The Farallones Need Your Help!
August 1, 2024
After 56 years of continuous presence on the Farallon Islands, Point Blue’s research and monitoring program on the islands is in jeopardy. The islands are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and a significant portion of the funding that supports Point Blue’s program on the islands historically has come from the Service. Now, citing budgetary constraints at the regional and federal level, the Service has notified Point Blue that it will no longer be able to provide funding to continue our critical work on the Farallon Islands.
Press Coverage
The Mercury News: Farallon Islands wildlife research is in trouble. What it means for marine science. By Lisa M. Krieger. June 4, 2024. (subscriber access only)
The San Francisco Chronicle: Amazing wildlife on display on a rare trip to the Farallon Islands off S.F. coast. By Tara Duggan. June 3, 2024.
How to Help
Encourage Congress to increase funding to Refuges
We asked you to sign on or send a letter to help us encourage Congress to increase the amount that the Department of the Interior provides to Fish and Wildlife Refuges to allow our important work to continue. Here’s a copy of that letter for individuals/advocacy organizations and for non-advocacy groups. Over 500 of you responded and letters have been sent. Thank you!
Support the Farallon Program Directly
If you can support us financially, we’d be forever grateful. Click here if you’d like to make a donation of $5,000 or less. If you are able to make a larger donation and are interested in becoming a Steward of the Farallon Islands, please visit this page or contact Nancy Gamble at NGamble[at]pointblue.org or Bennett Smith at BSmith[at]pointblue.org.
Why do wildlife refuges matter?
Beyond their primary mission of conserving and enhancing land and water for fish, wildlife and plants, national wildlife refuges are important in other ways. They offer healthy, world-class outdoor recreation. They improve air and water quality across the nation. They provide buffers to natural disasters and the negative impacts of climate change.
The Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge provides critical wildlife habitat, hosting the largest seabird breeding colony in the contiguous United States and 25% percent of California’s breeding seabirds (more than 300,000 individuals of 13 species), as well as five breeding pinniped species. Wildlife populations on the islands have thrived as a result of our partnership with the USFWS.
Farallon Program Impact
Since April 3, 1968, our research program has led to:
* The 1994 ban on gill-netting protecting seabirds from being killed as bycatch
* The 1993 ban on White Shark hunting in California
* The 2010 establishment of Marine Protected Area regulations around the islands
* Detection of climate change signals in the SF Bay Area’s backyard
* Close to 1,000 interns trained in conservation science
Explore a small selection of our scientific publications below (more can be found on our tools & guidance research page).
Fluorescent ornamentation in the Rhinoceros Auklet. Published in the Ibis.
More frequent El Niño Southern Oscillation might not be bad for seabirds. Theoretical Ecology.