Web Cam Provides Real-Time Access to National Wildlife Refuge Known as “California’s Galapagos"

An innovative partnership of government agencies and California non-profits is providing the public unprecedented access to one of the oldest and most remote wildlife sanctuaries in the nation, the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge. A first-ever live web cam was recently activated that beams live pictures of bird and ocean activity to a worldwide audience from the remote refuge, located in the Pacific Ocean 27 miles west of San Francisco.

The webcam is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Academy of Sciences and PRBO Conservation Science. The camera, hosted on the California Academy of Science website at: http://www.calacademy.org/webcams/farallones provides real-time access to the 100-year old refuge, which hosts the largest seabird colony in the continental United States.

The solar-powered camera is perched atop a lighthouse on top of Southeast Farallon Island, one of four groups that make up the Farallon NWR. The webcam provides clear views of the seabirds, seals, and possibly even sharks that inhabit the rocky islands and surrounding waters. The live webcam feed is accompanied by animal identification guides, Farallones history, and research and conservation information.

The Farallon National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1909 by President Theodore Roosevelt