Tule Elk
Tule elk (pronounced too-lee) were vital to the Bay Area’s salt marshes, and to the Indigenous tribes who lived alongside them. Unregulated hunting and wetland destruction nearly drove them extinct in the 1870s. 100% of profits from these sustainable greeting cards support San Francisco Baykeeper, a local nonprofit partner using science, advocacy, and the law to defend the Bay. Learn more below!
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© 2025 Cards Against Climate Change and the contributing artists. All artwork is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, distributed, or sold without written permission.
Meet the Artist
Jasmine Anais
🏡 Habitat: San Francisco, CA (Richmond District)
🍁 Fun Fact: loves foggy summers and warm autumns
🎮 Hobbies: cooking, running across the Golden Gate Bridge, and video games
About her artwork on the card:
Her painting depicts a male and female tule elk in all their majesty amongst the tall marsh plants — including their namesake, tule.
"It is always meaningful for your art to have an impact on making the world a little bit of a brighter place. For this work, I've been inspired by two great illustrated guides to California and Bay Area wildlife that I absolutely love: "Fylling's Illustrated Guide to Pacific Coast Tide Pools" by Marni Fylling, and "Birds of Lake Merritt" by Alex Harris. I love to bring them with me when tide pooling and bird watching. The illustrations are beautiful and they have helped me learn more about the wildlife of the Bay Area. I hope the Cards Against Climate Change project will get folks more interested in some wonderful creatures, the same way those books have for me."
Meet the
Tule Elk
Cervus canadensis nannodes
🏡 Habitat: Marshes, grasslands, & wetlands across California (once widespread, now fragmented)
🌱 Fun Fact: My name comes from the tule plant — a native marsh sedge that once blanketed California’s wetlands and provided food, shade, and shelter for my herd.
👀 Hobbies: Grazing on tule and native grasses, wallowing in mud to stay cool, roaming through coastal prairies, sparring gently with my antlers, and keeping an eye out for mountain lions."
"Greetings! I’m the Tule Elk — California’s very own subspecies of elk! Before the 1800s, we were abundant and vital to wetlands and Indigenous tribes like the Ohlone, Coast Miwok, and Patwin. Our range stretched across what are now Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Marin, and San Mateo counties — anywhere with open wetlands or grasslands. By the 1870s, unregulated hunting and the draining of wetlands for agriculture nearly wiped us out — only about 30 of us remained. Thanks to conservation efforts, a small herd was reintroduced to Point Reyes in the 1970s, and today, around 5,700 Tule Elk roam California once again."
Meet SF Baykeeper
our nonprofit partner
🏡 Habitat: San Francisco Bay
🛥️ Fun Fact: I'm the only organization that regularly patrols the San Francisco Bay, by boat and by air, to investigate pollution.
🌎 Hobbies: We love to restore the wetlands, patrol the waters, and even take polluters to court—keeping the Bay clean and safe for fish, birds, and people alike!
"For 36 years we've patrolled the Bay, stood up to polluters, and defended the Bay and local communities from major threats. The Bay faces unprecedented threats from the federal government and corporate polluters. We’re holding them accountable—People and wildlife deserve to thrive. We use science, advocacy, and law to hold polluters accountable and stop destructive activities throughout the Bay and its watershed."
DID YOU KNOW? San Francisco Baykeeper has been taking legal action against the City of San Francisco for releasing millions of gallons of mixed sewage and stormwater into the Bay, especially during heavy rains when the city's combined system becomes overwhelmed. Recent legal developments include the Supreme Court siding with San Francisco in a dispute that could weaken the Clean Water Act, and a joint lawsuit against the city by the EPA, California, and Baykeeper to force system upgrades. Baykeeper also points to outdated infrastructure as a major cause and encourages public action to minimize pollution
