Point Reyes National Seashore provides essential habitat for 27 threatened and endangered species and a variety of rare or recovering species including the tule elk, California red-legged frog, Sonoma spineflower, northern elephant seal, coho salmon, and western snowy plover.

The convergence of two ecological provinces and the coastal/marine margin at Point Reyes creates a rich biological diversity and abundance of plants and animals seen few places on earth.

The peninsula's rich and varied natural resources -- its estuaries, coastal grasslands, salt marshes, coniferous forests, and marine environment -- have attracted and supported people for over 5000 years and reflect a continuum of human use and changing land-use values.

Point Reyes National Seashore is a 70,000-acre recreational and inspirational haven consisting of 80 miles of wild, undeveloped coastline located just an hour's drive from an urban area populated by over seven million people.

The diversity and complexity of the natural and cultural resources found in and around Point Reyes National Seashore make it a world-class laboratory and outdoor classroom providing outstanding opportunities for hands-on education and long-term scientific research.

Point Reyes National Seashore is one of the finest examples of how plate tectonics and other geologic processes continue to define our landscapes and our lives.

The coastal weather and the Point Reyes Peninsula create such a hazard for area mariners that the Point Reyes Lighthouse, with its first-order Fresnel lens, and a Coast Guard lifesaving station were built here.

The natural and cultural resources of the Point Reyes Peninsula and the surrounding area are so rare, valuable, and inspirational to all the people of the world that the United Nations declared the Seashore an International Biosphere Reserve, known as the Central California Coast Biosphere Reserve.

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