California's 'Galapagos' could see visitors

30 percent of state's seabirds
The restrictions have allowed wildlife to flourish in a predator-free environment at the edge of the continental shelf, where ocean upwellings provide an abundant food source for fish, birds, whales and marine mammals.

Once devastated by hunting and a long military presence, wildlife has rebounded on the Farallones. The four main islands and dozens of craggy outcroppings are home to five species of marine mammals and 12 species of seabirds, totaling 300,000 or 30 percent of California’s breeding seabirds.

The islands, which can be seen from San Francisco on clear days, aren’t exactly conducive to visitors. Because of stormy seas and steep dropoffs into the ocean, there are no docks. After a rocky 2½-hour boat ride from San Francisco, authorized visitors must approach the main island in a small raft, then get hoisted onto the island by a 30-foot crane.

Visitors are greeted by a deafening chorus of shrieking gulls — so loud that some researchers wear earplugs. A hike to the solar-powered lighthouse on the 350-foot peak of Southeast Farallon Island offers stunning views of the archipelago.

While the Farallones are too close to shore to be as biologically unique as Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, scientists here worry that opening the refuge to tourists could disturb skittish nesting birds and the endangered Steller sea lions. In fact, nearly every nook is occupied by animals or nests holding eggs, which can be easily crushed by a visitor’s misstep.

Seals, eggs were hunted there
Before President Theodore Roosevelt established the refuge in 1909, sealers wiped out 50,000 resident northern fur seals in the early 19th century. The common murre population plummeted during the Gold Rush, when “eggers” collected seabird eggs to sell in San Francisco. And during the 20th century, the military had as many as 70 people living there.

In 1969, access was strictly limited to a small group of researchers who live in two wooden houses that once housed Coast Guard families, and biologists say the island wildlife is healthier than it’s been in years.

“It’s slowly recovering from the impact of past actions and disturbances,” said Buffa, the refuge manager. “We’re letting nature take its course.”

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