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Map Satellite Situated within the Point Reyes National Seashore, Drakes Lagoon is actually a freshwater marsh formerly infrequently connected with the sea, one of the few such marshes in the region.
The major portion of the area is in a freshwater marsh with tule, Scirpus acutus, and cattail, Typha latifolia, the dominants. There is a small, open-water pond in the center of the marsh.
The area is used by various water-oriented birds including the pied-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps. Other animals are abundant.
The area is on Quaternary alluvium and is surrounded by Lower Pliocene marine sandstones, siltstones and siliceous shale. At the base of these beds are "greensands," locally rich in whale and other marine fossils.
Integrity: Formerly a County Park, a parking area and building are adjacent to the marsh, which blocks contact with the sea.
Use: Research, educational, observational.
July 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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