 Beginning in 2002, the Point
Reyes National Seashore Association , the Tomales
Bay Watershed Council , and the Pacific
Coast Science and Learning Center at Point Reyes National
Seashore began plans for a biodiversity inventory
to support the Watershed Council’s goals of providing
high-quality and comprehensive environmental data on Tomales
Bay and in the surrounding watershed. The project developed to guide management and conservation
efforts. Due to the complex suite of environmental impacts
currently threatening the bay, baseline biodiversity data are essential to support science-based
management. The project financially
and logistically supports partners working on Tomales Bay who address the
following goals:
- Preservation of Species and Habitats
- The Tomales Bay ecosystem supports an array of once
common but increasingly rare native plant and animal
communities. Unfortunately, human activities interrupt
wildlife use patterns, alter habitat, and introduce
exotic species. These impacts threaten the integrity
of the bay. The TBBI is essential to assess the state
of the bay and direct future conservation and research.
- Promote a Partnership to Preserve the Bay
and its Biodiversity - Lack of data currently
diminishes the ability of scientists, public agencies
and concerned citizens to make conservation decisions.
By bringing groups together, this project will become
a model for long-term, collaborative conservation efforts
within an threatened ecosystem.
- Inspire Stewardship through Participation
in Education Initiatives - The long-term sustainability
of species and habitat preservation depends upon the
role of humans in the Tomales Bay ecosystem. Students
involved in this biodiversity inventory will become
our future scientists, naturalists, and stewards of
public land and waters.
- Environmental Education - Educational
programs are integrated into research projects for all
levels of students and the public at-large. This will
increase understanding of biodiversity and the human
role in conserving Tomales Bay.
Project Implementation
The inventory works along four parallel tracks whose priories
are set by the Watershed Council, the science team, and education
partners:
 Database management and
dissemination: Our database team
is building a central repository of information from historical studies and merging it with
contemporary data. The team is also developing web tools
for providing this data to stakeholders and researchers.
 Biodiversity and Habitat
Inventory: Many studies are performed by graduate
students and faculty at local universities who map and
document the occurrence and distribution of species through
systematic inventories. In the field, investigators typically
address the distribution of a particular group or organisms
(e.g., macroalgae, diatoms, intertidal invertebrates,
or nearshore fishes). Sample are often sent to taxonomic
specialists for more rigorous analysis and identification
to species level.
 Scientific Research: Most
of our academic partners are conducting hypothesis driven
scientific questions regarding species or communities
on the bay. We collaborate with these individuals to:
1) distill species distribution data, and 2) make key
findings of their research available to local stakeholders.
 Education Projects:
A key component of many of our studies is the inclusion
of high school interns who work one-on-one with investigators
during the field season both in the field and in the lab.
About ten high-quality students from local high schools
(Including Tomales High, Drake High and Terra Linda) participate
in this program each year. Undergraduate students also
benefit from class collecting trips. Often, a few students
then develop their own projects on Tomales Bay supervised
by faculty at partner institutions.
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