But the designation isn't only about Drake, says John Dell'Osso, chief of interpretation at Point Reyes National Seashore, where part of Drakes Bay is located.
"The landmark status designation is based on first encounters with Europeans and Native Americans. There is archaeological evidence of that," he says. "The nomination also includes the first known shipwreck, San Agustin, off the West Coast."
While the nomination says only that Drakes Bay is the "most likely" site of Drake's 1579 landing, Oregon archeologist Melissa Darby fears that's enough to doom future research of other locations like Whale Cove. She and a team of collaborators are trying to raise money to study the site.
"We're going to do ground-penetrating radar," Darby says. "If it shows anything, the next step is archeological test excavation. And if we find anything from there, then we'll expand out. But how am I going to fundraise when everyone thinks it's a done deal?"
Von der Porten's response: "Nonsense."
"We're saying the National Park Service is recognizing the scholarly consensus and the scholarly consensus has been for more than 30 years that Drake's landing site was at Drakes Bay. It's up to them at this point to file their own papers for landmark status and get ours canceled."
-- Lori Tobias