monuments outside refuge boundaries (685.7 million of the 759 million total acres in Marine National Monuments), leaves 151 million acres of the more traditional Refuges and Wetland Management Districts. These 151 million acres were acquired as follows: In addition to refuge status, the "special" status of lands within individual refuges may be recognized by additional designations, either legislatively or administratively. Special designation may also occur through
814-506: Is Rittenburg Bank, with depths of less than 260' (80 meters) ( 37°53′N 123°18′W / 37.883°N 123.300°W / 37.883; -123.300 ). Although the Farallon Islands do not have an official weather station, satellite measurements indicate a very mild mediterranean climate due to its offshore position in the midst of the very cold California Current . The cold waters also make it rather chilly during most of
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#1733094498082888-467: Is a complex process of controlling or eradicating invasive species, using fire in a prescribed manner, assuring adequate water resources, and assessing external threats such as development or contamination. Hundreds of national refuges are home to some 700 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species, and more than 1000 species of fish. Endangered species are a priority of National Wildlife Refuges, with nearly 60 refuges having
962-399: Is a large island, two leagues from land and three leagues northwest of this are . . . seven farallones close together." It is believed that probably for the next two centuries after Drake first recorded their existence, their rather ominous appearance, lying just off the entrance to San Francisco Bay , most likely caused the earlier mariners to prefer to skirt far to the west and offshore from
1036-418: Is also essential to proper management of refuge lands. As of September 30, 2019, the refuges had 15,257 roads, bridges, and trails; 5,204 buildings; 8,407 water management structures; and 8,414 other structures such as visitor facility enhancements (hunting blinds, fishing piers, boat docks, observation decks, and information kiosks). The overall facility infrastructure is valued at over $ 36 billion. The area of
1110-538: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Seal Rock, Farallon Islands The Farallon Islands / f æ r ə l ɔː n / FA -ra-lon , or Farallones (from Spanish farallón 'pillar, sea cliff'), are a group of islands and sea stacks in the Gulf of the Farallones , off the coast of San Francisco , California , United States. The islands are also sometimes referred to by mariners as
1184-579: Is in every state. National Wildlife Refuge System employees are responsible for planning, biological monitoring and habitat conservation , contaminants management, visitor services, outreach and environmental education, heavy equipment operation, law enforcement, and fire management. The National Wildlife Refuge System deals with urban intrusion/development, habitat fragmentation , degradation of water quantity and quality, climate change , invasive species , increasing demands for recreation, and increasing demands for energy development. The system has provided
1258-414: Is informally known as "the pimple." North Farallon Islands, about 5 miles (7 km) further northwest, consist of two clusters of bare precipitous islets and rocks 100' to 280' (31 to 85 meters) high, with an aggregate area of 7 acres (28,270 m ) Some of those unnamed rocks, however, have Spanish names, such as Piedra Guadalupe , Peñasco Quebrado and Farallón Vizcaíno . 3 miles (5 km) WNW of
1332-501: Is named after the islands. The islands string northwestward from Southeast Farallon Island for 5 miles (8.0 km). Their total land area is 0.16 square miles (0.41 km ). The islands were initially exploited for bird eggs and fur seal skins, then used as a lighthouse station and a radio station. They have been protected in the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, first established in 1909 with
1406-622: The Devil's Teeth Islands , in reference to the many treacherous underwater shoals in their vicinity. The islands lie 30 miles (48 km) outside the Golden Gate and 20 miles (32 km) south of Point Reyes , and are visible from the mainland on clear days. The islands are part of the City and County of San Francisco . The only inhabited portion of the islands is on Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI), where researchers from Point Blue Conservation Science and
1480-511: The National Weather Service provided some weather observations from the lighthouse on its local radio station. The islands have also been mentioned in connection with the schooner Malahat as one possible site for Rum Row during Prohibition . A high-frequency direction finding (HFDF) station was established here by the Navy during World War II . These radio intercept sites along
1554-550: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stay. The islands are closed to the public. The Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is one of 63 national wildlife refuges that have congressionally designated wilderness status . In 1974, the Farallon Wilderness was established ( Public Law 93-550) and includes all islands except the Southeast Island for a total of 141 acres (57 ha). Additionally, waters surrounding
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#17330944980821628-488: The clipper ship that struck it on January 1, 1863, and sank within one hour. The banks northwest of Fanny Shoal are not considered part of the Farallon Islands anymore, and they are outside of U.S. territorial waters . About 15 miles (25 km) northwest of Fanny Shoal is Cordell Bank , a significant marine habitat ( 38°01′N 123°25′W / 38.017°N 123.417°W / 38.017; -123.417 ). About halfway between Fanny Shoal and Cordell Bank
1702-881: The 2020 Behind the Bastards podcast episode "The War of the Eggs". National Wildlife Refuge The National Wildlife Refuge System ( NWRS ) is a system of protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency within the Department of the Interior . The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife, and plants. Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated Florida's Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge as
1776-550: The Farallon Islands, the Mercury and the Isabella , and at least 30,000 seal skins were taken. By 1818, the seals diminished rapidly until only about 500 could be taken annually and within the next few years, the fur seal was extirpated from the islands. Whether the northern fur seal or the Guadalupe fur seal were the islands' native fur seal is unknown, although the northern fur seal is
1850-495: The Farallones every year in the autumn. Satellite tracking has revealed the majority of great white sharks from the Farallones (and from other parts of California, Hawaii and the west coast of Mexico) migrate to an area of ocean dubbed the White Shark Café , 1,500 miles (2,400 km) west of Ensenada, Baja California . The peak of activity at this location is from mid-April to Mid-July, but some sharks spend up to eight months of
1924-468: The Farallones have been nicknamed, often based on their scars and appearances, such as Gouge, The Hunchback, The Jester, and Stumpy. Stumpy, an 18-foot female great white, in particular was well known for her appearance in the BBC documentary "Great White Shark" narrated by David Attenborough and stock footage of her attacks on decoys is often utilized in more recent documentaries, and another example, Tom Johnson,
1998-432: The Farallones is unclear, with estimates from thirty to one hundred. The Farallones are unique in the size of the great whites that are attracted. The average length of a full-grown great white shark is 4 to 4.8 metres (13 to 16 ft), with a weight of 680 to 1,100 kg (1,500 to 2,430 lb), females generally being larger than males. Farallon great whites range between the "smaller" males at 13 ft (4.0 m) to
2072-537: The Farallons and extirpated the pinnipeds from the islands. In 1996 West End Island became the fourth American northern fur seal rookery when a pup was born. The recolonizers bore tags from San Miguel Island in the Channel Islands , which had been itself recolonized in 1968. By 2006, nearly 100 pups were born. The fur seals are aggressive and have displaced larger sea lions from their territory. The high count for 2011
2146-500: The Golden Gate to SE Farralone, in just over 17 hours. The collecting of eggs, along with the threat of oil spills from San Francisco's shipping lanes, prompted President Theodore Roosevelt to sign Executive Order No. 1043 in 1909, creating the Farallon Reservation to protect the chain's northern islands. This was expanded to the other islands in 1969 when it became a national wildlife refuge . In 1981, Congress designated
2220-695: The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which spanned 1,279 square miles (3,313 square kilometers; 966 square nautical miles) of water surrounding the islands. This sanctuary protected open ocean, nearshore tidal flats, rocky intertidal areas, estuarine wetlands, subtidal reefs, and coastal beaches within its boundaries. In 2015, the sanctuary was enlarged north and west of the original boundary, partially surrounding Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary , to encompass 3,295 square miles (8,534 square kilometers; 2,488 square nautical miles), and
2294-698: The Islands of Saint James because the day after his arrival was the feast day of St James the Great . The name of St James is now applied to only one of the rocky islets of the North Farallons. The islands were apparently first given their names "Farallones" (literally, "cliffs") by Friar Antonio de la Ascencion, aboard the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno's 1603 expedition. De la Ascension wrote in his diary, "Six leagues before reaching Punta de los Reyes ( Point Reyes )
Seal Rock - Misplaced Pages Continue
2368-644: The National Wildlife Refuge Association and referenced below. Comprehensive wildlife and habitat management demands the integration of scientific information from several disciplines, including understanding ecological processes and monitoring status of fish, wildlife and plants. Equally important is an intimate understanding of the social and economic drivers that impact and are affected by management decisions and can facilitate or impede implementation success. Service strategic habitat conservation planning, design, and delivery efforts are affected by
2442-595: The North Farallones is Fanny Shoal, a bank 2 miles (3 km) in extent, with depth less than 180' (55 meters), marking the northernmost and westernmost feature of the group, albeit entirely submerged. Noonday Rock , which rises abruptly from a depth of 120' (37 meters), with a least depth of 4 meters (13 feet) over it at low tide, is the shallowest point of Fanny Shoal. There is a lighted bell buoy about 1000 yards (1 km) west of Noonday Rock. Noonday Rock, formerly known as Fanny Rock , derives its name from that of
2516-762: The Southeast Farallons added in 1969, and contain the largest seabird colony in the U.S. outside of Alaska and Hawaii . The islands are part of the City and County of San Francisco, in Supervisorial District 4, mainly covering the Sunset District . They were formerly part of District 1 ( The Richmond District ). Middle Farallon Island, 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of SEFI, is a 20-foot (6.1 m) high guano -covered black rock about 210' (65 meters) in diameter, with an area of ¾ acre (3,362 m ). This island
2590-548: The United States for the benefit of the present and future generations of Americans" (National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997). The system maintains the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of these natural resources and enables for associated public enjoyment of these areas where compatible with conservation efforts. National Wildlife Refuges manage a range of habitat types, including wetlands, prairies, coastal and marine areas, and temperate, tundra, and boreal forests. The management of each habitat
2664-448: The area. Summer highs seldom rise far above 60 °F (16 °C). The Farallon Islands are an important reserve protecting a huge seabird colony . The islands' position in the highly productive California Current and eastern Pacific upwelling region, as well as the absence of other large islands that would provide suitable nesting grounds, result in a seabird population of over 250,000. Twelve species of seabird and shorebird nest on
2738-441: The barrels would likely produce greater risk than leaving them undisturbed. The islands are the site of many shipwrecks . The liberty ship SS Henry Bergh , a converted troop carrier, hit West End in 1944 (all hands were saved). The USS Conestoga , a US Navy tugboat that disappeared with its 56 crew members in 1921, was found in 2009 and positively identified in 2016. (The Conestoga had sailed from nearby San Francisco, but
2812-518: The coast could track Japanese warships and merchant marine vessels as far away as the Western Pacific. The other stations in California were at Point Arguello , Point Saint George, and San Diego. Bainbridge Island, Washington also hosted a station. The United States Coast Guard maintained a staffed lighthouse until 1972, when it was automated. From 1946 to 1970, the sea around the Farallones
2886-457: The community of Seal Rock is named Seal Rock, Isles of Scilly Seal Rocks Seal Rocks (San Francisco, California) Seal Rocks, New South Wales Seal Rocks (Victoria) and Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre , Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia Seal's Rock , Lundy, Devonshire, United Kingdom See also [ edit ] Seal Island (disambiguation) Seal rock , in petroleum extraction technology Topics referred to by
2960-712: The core of the Sierra Nevada . The block was rifted off far to the south of its present position and moved north with the Pacific Plate on which the islands rest. Other nearby examples of the Salinian Block include the Point Reyes Peninsula and Bodega Head . The San Andreas Fault , marking a boundary zone between the Pacific and North American Plates, passes a few miles east of the islands. The ancient Farallon Plate
3034-607: The demographic, societal, and cultural changes of population growth and urbanization, as well as people's attitudes and values toward wildlife. Consideration of these factors contributes to the success of the service's mission to protect wildlife and their habitats. The refuge system works collaboratively internally and externally to leverage resources and achieve effective conservation. It works with other federal agencies, state fish and wildlife agencies, tribes, nongovernmental organizations, local landowners, community volunteers, and other partners. Meaningful engagement with stakeholders at
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3108-616: The entrance to the bay, thus leading to the much later discovery of the San Francisco Bay by land over two centuries after the 1542 discovery of the islands. In 1769, the bay inlet was finally discovered soon after an overland sighting of the bay was made from what is now the Pacifica area. In the years following the discovery of the islands, during the maritime fur trade era, the islands were exploited by seal hunters, first from New England and later from Russia . The Russians maintained
3182-536: The females, which generally range between 17 and 19 ft (5.2 and 5.8 m). (For comparison, the largest accurately measured great white shark was a female caught in August 1988 at Prince Edward Island off the North Atlantic coast and measured 20.3 ft (6.2 m).) A killer whale was recorded killing a great white near the Farallones in 1997. Over the decades of study, many of the individual white sharks visiting
3256-414: The first wildlife refuge in 1903, the system has grown to over 568 national wildlife refuges and 38 wetland management districts encompassing about 859,000,000 acres (3,476,200 km ). The mission of the refuge system is "To administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats within
3330-465: The gate. The first, Ted Erikson, made the swim in September 1967, with the second, Joseph Locke, swimming to the Golden Gate on July 12, 2014, in 14 hours. The third person, and the first woman to complete the distance, Kimberley Chambers , made it in just over 17 hours on August 7, 2015. On May 11, 2024, Amy Appelhans Gubser became the first and only person to have swum in the outbound direction, from
3404-472: The greater law enforcement community in cooperative efforts to combat the nation's drug problems, address border security issues, and aid in other security challenges. Prevention and control of wildland fires is also a part of refuge management. Completion of controlled burns to reduce fuel loading, and participation in the interagency wildland fire suppression efforts, are vital for management of refuge lands. A considerable infrastructure of physical structures
3478-509: The highly radioactive hull of USS Independence , which was used in Operation Crossroads nuclear weapons testing and then loaded with barrels of radioactive waste, was scuttled in the area. Its wreck was rediscovered in 2015. The exact current location of the containers and the potential hazard the containers pose to the environment are unknown. According to the EPA, attempts to remove
3552-474: The inner islands, from where they catch the sea otter without hindrance." After Alta California was ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , the islands' environment became linked to the growth of the city of San Francisco. Beginning in 1853, a lighthouse was constructed on SEFI. As the city grew, the seabird colonies came under severe threat as eggs were collected in
3626-480: The island). Five species of pinniped come to shore on the islands, and in some cases breed. These are the northern elephant seal , harbor seal , Steller's sea lion , California sea lion , and the northern fur seal (the last of which, like the rhinoceros auklet, began to return to the island again after protection). Sealers took 150,000 northern fur seals ( Callorhinus ursinus ) from the Farallons between 1810 and 1813, followed by Russian fur hunters who lived on
3700-701: The islands are protected as part of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary . The peaks of the Farallon Islands are visible from coastal areas of San Francisco and Marin County, so the Native Americans who lived in the San Francisco area were aware of them, and believed them to be an abode of the spirits of the dead. They are not believed to have traveled to the islands. The first Europeans to see these islands were most probably
3774-439: The islands, although the lighthouse keepers continued egging. . From 1902 to 1913, the former U.S. Weather Bureau maintained a weather station on the southeast island, which was connected with the mainland by cable. The results of the meteorological study were later published in a book on California's climate. Temperatures during those years never exceeded 90 °F (32 °C) or dropped to 32 °F (0 °C). Years later,
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#17330944980823848-460: The islands. In 1970, Farallon biologists witnessed their first shark attack, on a Steller's sea lion. During the next fifteen years, more than one hundred attacks on seals and sea lions were observed at close range. By the year 2000, biologists were logging almost eighty attacks in a single season. While the males return annually, the females return only every other year, often with fresh, deep bites around their heads. The seasonal shark population at
3922-549: The islands; western gull , Brandt's cormorant , pelagic cormorant , double-crested cormorant , pigeon guillemot , common murre , Cassin's auklet , tufted puffin , black oystercatcher , rhinoceros auklet , ashy storm-petrel , and Leach's storm-petrel . Since the islands were protected, common murres, which once numbered nearly 500,000 pairs but suffered from the egg collecting, oil spills and other disturbances that had greatly reduced their numbers, recovered and climbed from 6,000 birds to 160,000. Additionally, since protection,
3996-418: The locally extinct rhinoceros auklet has begun to breed on the islands again. The island has the world's largest colonies of western gulls and ashy storm petrels , the latter species being considered endangered and a conservation priority. The island also is the wintering ground of several species of migrants , and regularly attracts vagrant birds (about 430 species of bird have been recorded on or around
4070-531: The location of the schooner Ghost . Mr Johnson gives this position of the ship to Humphrey Van Weyden. Abby Geni's 2016 novel The Lightkeepers is set on the Farallon Islands. The Farallon Islands and their role in the Egg War of the Gold Rush era are documented in the 2017 The Kitchen Sisters Present podcast episode "Egg Wars", in the 2019 episode "The Egg Wars" on the comedy podcast The Dollop , and in
4144-612: The members of the Juan Cabrillo expedition of 1542, which sailed as far north as Point Reyes , but no source record of the Cabrillo expedition's actual sighting of these islands has survived. The first European to create a record of the islands that has survived was the English privateer and explorer Sir Francis Drake , on July 24, 1579. On that day, Drake landed on the islands to collect seal meat and bird eggs for his ship. He named them
4218-401: The millions for San Francisco markets. The trade, which in its heyday could yield 500,000 eggs a month, was the source of conflict between the egg-collecting companies and the lighthouse keepers. This conflict turned violent in a confrontation between rival companies in 1863. The clash between two rival companies, known as the Egg War , left two men dead and marked the end of private companies on
4292-529: The name was changed to Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary . The sanctuary is contiguous with both the Cordell Bank sanctuary and another sanctuary to the south, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary . The islands are managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service , in conjunction with the Marin -based Point Blue Conservation Science (formerly Point Reyes Bird Observatory). The islands are currently
4366-454: The preceding list). Refuges attract about 65 million visitors each year who come to hunt, fish, observe, and photograph wildlife, and are a significant boon to local economies. According to the FWS's 2013 Banking on Nature Report , visitors to refuges positively impact the local economies. The report details that 47 million people who visited refuges that year: The refuge system has a professional cadre of law enforcement officers that supports
4440-785: The primary purpose of conserving in aggregate 280 threatened or endangered species. The National Wildlife Refuge System welcomes about 65 million visitors each year to participate in outdoor recreational activities. The system manages six wildlife-dependent recreational uses in accordance with the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, including hunting , fishing , birding , photography , environmental education , and environmental interpretation. Hunters visit more than 350 hunting programs on refuges and on about 36,000 waterfowl production areas. Opportunities for fresh or saltwater fishing are available at more than 340 refuges. At least one wildlife refuge
4514-595: The public's main concerns; plan formulation, when refuge staff and FWS planners identify the key issues and refuge goals; writing the draft plan, in which wildlife and habitat alternatives are developed, and the plan is submitted for public review; revision of the draft plan, which takes into consideration the public's input; and plan implementation. Each CCP is required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and must consider potential alternatives for habitat and wildlife management on
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#17330944980824588-551: The radiation had decayed. Waste containers were shipped to Hunters Point Shipyard , then loaded onto barges for transportation to the Farallones. Containers were weighted with concrete. Those that floated were sometimes shot with rifles to sink them. Forty-four thousand containers were dumped at 37°37′N 123°17′W / 37.617°N 123.283°W / 37.617; -123.283 , and another 3,500 at 37°38′N 123°08′W / 37.633°N 123.133°W / 37.633; -123.133 . In January 1951,
4662-409: The refuge in 1959 with a confirmed pup in 1972. The elephant seal rookery on Southeast Farallon has probably reached carrying capacity. Several species of cetaceans are found near the Farallon Islands, most frequently gray whales , blue whales , and humpback whales . Blue whales and humpback whales are most frequently found near the islands in the summer and fall, when strong upwelling may support
4736-439: The refuge system is heavily influenced by large areas devoted to protecting wild Alaska and to protecting marine habitats in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans; however, the number of units and public visitation overwhelmingly occurs in the lower 48 states, though these refuges and wetland management districts constitute only about 2% of the area of the system. Today's Refuge System (September 30, 2022 data) has been assembled through
4810-543: The refuge, and identify their possible effects on the refuge. The NEPA requires FWS planners and refuge staff to engage the public in this planning process to assist them with identifying the most appropriate alternative. Completed CCPs are available to the public and can be found on the FWS website. A partial history of the Refuge System is at . For a much more thorough and complete history, see "The History and Future of our National Wildlife Refuge System" compiled by
4884-415: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Seal Rock . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seal_Rock&oldid=1039637180 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
4958-630: The species that began to recolonize the islands in 1996. On July 17, 1827, French sea captain Auguste Duhaut-Cilly sailed by the southernmost Farallon Island and counted the "crude dwellings of about a hundred Kodiaks stationed there by the Russians of Bodega ...the Kodiaks, in their light boats, slip into San Francisco Bay by night, moving along the coast opposite the fort, and once inside this great basin, they station themselves temporarily on some of
5032-507: The subject of long term ecological research. The Farallones are closed to the public, although birders and wildlife enthusiasts can approach them on whale watching boats, shark and marine policy education with the non profit Shark Stewards and the sail-training vessel Seaward out of Sausalito. The Farallon Islands are outcroppings of the Salinian Block , a vast geologic province of granitic continental crust sharing its origins with
5106-427: The waters of the Farallones were never searched because the vessel was assumed to have traveled far out into the Pacific.) On the morning of August 5, 1941, a United States Coast Guard Douglas Dolphin , V-126, likely struck a rock pinnacle on the southeast Farallon island, causing the aircraft to burst into flames. All 3 crewmen aboard were killed. Computer scientist Jim Gray was lost at sea after setting out on
5180-540: The year for a piece of land on the 37°N latitude. During San Francisco's and Oakland's above 100 °F (38 °C) record heat wave of 1 September 2017, the aggregate weather around the Farallon Islands remained below 68 °F (20 °C). The islands are also subject to occasional, heavy, offshore winds in winter. Due to the absence of a warming nearby landmass and the cold water, winters remain mild but often cooler than San Francisco also during that time of year. Winter lows below 50 °F (10 °C) are very rare in
5254-480: The year there. This island has many migratory sharks return to its waters every year. The islands have tens of thousands of invasive house mice that are wreaking havoc on the native ecosystem. An average of 500 Eurasian house mice occupy each of its 120 acres (49 ha), with an approximate total population of 60,000. The Farallones are briefly mentioned in Chapter 2 of Jack London's 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf as
5328-545: Was 476 individuals, a 69 percent increase from the year before. By 2016, the pup count alone was 1,126, reflecting a 21% average (but highly variable) annual increase in new pups over the 21 years since recolonization. If the South Farallon Islands population reaches its estimated historical size of 100,000 individuals, it could account for approximately one-fifth of the world's northern fur seal population. Northern elephant seals ( Mirounga angustirostris ) recolonized
5402-406: Was rescued from netting entanglement east of the Farallones by staff of The Marine Mammal Center . The last sighting of another humpback, Humphrey , was near the Farallones in 1991. The islands are in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary , which protects the feeding grounds of the wildlife of the refuge. The elephant seal population attracts a population of great white sharks to
5476-703: Was used as a dump site for radioactive waste under the authority of the Atomic Energy Commission at a site known as the Farallon Island Nuclear Waste Dump. Most of the dumping took place before 1960, and all dumping of radioactive wastes by the United States was terminated in 1970. By then, 47,500 containers (55-gallon steel drums) had been dumped in the vicinity, with a total estimated radioactive activity of 14,500 Ci (540 TBq ). The materials dumped were mostly laboratory materials containing traces of contamination. By 1980, most of
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