POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE – A big win for conservation and tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore: 12 of 14 ranches located at the site will cease operations, with a $30 million buyout made possible by the Nature Conservancy. In addition, 16,000 acres will be rezoned from agricultural lands to prioritize conservation, while the area’s tule elk will now be able to roam freely across the National Park Service unit’s landscape.
These developments are part of two major developments announced the by National Park Service:
1. A revised record of decision for the Point Reyes General Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement
2. A settlement reached between the NPS, environmental groups and ranchers
There’s been an ongoing conflict over resources between ranchers and advocates for the site’s famous tule elk. The National Park Service’s new plan will let the elk roam freely with no population cap, and the ranches will cease operations, a victory for environmentalists who also say the ranches were degrading water quality.
Ranching in the area dates back to the 1830s and the decision is a blow to those ranchers who had made a living in the region for decades, having done their part to protect the landscape decades ago by refusing to sell to developers.
“It feels like a death,” Point Reyes rancher Kevin Lunny told SFGATE. ”It’s the only home and address we’ve ever known. It’s who we are — it’s our identity.”
Click here to read the full agreement.
National Park News
