Ano Nuevo Island Reserve

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	AÑo Nuevo
	Contact Information Steve Davenport Long Marine Laboratory Institute of Marine Sciences 100 Shaffer Road Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Phone: 831-459-4771 sldaven@cats.ucsc.edu
	Location San Mateo County, near the Santa Cruz County line; .62 mi offshore of Point Año Nuevo, which is part of the Año Nuevo State Reserve. Map Quest
	Facilities Historic buildings used as labs, overnight accommodation; limited dormitory, kitchen, field lab space available; electricity provided by diesel generator; no running water; observation blinds serve major pinniped areas.
	Personnel Reserve manager on campus; no on-site personnel.
	Size 10 ha (25 acres)
	Elevation 0 to 13 m (0 to 40 ft)
	Average Precipitation 50 cm (20 in) per year
	Average Temperatures September max: 24°C (76°F) January minimum: 4°C (39°F) Annual mean: 13°C (56°F)
	Transect Articles specific to Año Nuevo
	Mathias Grant Research specific to Año Nuevo
	Site Spec Sheet (PDF)

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Island reserve		Established in 1970
		Año Nuevo Website
	Just offshore from Point Año Nuevo 74 kilometers (46 miles) south of San Francisco, the Año Nuevo Island Reserve is comprised of Miocene shale with remnant dune deposits and associated low, rocky islets and intertidal shelf. The island is everchanging. Two hundred years ago, it was connected to the mainland by a narrow peninsula. Currently it is separated from the mainland by a channel that grows wider with each winter storm. The island contains nesting colonies of sea birds, including the rhinoceros auklet, Cussin’s auklet, Brandt’s cormorant, black oystercatcher, and western gull. It also serves as a breeding ground for northern elephant seals, harbor seals, California sea lions, and federally endangered Steller sea lions. Northern fur seals and federally threatened southern sea otters are occasional visitors. The elephant seal population — exterminated from the area 100 years ago — has recovered to the carrying capacity of the island and extends to the mainland. Research on the island is enhanced by the use of historic buildings. Año Nuevo Island Reserve is a 25-acre portion of the 4,000-acre Año Nuevo State Reserve, all of which is owned and operated by California State Parks. Due to the highly sensitive habitats and protected marine mammals at the island, reserve use is restricted.
	Photo Gallery		Special Programs A project enhances and restores the rhinoceros auklet population using nest boxes and ongoing monitoring. Public Tours The California Department of Parks and Recreation coordinates limited guided tours of elephant seal breeding grounds on the mainland.
	Selected Research • Northern elephant seals: effects of low-frequency sound in the marine acoustic environment; geographic-reference behavior during migrations; buoyancy and swimming effort; predator-prey relationships with white sharks; and developmental physiology of pups during natural, prolonged fasts. • Population monitoring of Steller sea lions. • Conservation, demography, and foodhabits of rhinoceros auklets. Special Research of National Significance • Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (detailed description...)

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last updated November 19, 2008