Sinkyone Our Mission Wilderness O - CA State Parks

SinkyoneWildernessState ParkOur MissionThe mission of California State Parks isto provide for the health, inspiration andeducation of the people of California by helpingto preserve the state’s extraordinary biologicaldiversity, protecting its most valued natural andcultural resources, and creating opportunitiesfor high-quality outdoor recreation.One hundred years ago,Sinkyone Wilderness StatePark was an industriallandscape, logged for itsnatural resources. Today,California State Parks supports equal access.Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities whoneed assistance should contact the park at(707) 986-7711. If you need this publication in analternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.CALIFORNIA STATE PARKSP.O. Box 942896Sacramento, CA 94296-0001For information call: (800) 777-0369(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.711, TTY relay yone Wilderness State ParkBriceland Thorn RoadWhitethorn, CA 95589(707) 986-7711 2011 California State Parks (Rev. 2016)efforts are underway torestore its wild beauty forgenerations to come.

Sinkyone Wilderness State Park ispart of a wild and beautiful stretch ofshoreline known as “The Lost Coast.” Thisrugged area, about 36 miles southwest ofGarberville, is one of the few places onCalifornia’s long coastline that cannot bereached by a state highway or paved road.Fortunately for those who seek peaceand serenity, the remote location of thisrocky place has foiled decades of attemptsby developers who had hoped to exploitits stunning scenery.The thick morning fog that developsas the land meets the sea muffles mostsounds. As the fog threads its way over highcliffs and settles in among the park’s tallredwoods, only the thunder of the ocean’srolling surf and the faint barking of sea lionsreaches the ear of a silent hiker.Bear HarborPARK HISTORYNative PeopleThe Sinkyone people lived in the areanow known as Sinkyone WildernessState Park for thousands of yearsbefore European contact. At the timethe Europeans arrived, the Sinkyonepopulation probably numbered as manyas 4,000. The boundaries of Sinkyonelands extended east to the main stem ofthe Eel River and the river’s South Fork,south beyond what is now Leggett, andwest to the ocean.The name Sinkyone was assigned by20th-century ethnographers to classifyseparate political groups who spoke thesame dialect of the Athabascan languagefamily. Each distinct political groupmaintained its own geographic area andself-identity, but all groups formed alarger economy that delivered goods asfar as the Eastern United States.This area was probably more denselypopulated by Sinkyones beforethe European incursion than it is now.Today, many people of Sinkyonedescent live throughout thenorth coast.Traditional practicespassed down throughgenerations of Sinkyoneexperience createda highly productiveenvironment.Conservation andrestoration projectsheaded by local

Dollar resurrected the lumber companyfor a while by use of skillful marketing andpartnerships. Despite good management,Mr. Dollar shut the mill down in 1901.In November 1908, the Nelson LumberCompany of New York State acquired the millfor 10 in gold.The land continued to change handsfrequently, with various attempts to revivelogging operations. At the end of WorldWar II, the Georgia-Pacific Plywood andLumber Co. took over. In 1975, the Stateof California began acquiring local land topreserve as Sinkyone Wilderness State Park.When concerned environmentalists sued toprevent Georgia-Pacific from clear-cuttingthe remaining forest in 1986, the lumbercompany sold the property to the Trust forPublic Land. The funds necessary to purchase3,000 acres of trees came from the Save theRedwoods League, the Trust for Public Land,Photo courtesy of Julie Martin, Save the Redwoods Leagueslide lumber products towaiting schooners — thepreferred method to loadlumber products ontoships. He called the gulch“Anderson’s Landing,” laterrenamed “Northport.”Lumberyards shipped woodto markets into the early 1900s.Lumber schooners departedregularly from Usal, Anderson’sLanding, Needle Rock, andother local ports. Eventually,roads and railroad tracks werebuilt. No longer dependentWharf constructed at Bear Harbor for lumber shipping, 1893on the sea for transportation,people settled further inland.tribal groups, using time-tested methods,The Bear Harbor Railroad was built inhave been instrumental in bringingtheearly 1890s to haul tanoak from inlandrestorative healing to the landscape.forests to Bear Harbor. Plans to extendEarly Settlersthe line from Bear Harbor to a mill nearIn the 1850s, early European settlersPiercy were cancelledclaimed land in the area of today’s Shelterafter a fatal accidentCove. Beginning in the 1860s, settlersand the 1906occupied the land around what is nowearthquake. Railroadcalled Bear Harbor, where they grazedremnants may still becattle. Soon the landscape was devotedseen in the park.to cattle and sheep ranches, in addition toBy 1892, the demandfarms and orchards.for lumber hadUntil then, the only routes into and outdestroyed thousandsof the area were those used by the nativeof acres of virgin coastpeople. By the mid-1860s, lines of packredwoods. John A.mules carried a steady supply of localWonderly, who hadtanoak bark to San Francisco’s tanneries.acquired the UsalBefore long, the settlers had to buildLumber Company inwharfs and chutes to aid in loading waiting1888, shut it downships with lumber, tanoak bark, and otherbecause of the lackprofitable cargoes. In 1872, Robert Andersonof timber. In 1894 Sanbuilt a wire chute at Little Jackass Gulch toFranciscan RobertRedwood grove on Lost Coast Trail

the State Coastal Conservancy, and otherdedicated donors. These acres were addedto Sinkyone Wilderness State Park in 1986.NATuRAL HISTORYGeologySinkyone Wilderness lies near the junctionof three major tectonic plates — the Pacific,North American, and Gorda plates. The“Mendocino triple junction” is one of themost seismically active places in the state.The park’s dramatic, sheer coastal bluffsare just one landform resulting from faultmovement. At the north end of the park justsouth of Whale Gulch, fault-related landformsinclude a narrow, incised linear valley withseveral sag ponds, which are clear indicatorsof fault activity.The park’s beaches are mostly black sand,with tiny rock fragments derived from thelocal Franciscan bedrock. The sands aremade up of dark, iron-rich mineral grains,and small cobbles and gravels. Sometimes,unusual purple and pink sand beachesappear within the park and then vanish.Brought about by the “washing” actionof the surf, this event occurs when waveswinnow the heavier sand grains back intothe sea, leaving behind a “frosting” of pinkor purplish garnet sand grains that cover theunderlying black sands.Animals and PlantsRed, pinto, and flat abalone inhabit therocky intertidal waters. Steelhead, Coho, andChinook salmon live in tributaries, coastaldrainages, streams, and rivers. Californiabrown pelicans, rhinoceros auklets, and theirclose relatives —tufted puffins — can oftenbe seen diving for fish.The park’s small herd ofRoosevelt elk roams the coastalprairies. Once almost countless,the elk were nearly hunted outof existence. Originally relocatedfrom Prairie CreekRedwoods StatePark, the elk wererescued by the actionsof a group of ranchers whosaved the remaining elk andtheir habitat.Left: Roosevelt bull elkAbove: Small herdof Roosevelt elkresting at the NeedleRock Visitor CenterOverhead, raptors — including red-tailedhawks, Cooper’s hawks, sharp-shinned hawks,golden eagles, northern harriers, peregrinefalcons, spotted owls, and ospreys — descendfrom the skies, seeking their prey.Sinkyone Wilderness has steep slopesheavily wooded with Douglas-fir forest closerto the coast. Tanbark oak woodland growson the inland slopes. Coastal terraces arecovered with coastal prairie and coastal scrubvegetation. Some old-growth redwoods alongthe Lost Coast Trail survived the logging era.ClimateSummer temperatures range from 45to 75 degrees. Summer fog is usually gone bymid-morning. Rain is most common betweenNovember and May, when the temperaturesrange from 35 to 55 degrees.Climate change affects all living thingswithin the redwood forest. Expertsfear that the area’s increase in averagetemperature and decrease in thick summerfog and rain will endanger redwoods and theother plants and creatures that depend onthe redwood environment.RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIESThe former ranch house of Calvin CooperStewart and his family, built in the 1920s,

campgrounds, check in at theBe extremely careful around the majesticNeedle Rock Visitor Center.Roosevelt elk — they can be especiallydangerous. During mating season, massiveTrail camps — These firstbulls battle each other for the right tocome, first-served campsitesmate. When calves are born, elk cowsfor backpackers are locatedbecome fiercely protective. If you want tobetween Bear Harbor andtake elk photos, stay on trails and use aUsal Beach on the Lostzoom lens; do not try to get close to theCoast Trail.elk. These fast-moving animals may beHorse Camping —found throughout the park.Equestrian campingRarely, bears have been seen in theis permitted at Usal Beachforestedareas; more elusive mountainand Wheeler campgrounds.lions roam at dawn and dusk.Group Camping — GroupsBesides the abundance of birdlife andof nine or more can bethe Roosevelt elk, you may spot variousaccommodated at the UsalNeedle Rock Visitor Centermarine species. Watch migrating whalesBeach horse campground.offshore from mid-January to mid-April.Call (707) 986-7711 inMarine mammals such as northernnow houses the Needle Rock Visitor Center.advance for a Group Use Permit.elephant seals, sea lions, or harbor sealsNeedle Rock was once a small settlementHiking — The 22-mile Lost Coast Trailmay be seen hauling out along theand a shipping point for Stewart’s ranchparallels the coastline, traversing steeprocky shoreline.operations. The center also displaysmountains and sloping prairies. Views fromDo not — under any circumstances —interpretive exhibits.the trail depend on the thickness of theapproach a marine mammal. Report aCamping — Wilderness camping is the onlyfog cover, especially during the summerdistressed marine mammal by callingtype available. Primitive campsites havemonths. The fog-muffled soundsthe North Coast Marine Mammaltables, fire rings, a nearby pit toilet, but noand fragrances produce an auraCenter at (707) 465-6265.developed water source. Bring your ownof great mystery.drinking water.ACCESSIBLE FEATuRESWildlife WatchingUAt this largely undevelopedThe park’s variety of marine,wilderness park, there arefreshwaters and terrestrialcurrently no wheelchairhabitats support richlyaccessibleactivities;diverse wildlife. The offshorehowever, accessibility isrocks, under the jurisdiction ofcontinually improving. Forthe Bureau of Land Management,detailsor updates, visitare managed by California StateNeedle Rock and Bearhttp://access.parks.ca.gov.Parks and the California Department ofAdult maleHarbor — To useFish and Wildlife.elephant sealthese environmentalRed-tailedhawk