INTRODUCTION

Located just 30 miles north of San Francisco in Marin County, California the Point Reyes Peninsula (Figure 1) reaches out into the Pacific Ocean, greeting the Gray Whales that pass by on their annual migration between December and April. The geography of the Peninsula's mysterious fog drenched landscape is characterized by the earth's slow moving plate tectonics; human impact on the land; its mild Mediterranean climate; seasonal ocean currents; topography and soil; extreme microclimates; and the critical role of geologic time (Evens 1993; Shuford & Timossi 1989).

The Peninsula is made up of the Point Reyes National Seashore, Tomales Bay State Park, privately owned dairy ranches, and the Town of Inverness (National Park Service 1994). Situated at approximately latitude 38º N, it comprises over 100 square miles of biologically rich diversity including 60 plant species not found in the rest of Marin County, such as Point Reyes blennosperma (Blennosperma nanum var. robustum), Mount Vision ceanothus (Ceanothus gloriosus var. porrectus), and awned bentgrass (Argrostis aristiglumis) (Evens 1993). It is defined by its distinct geographic boundaries, most notably, the San Andreas Fault and Inverness Ridge that run along its eastern flank.

In the following pages, we will examine the biogeography and natural history of the Point Reyes Peninsula. Our first stop will be at Samuel P. Taylor State Park where we will explore the coastal redwood forest located just 5 miles east of Point Reyes National Seashore. From there, we will consider a broad overview of the Peninsula's geography including its geology, climate, distribution of plant communities, and its historical land use. We will continue with the field trip by visiting the bishop pine forest, Douglas fir forest, coastal scrub, coastal prairie and rangeland, coastal beach and dune, and marshland habitat. Finally, we will investigate the effects of the 1995 Vision fire.