Should cattle ranching continue to be permitted at Point Reyes National Seashore?/NPS

In what is sure to be one of the thorniest issues the National Park Service has addressed in recent years, work is getting underway to determine the future of cattle ranching at Point Reyes National Seashore in California. At stake are not only the native Tule 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 that could be impacted.

Up for consideration in the seashore's General Management Plan amendment are options ranging from continued ranching unchanged to removing cattle from the seashore.

The Park Service’s proposed action would allow existing ranch families to continue beef and dairy operations with 20-year lease/permits, Tule elk in the Drakes Beach area would be managed at a "level compatible with authorized ranching," and the proposed action would identify improvements to the visitor experience, management strategies to protect park resources, and visitor carrying capacities within the planning area.

Ranching within the Point Reyes peninsula dates to the mid-1800s. Following the establishment of Point Reyes and Golden Gate, the 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.

However, 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.

The groups that brought the lawsuit argue that the cattle and dairy operations, comprising 28,000 of the park’s 71,000 acres, negatively affect the environment (water quality, methane emissions, erosion, fish habitat), the infrastructure (pavement degradation from milk trucks) and recreational opportunities at Point Reyes. They say the park is relying on an outdated management plan, adopted in 1980, that fails to address current conditions, such as climate change, drought in the area, and an expanding footprint of Tule elk.

The National Park Service's preferred alternative would cap the free-roaming Tule elk herd at Drakes Beach at 160/NPS

The National Park Service says the lands that remain in ranching contain extraordinary natural and cultural resource values. Archaeological resources, reflecting over 2,500 years of history, are distributed across the planning area. The significant role the ranches played within the history of the region, the agency adds, has been formally recognized with the listing of the Point Reyes Peninsula Dairy Ranches Historic District and the Olema Valley Dairy Ranches Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. More than 200 historic structures associated with the historic districts are located within the park ranches.

The planning area vegetation communities include freshwater and tidal wetlands, coastal dunes, extensive coastal prairie, California annual grassland, riparian and forested habitat. These communities support a rich diversity of native plant and animal species, including 15 federally threatened and endangered plant and animal species, and over 40 rare plant species. Coastal prairie, the most diverse California grassland type, is a diminishing and particularly sensitive plant community with high conservation value, the Park Service notes.

• Agricultural lease/permits are used to authorize existing beef and dairy ranch operations on approximately 18,000 acres in Point Reyes and 10,000 acres in Golden Gate. • Twenty-four families currently hold lease/permits or reservations of use and occupancy for dairy and beef operations, including 18 ranches with residential use. • Most of the active beef cattle and dairy operations in the planning area are within the Point Reyes Peninsula Dairy Ranches Historic District and the Olema Valley Dairy Ranches Historic District. • Current authorizations allow approximately 6,000 cattle on a year-round basis.

Based on discussions among the Park Service planning team, subject matter experts, and the input received during the public comment period last fall, a preliminary list of impact topics has been developed that will be analyzed in detail in the EIS:

• Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas

• Tule Elk and Associated Habitat Emissions

• Vegetation (including communities of concern and non-native plant species)

• Cultural Landscapes, Historic Districts, and Historic Structures

• Visitor Use, Experience, and Access

• Federally Listed Species

• Water Quality

• Socioeconomics

• Wildlife

• Soil Processes, Erosion, and Compaction

The Park Service has initiated a 30-day public comment period through November 30, during which the agency will host two scoping meetings. The meetings will be identical in format and are intended to share information and gather public comments for use in shaping the plan. The meetings are scheduled for mid-November at the following locations:

Wednesday, November 14

5 p.m.-7 p.m.

West Marin School Gym

Point Reyes Station, CA

Thursday, November 15

5 p.m.–7 p.m.

Bay Model Visitor Center

Sausalito, CA

Comments may be submitted online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/poregmpa, at one of the public meetings, or by mailing or hand delivering comments to:

GMP Amendment c/o Superintendent

Point Reyes National Seashore

1 Bear Valley Road

Point Reyes Station, CA 94956