Point Reyes National Seashore staff next month are expected to release a draft management plan that addresses ranching inside the seashore/NPS file
Anticipation is building in advance of the release of a draft management plan for ranching and dairy operations at Point Reyes National Seashore, with opponents to the industries working to build support for the seashore's Tule elk herd.
At stake are not only the native elk that roam the landscape, but the generations-old livelihood of ranching families, as well as the health of native vegetation at the national seashore on the California coast that could be impacted. Up for consideration in the Draft General Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement are options ranging from continued ranching unchanged to removing cattle from the seashore.
Once the draft is released next month, the public will have 45 days to comment on the way ranching and dairy operations and Tule elk at the national seashore should be managed going forward.
Ranching within the Point Reyes peninsula dates to the mid-1800s. Following the establishment of Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the National Park Service purchased the land from ranching families, who in many cases continued to ranch under time-limited reservations of use and occupancy. As the reservations expired, the Park Service continued to authorize ranching and dairying with agricultural lease/special use permits, as is allowed in the two parks’ legislation. Currently, 24 ranching operations are authorized for beef and dairy ranching under lease/permits, which include terms and conditions for the protection of natural and cultural resources.
In February 2016, litigation was brought against the Park Service related to an ongoing ranch planning process and the use of lands in the planning area for ranching and dairying. The plaintiffs and the Park Service, together with the ranchers and the County of Marin, entered into settlement negotiations. The court approved a multi-party Settlement Agreement on July 14, 2017. Per the agreement, the Park Service agreed that in lieu of a Ranch Comprehensive Management Plan, it would prepare a GMP Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement addressing the management of the lands currently leased for ranching in Point Reyes and the north district of Golden Gate.
According to Restore Point Reyes Seashore, a group that advocates for natural conditions at the seashore, cattle at the seashore outnumber Tule elk by nearly 10 to 1.
"The majority of Tule elk are confined to Tomales Point behind an 8-foot fence to prevent them from eating grass that’s leased to the ranchers. Half the confined elk herd—more than 200 animals—died during the recent drought for lack of water and nutritious forage," the group said. "But there's a free-roaming herd of Tule elk herd near Drake's Beach, adjacent to parklands grazed by cattle. Ranchers complain that these elk compete with their cows for grass. The NPS’s proposed remedies include killing, fencing, and removing the elk. Its current approach is daily hazing to run the elk off the leased range."
Some members of Congress want to legislate a permanent ranching industry at Point Reyes. Last year legislation sponsored by Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat, called for "the Secretary of the Interior to manage the Point Reyes National Seashore in the State of California consistently with Congress’ long-standing intent to continue to authorize working dairies and ranches on agricultural property as part of the seashore’s unique historic, cultural, scenic and natural values..."
The bill would give cattle the edge over the native elk population at the national seashore.
"In areas of agricultural property where Tule elk present conflicts with working ranches or dairies, the Secretary shall manage the Tule elk for separation from the working ranches or dairies," it read. Further, the bill called for tribes to work with Interior to manage the elk population, either by relocating elk to tribal lands or hunting them "on a subsistence or ceremonial basis."
While the legislation didn't survive the last Congress, the congressman has indicated he will reintroduce the measure if needed to protect the ranching industry at the national seashore.
Comments
I stand by every word at the savedrakesbay.com advocacy site. If you can find something there that is not factual, please let me know and I will correct it. I make a point of calling it an advocacy site because that's what it is and I think it's important to be honest about where I am coming from. The About Us section makes it very clear that I am the author, my articles there often have links to sources, and in everything I publish about anything to do with Point Reyes I make a point of mentioning that I am writing a book about the Lunnys and what happened to them.
By contrast, the anti-ranch activists like to pretend they are something other than that. The Preserve Point Reyes site doesn't identify its authors, I had to drill way down to find out who it was. Based on this post, they seem to have represented themselves to Kurt as some new group (although it is possible that was an inference on his part). Similarly, George Wuerthner, a director of Western Watersheds, another of the sue-and-settle groups advocating against ranching in Point Reyes, publishes anti-ranch op-eds without reference to his affiliation. Both of these groups are spreading misinformation.
It seems to me that purposely spreading misinformation qualifies as propaganda, especially when the source is muddied. If someone thinks that's too strong a word for this particular set of misinformation, please go ahead and make the argument.
Attacking the messenger never strengthens one's case. I am a bit surprised at the lack of interest here in discussing the facts.
When I defended the Drakes Bay Oyster Farm, I remember being referred to as a PR shill paid by Kevin Lunny. I only wish I got paid for all that time I spent defending his business.
Maybe it was UFOs, hard to argue with such ignorance. Cattle on our public land is wrong.
The reintroduction of a native species would not be necessary if man had not wiped them out in the first place. However, as wolves, once wiped out from the lower 48 have proven since their reintroduction, ALL native species are vital for a healthy and thriving ecosystem. The return of the wolves to Yellowstone is scientific proof of the symbiotic relationship all native species have, whether they had to be reintroduced or not.
The Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service allow cattle grazing. Commercial grazing on federal land is clearly allowed.
Now grazing on NPS land is a fairly uncommon thing. Point Reyes has a very unique history where the ranchers basically agreed to NPS acquiring the land. Many were tenant farmers (RCA was one of the big Point Reyes landowners) who were concerned that their landlords would sell for housing development.The West Marin dairy industry was concerned that the loss of dairy ranches might lead to fewer dairy cows to make their processing facilities viable. Even the ranchers who owned their land outright agreed to it because they thought it would be for the greater good of the industry. There really is no similar setup. But the history of Point Reyes National Seashore was that it was created knowing there would be cattle grazing indefinitely.
It was never understood that ranches would be there indefinitely. I grew up very close by. We always, from the 60s on, expected that they would fade out as the owners died or deicided not to continue. The law establishing Pt. Reyes NS opens with:
"AN ACT To establish the Point Reyes National Seashore in the State of California, and for other purposes.
"Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in order to preserve, for purposes of public recreation, benefit, and inspiration, a portion of the diminishing seashore of the United States that remains undeveloped, ..."
Dairy ranches do not fall into any of those 3 categories.
The law as it currently stands allows for indefinite renewals.
Now what this means has been up for fierce debate. I remember when it was 5 years at a time. Then Neubacher authorized 10 year renewals. When Salazar made the call on the oyster farm, he threw in his recommendation that they be 20 year terms. Now it's all up for grabs again.
I grew up on a sheep ranch a little inland from there. I had no idea that there were elk in the area, so suprised me big time.
Anyway, I think that, no I am positive that both ranching and wildlife would benefit greatly from management techniques that Allan Savory developed in Africa. He was not only able to greatly increase wildlife numbers and diversity, but was able greatly increase the livestock carrying capacity of the land at the same time while regenerating a very fertile soil. You can check out Allan's 22 minute TED Talk here: https://youtu.be/vpTHi7O66pI
For US application of Allan's techniques in dramatically differnt US environments,
see Will Harris' 15 minute video, "One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts" here: https://youtu.be/UoQWLK8-CYE
and Gabe Brown's 65 minute presentation of his journey to regenerative agriculture here: https://youtu.be/ZTpYG0rAhBQ