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Map Satellite Surrounded by reefs and rocks and lying some 300 meters (1,000 feet) offshore, this granitic island is a minor seabird rookery. Four species nest here, the black oystercatcher, Haematopus bachmani, Western gull, Larus occidentalis, pelagic cormorant, Phalacrocorax pelagicus, and Brandt's cormorant, Phalacrocorax penicillatus. It is also a pupping ground for the harbor seal, Phoca vitulina, and a hauling ground for the California sea lion, Zalophus californianus.
The area surrounding the island is a veritable underwater wonderland. At least 25 species of algae are found here, with Laminaria spp. and Pterygophora californica common. Nearly 100 species of invertebrates have been recorded in these waters. Here the red abalone, Haliotis rufescens, is very abundant, forming perhaps one of the richest concentrations on the coast. The red sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, is also quite common. Other common species include the California mussel, Mytilus californianus, and black turban snail, Tegula funebralis.
Integrity: Pristine; protected as part of the Point Reyes National Seashore.
Use: Educational, research, observational. It has been proposed as a National Underwater Park; however, the presence of one of the largest breeding areas on the West Coast of the white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, in Bodega Bay to the north, may dampen this proposal.
January 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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