The San Mateo County web site is currently being upgraded for an improved user experience. The County Home page and a few departments are implementing the new "look and feel" along with an improved search and other new features. Please be aware that a number of departments will continue to retain the former user interface during this transition period.

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

Printer Friendly View

This rocky seashore hosts a living community of marine life that is of great interest to visitor and naturalist alike. A variety of seaweed, crabs, sponges, seastars, molluscs, starfish and fish make their homes in the inter-tidal; that area between low and high tide. The Reserve is set aside to protect this complex but fragile community for us and future generations. Within the reserve, most marine life is protected. The Reserve is popular with school and community groups for its educational value. Weather California and North Lake, Moss Beach 94062 - (650)728-3584                                         History The shoreline and bluffs of the Reserve were first visited and settled by Native Americans, as evidenced by the four remaining cultural resource sites, one of which has been dated at about 5,800 years. In the mid-18th Century, Portola and his expedition were fed by Native Americans near Pillar Point. The landscaping at the Smith-Dolger home site, dating back to the early 1900s, remains as the only documented historical site within the Reserve. The shoreline and reefs within the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve have been of interest for many years to marine biologists, preservationists and collectors. At least since 1908, when the Ocean Shore Railroad was extended into the area, Moss Beach had been used extensively as a resort and by people gathering food from the reef. It has long been known to biologists and teachers as one of the best places for collecting inter-tidal invertebrates. As early as 1911, Dr. S. F. Light brought his zoology classes from the University of California. Due to its popularity, the resource was being depleted, and in the 1960s, San Mateo County proposed that the State of California acquire the area as a state reserve. On August 5, 1969, the Governor of California approved state legislation (Fish and Game Code, Section 10909) that identified properties to constitute a "marine life refuge" and designated these properties the "James V. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve." At the same time legislation was approved that amended the Fish and Game Code (Section 10666) to identify those species of marine life in the Reserve that could be taken under the authority of a sport fishing license without a written permit from the Fish and Game Department. As one of 34 marine "Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS)" in California, the Reserve is managed by the County and the California Department of Fish and Game. General regulations accompany the ASBS designation; these regulations do not address fishing. Administration of the Reserve has been assigned to the Gulf of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary. Since its inception, the Reserve has been managed for multiple purposes, including education, research and scientific study, recreation, collecting and fishing. The County passed a resolution in 1983, urging the California Fish and Game Commission to approve Biological Reserve status for Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. However, six attempts by the County to establish an Ecological Preserve have failed, mainly due to opposition by fishing interests. Initiatives to establish an Ecological Preserve continue, however, with a proposal now before the State Legislature. The Ecological Reserve is a State of California designation authorized by the Marine Resources Protection Act of 1990 (California Fish and Game Code, Article 4, Section 1580-1584). Ecological reserves are intended to protect natural areas and use can be restricted to scientific research relating to the management and enhancement of marine resources. Except as authorized in conjunction with scientific research approved by the California Department of Fish and Game, no disturbance or taking of marine life, archaeological resources or geological formations is allowed, and no fishing or collecting is permitted. Public entry into an ecological reserve may be restricted to protect resources. Pillar Point Marsh was dammed by farmers in the earlier part of the century, in order to prevent salt water from moving into upland farming areas, and to provide a means by which farm equipment could cross the marsh for access to the slopes above the marsh for farming. In the late 1920s, the US Air Force built West Point Avenue as an access road across the dam to reach the military installation on the bluff above Pillar Point. The Army Corps of Engineers constructed the breakwater around Pillar Point Harbor in 1962, to create a safe refuge for small vessels. Back to top Trails Trails along the Bluff are accessible for walking, jogging and running. Back to top Facilities Facilities within the reserve include a picnic area, parking and restrooms. The picnic area includes five or so picnic tables located at the Moss Beach entrance only. Back to top Activities Uses within the Reserve include activities related to education and interpretation of natural resources, including the ecological systems of the inter-tidal reef, and the beach, uplands and marsh/wetlands complex, and recreational activities, such as walking, nature study and picnicking (restricted to Moss Beach Entrance), that are compatible with protection of natural resources. Educational and interpretive activities will include (but not be limited to) tours led by Reserve staff, docent naturalists and trained volunteers; workshops, seminars and classes; and training for docent naturalists, volunteers, and tour leaders. Back to top Days and Hours of Operation Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is open every day of the year including all holidays. It opens daily at 8:00 A.M. The closing time varies by time of year. Certain facilities within the park have different schedules. The park's closing times are: December - February 5:00 P.M. March 6:00 P.M. (before Daylight Savings Time starts) March 7:00 P.M. (after Daylight Savings Time starts) April - August 8:00 P.M. September 8:00 P.M. (through Labor Day) September 7:00 P.M. (beginning the day after Labor Day) October 7:00 P.M. (first week[s] of October) October 5:00 P.M. (last three weeks of October) November 6:00 P.M. (before Daylight Saving Time ends) November 5:00 P.M. (after Daylight Saving Time ends) Back to top Natural Features The majority of the Reserve is comprised of nonnative vegetation including monterey cypress grove(s), invasive non-native species (i.e., german ivy, pampas grass), weedy species, ornamental plantings, and garden escapes. However, three sensitive plant communities are also present: northern coastal bluff scrub, central coast arroyo willow riparian forest, and freshwater marsh. The adjacent coastal bluffs are devoid of vegetation due to soil erosion. The San Mateo Coast has offshore up-welling of nutrient-rich water during the spring and summer, complex geology with offshore rocks, sea level reefs and pocket beaches, and a generally mild and relatively constant marine-dominated climate. These conditions favor abundant and diverse marine life. It is not surprising, therefore, that the inter-tidal and marine resources within the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve are renown for their richness and diversity. The rocky reefs, habitat of the marine life that is the Reserve's main attraction and source of learning, can be recognized as ten distinct areas along the 3-mile Reserve shoreline (Smith 1993). Back to top Directions to the Park Take Highway 1 to California Street in Moss Beach, turn west. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve is at the end of the street. SamTrans buses provide service to key destinations throughout San Mateo County and San Francisco, such as work, schools, malls, civic centers and parks. Please visit SamTrans website to find out how you can take one of their buses to this park. Map to Fitzgerald Marine Reserve on mapquest.com Back to top Reservations New Reservation Policy: Effective July 1, 2004 all reservations for Fitzgerald Marine Reserve will be made through the county parks reservation line (650) 363-4021. Advance reservations are required for all groups of 10 persons or more who visit the Fitzgerald V. Marine Reserve. There is a $26 reservation fee.  Reservations must be made by the 1st of the month prior to your reservation date.  Reservations for school groups are accepted for grades 3rd and up. A recent study has shown a progressive decline in the marine plants and animals within the reserve. The capacity of persons on the Fitzgerald V. Marine Reserve is 100  persons at any one time. Advance reservations will limit the numbers of persons on the reef at any one time and protect and preserve the marine resources for future generations. Back to top Volunteers Program Fitzgerald Marine Reserve conducts a volunteer program organized and led by a volunteer organization founded in 1972 known as The Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Life Refuge. Sponsored by this organization, volunteers are able to participate in a variety of activities to preserve and protect this beautiful natural site, promote educational and research programs there, and support educational services for schools and the general public. If you are an individual or an organization interested in the Volunteer Program, please contact Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Park or the San Mateo County Parks Volunteer Program Coordinator. Back to top Regulations Tidepool Etiquette We encourage visitors to familiarize themselves with the following guidelines to preserve the marine reserve for the enjoyment of the whole community. Watch your step! Walk carefully around the tidepools for your own safety and to spare the marine life underfoot. Avoid stepping on beds of barnacles, anenmones, mussels, and other tidepool life. Do not remove shells, vegetation, rocks or marine life. Shells and rocks are a natural part of the intertidal zone, and serve as future homes for critters such as hermit crabs. Should you move them, replace rocks and shells to their original position.  Marine life growing on the bottom of the rocks will die when exposed to the sun and air. Do not pull sea stars, mussels, limpets, and other tidepool life off rocks.  Gulls will flip them over and tear out thier stomachs or soft bodies before the animals have a chance to re-grip. Do not place marine life in containers for a closer look, even for a few minutes.  This is often how animals are inadvertently moved from one inter-tidal zone to another, and they usually don't survive. Do not bring your dogs or other pets to the tidepools. Do not play loud radios or amplified music near or around the tidepools. Do not disturb marine mammals, such as harbor seals in their rookery.  Many seek this habitat as a refuge for birthing and raising their young.   Other Regulations Picking or removing wildflowers or other natural material is prohibited. Fires are permitted in park barbecue pits only - no ground fires. Cutting and gathering of wood is prohibited. Dogs and other pets are not allowed. Motor vehicles and bicycles are permitted only on paved roadways and in established parking areas. Firearms and other weapons are prohibited. Loud radios and the playing of amplified musical instruments are not permitted. Park opens at 8:00 A.M. and closes at the preset time prior to sunset. Beer and wine only are allowed in certain areas, no hard liquor. Smoking is NOT permitted. Feeding of wildlife is prohibited. Leaving designated trails is prohibited. Fishing is permitted. Hunting is not permitted per California State Fish and Game Regulations. Buckets or any kind of container may not be used to collect any marine life form in the Reserve. No part of any protected marine plant or animal may be removed from the Reserve, including shells. Rocks of drift seaweeds may not be removed from the Reserve. Back to top