Environmental Group Wants to Reintroduce Beavers, Sea Otters to Point Reyes

Now that the Point Reyes National Seashore has acres of unused land available for restoration, an environmental group wants to reintroduce a number of animals to bolster its return to normalcy.

In 2025, environmental groups Resource Renewal Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Western Watersheds Project sued the National Park Service for ecological damage to the Point Reyes National Seashore, effectively preventing the park service from leasing land to 10 of the 12 ranches and dairies that operated on the park’s property.

Ken Bouley, the executive director of the Turtle Island Restoration Network, said that the controversial move opened up more than 17,000 acres of ranchland for restoration — which is currently leased by the Nature Conservancy and co-managed by the NPS and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.

The nonprofit proposed reintroducing native species to revitalize and expedite the land’s restoration. In a report, the Turtle Island Restoration Network said that this list includes North American beavers, sea otters, pronghorns, Douglas ground squirrels, Pacific Martens, fishers and North American porcupines.

Among these species, only the Douglas ground squirrel and North American porcupine are currently inhabiting the land — and according to the nonprofit, in relatively sparse numbers.

“I think it’s very important that people in the Bay Area realize what they have out here in Point Reyes,” Bouley said. “People fought to have the seashore created near Oakland and San Francisco, our population center, so that it can be a resource to people.”

Bouley said that the goal is to rewild — which means restoring a formerly developed piece of land to its natural state, an undertaking that entails more than just removing fences and letting nature take its course.

The report said that rewilding not only requires fence removal but also a trash and toxics cleanup, removal of abandoned infrastructure, and the intentional reintroduction of native plant and animal species. The process would also require increased involvement by state and federal agencies.

California’s national parks have already proven to successfully reintroduce a number of species, including the tule elk.

After being all but eradicated from Point Reyes, the tule elk species was reintroduced in 1978, starting with a herd of 2 males and 8 females. In 1998, 45 more elk were brought in. The latest elk census estimated that the population has now exceeded 700. The Turtle Island Restoration Network pointed to this jump as proof that reintroduction was a success.

However, Bouley said, the process does not always unfold smoothly.

“There have been reintroductions that have failed, and when that happens, it doesn’t look good on agencies,” Bouley said. “It’s sort of demotivating for environmental movements.”

The Turtle Island Restoration Network emphasized that the report is a science-based starting point for conversations, not a final plan.

According to the Nature Conservancy’s website, it is focused on the health of the grasslands, coastal shrubland, and wetland habitats, as well as controlling invasive plant species. After hosting its first open house in April to discuss the grassland’s ongoing management, it shared plans to host another community engagement opportunity in the coming months.

KQED’s Samantha Kennedy contributed to this story.