After another dry summer, the Point Reyes National Seashore is once again bringing drinking water to tule elk. 

Last summer marked the first time the park had to supply water to the Tomales Point elk herd, which has roamed the fenced reserve at the northernmost extreme of the Point Reyes peninsula for more than 40 years. Anticipating worsening drought conditions, park staff installed seven 250-gallon troughs, one placed in the home range of each subherd, in June 2021 to supplement the desiccated ponds and springs in the reserve. 

The troughs sat empty for months after last fall’s rains recharged the peninsula’s natural water sources. Last month, the park cleaned them out, refilled them, repaired one trough’s broken supply system and refilled storage tanks. Park staff will monitor the systems every two weeks and refill them as needed. 

“Water systems will be maintained until sufficient rains return this fall and winter, similar to last year,” park spokeswoman Melanie Gunn said. This time around, the park could be maintaining the troughs for just a few weeks: rain is predicted in late October. 

The park reintroduced tule elk, which approached extinction in the late 19th century, to the former Pierce Point Ranch in 1978. Two decades later, as the fenced population boomed, officials moved two dozen animals to the wilderness area near Limantour Estero. The herd grew steadily and branched off into the Drakes Beach area, to the chagrin of some ranching families. But within the reserve, the herd’s numbers have fluctuated dramatically and collapsed in the past three years. Now, significantly more elk live outside the reserve than inside it. 

Park wildlife experts initially said the fenced elk had sufficient water, attributing deaths in the reserve to malnutrition from the poor quality of drought-afflicted vegetation. When staff supplied water last summer, they also installed salt licks containing copper and selenium supplements. 

Meanwhile, animal rights activists have been fighting the park’s elk policies on multiple fronts. In 2020, dozens brought gallons of water into the reserve, and protesters have led multiple gatherings at the elk fence. Last summer, attorneys from the Harvard Animal Law and Policy Clinic sued the park on behalf of local activists, alleging the agency is abandoning its duty to protect the animals from malnutrition and thirst. A federal judge denied an injunction and has been silent on the issue since a February court date.

One of the plaintiffs, Jack Gescheidt, said the park’s ongoing provision of water is the “minimum possible to protect elk lives.” He said his fellow activists had discovered a broken pipe connection and an empty tank and trough after the park made its recent announcement. Ms. Gunn said the broken pipe had caused the tank to drain and staff is working to fix it as soon as possible. 

Mr. Gescheidt accused the park of publicizing this year’s water operation only to discourage participation in a protest he and other animal rights activists had planned for this weekend, which would have involved bringing water into the reserve.

Mr. Gescheidt canceled the protest after discovering that, on Friday night, someone had neatly sawed through a dozen of the wooden posts that support the elk fence, causing a 100-foot section of it to collapse. He said he reported the vandalism to the park, and he told the Light he “vehemently discourages” activists from toppling the fence because it could harm the elk. 

“This destruction of federal property has created dangerous conditions that may trap elk and is being immediately addressed by park staff,” Ms. Gunn said in a statement. The park opened a criminal investigation of the incident.

The seashore’s 1998 Tule Elk Management Plan makes no allowances for climate change or extreme drought, and this year, the park announced it would update the plan in response to the severity of dry conditions. The park says it will begin reviewing alternatives under the National Environmental Policy Act next spring and finish the plan by the end of 2024. Alternatives will include providing water and taking down the fence. 

The update follows the park’s amended general management plan, the subject of another lawsuit.