As of Jan. 8, 12 out of 14 operating ranches in Point Reyes National Seashore have been ordered to shut down after a buyout by the National Park Service, bringing an end to the 150-year agricultural tradition in the area. The decision followed lawsuits from environmental groups claiming that cattle ranching harms the Point Reyes National Seashore’s ecosystem, particularly the Tule elk population. While conservationists have celebrated this outcome, it has come as a blow to local farmers in the area.
Since before the Gold Rush in 1886, Point Reyes has been home to dairy and cattle farms, supplying food to the Bay Area and its surrounding counties. Marin County enforces numerous laws surrounding agriculture such as requiring Use Permit inspections to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.
Sustainable agriculture teacher and science department head Joe Stewart feels that Marin’s rich history in farming brings light to the importance of the practice.
“The way Marin does agriculture is pretty thoughtful and sustainable. We have laws that require vegetable farming to be organic. We don’t utilize genetically modified organisms. We are very cutting edge in our use of sustainable programs in our dairy industry as well,” Stewart said. “Agriculture in general happened a lot in Marin and still does.”
The settlement will reduce the amount of land in the area used for farming by 85 percent, according to KQED News. It will leave the National Parks Service to oversee the removal of ranching infrastructure and cows from roughly 16,000 acres of ranchland, reducing the number of cattle from 10,000 to around 200.
“In fact, over half of Marin’s land—about 55 percent—is designated or used in some way for agriculture,” Stewart said.
Senior Ginger Howard, treasurer and secretary of the Eco-Connection Club, believes that the ruling should be determined by the compliance of the farms to environmental standards.
“The ranches that have been ignoring the land laws should face the consequences, and the ones that have been abiding [by] the laws and not harming the environment should remain in operation,” Howard said.
Senior Sophia Rubel, a member of the Eco-Connection Club, believes the decision may be excessive and should instead focus on regulation.
“I understand that the environmental groups and National Park Services believe in protecting our environment, but just shutting down the farms that have been here for centuries may not be the best response. What we need is better regulations of our farms, like regular check-ins to make sure they are abiding with the laws we have put in place to protect our lands,” Rubel said.
Additionally, Stewart shared his perspective on the best possible resolution to the situation and the importance of meeting both sides in the middle.
“There are very strong environmental groups who want land preserved and left completely for nature. On the other extreme, there are developers who want to take over land just for [farm usage]. Finding a middle ground where farmers can operate sustainably in a natural system seems to be the ideal [solution],” Stewart said.
The 12 ranches targeted by the settlement will have just over a year to cease operations, leaving ranchers with limited time to transition, relocate or find alternative solutions for their livelihoods.
