As one of only 10 national seashores in the country, Point Reyes provides an important area of study, yet housing is hard to come by for visiting researchers. A renovation project at Sacramento Landing, a small beach near Duck Cove where the Tomales Bay Marine Station has hosted scientists and interns since the 1990s, will expand living and laboratory space for years to come. The work is being funded by over $1.5 million from the National Park Service and private donors and is expected to be complete within the next six to 12 months, said Donna Faure, the executive director of the Point Reyes National Seashore Association, whose staff and seasonal interns have lived at the site in the past.
The marine station was once owned by the Frank Spenger Company oyster operation, and the adjacent dock is home to park service rescue and patrol boats. The site features a main house with two bunkhouse-style bedrooms, two small buildings that will provide additional living space, and a third building that will be converted into a wet lab consisting of work benches and a sink where researchers can process samples from the field.
Alongside contractors hired by PRNSA, volunteers have carried out hands-on renovation work—laying sheet rock, painting buildings and more—with former park superintendent Don Neubacher at the lead. Dr. Sarah Allen, a former science program lead for the park, said the site is ideally located for researchers studying the coastal ecosystems of the seashore, carrying out long-term monitoring projects or measuring change in environmental conditions. Researchers and their students from more than 20 institutions, including San Diego State University, Harvard University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, have stationed there since 2014.
“Funding [for research] is hard to come by, which is why every bit of support is really helpful,” said Dave Press, a wildlife ecologist with the park. “Having housing costs covered is important.”
For scientists and graduate students, field research involves getting creative with limited space and funding opportunities. Researchers apply to federal, state, and nonprofit sources to pull off a project. “Every scientist will tell you the same thing,” Dr. Allen said. “You throw enough mud on the wall until something sticks.”
Research at the station has focused on white sharks, nesting seabirds, pinnipeds and plants like the endangered Tidestrom’s lupine. One group will be looking at vegetation at Tomales Point to help inform the current planning process for the tule elk reserve. The on-site housing combined with annual grants, such as the $3,000 Neubacher Fund for Marine Science awarded by PRNSA, are critical in helping disadvantaged students who would not otherwise pursue a career in marine science.
“There’s a long history of Berkeley students doing research at Point Reyes,” Dr. Allen said. “In my mind, we need young researchers to learn methods and look at challenges from a younger age to help us navigate the future.”