RON HENGGELER

August 14.2014

Ano Nuevo State Park and Pigeon Point Lighthouse

La Punta de Año Nuevo (The Point of the New Year) was named by the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno on January 3, 1603. It’s one of the oldest place-names in California.

One of the best new year’s resolutions a walker could make is to plan a winter trip to Año Nuevo State Reserve. Here you’ll be treated to a wildlife drama that attracts visitors from all over the world—a close-up look at the largest mainland population of elephant seals.
From December through April, a colony of the huge creatures visits Año Nuevo island and point in order to breed and bear young. Slaughtered for their oil-rich blubber, the elephant seal population numbered fewer than 100 by the early 1900s. Placed under government protection, the huge mammals rebounded rapidly from the brink of extinction. Año Nuevo State Reserve was created in 1958 to protect the seals. Male elephant seals, some reaching lengths of 16 feet and weighing three tons, arrive in December and begin battling for dominance. The females, relatively svelte at 1,200 to 2,000 pounds, come ashore in January and join the harems of the dominant males.

 

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