A new cement float for harbor seals was delivered to Alameda Point on June 22. It is the first-of-its-kind on the West Coast. With seals starting to use the new platform, a milestone has been reached culminating two-and-a-half years of citizen advocacy to maintain a resting site for harbor seals at Alameda Point. A ferry maintenance facility is slated to begin construction this summer where the seals have been finding solitude for more than a decade. The new float will be anchored 100 yards from the facility.

The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is aiming for the delivery of a new dock for harbor seals at Alameda Point as early as April, ahead of the start of construction of its new ferry maintenance facility this summer.

Because the maintenance facility’s new berthing dock would displace the seals’ current resting spot, a provision was approved for a new harbor seal dock as a condition for permitting the new facility. WETA, the City Council, and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) approved the provision at the urging of community activists.

Alameda Point is a scenic attraction for many. As the former Naval Air Station, it holds the USS Hornet Museum, popular paths for joggers and picturesque views of the Bay. The Point is not only a tranquil spot for people, it is a place where harbor seals have inhabited undisturbed for at least 17 years. However, recently, that could have changed without the help of the seal-loving community.