Our National Parks: Three reasons to end ranching at Point Reyes

Text and photos by Heather Cline 

Bobcat, one of the many wildlife species at Point Reyes National Seashore

In September 1962, Point Reyes National Seashore entered into our National Parks for the purpose of preserving the native land and the Tule Elk that inhabited the area for over 10,000 years. At that time, the ranchers who lived on the land sold their properties to the National Park Service but were given the option to lease the land for up to 25 years to live our their ranching careers. By 2002, the process of returning the land to it's native coastal prairies should have been well underway. Instead, politics ensued and leases were extended. We are now 22 years beyond when the land was to return to it's native state, but there are still 21 ranches still in operation, and some are looking to expand their agricultural activities to be economically viable. 

This blog post is a little different than some of the usual you see from me, but I felt compelled to share this information because I've spent a lot of time hiking, photographing, and viewing wildlife in this park and for years, I didn't realize the impact these ranches have on the natural environment the National Park System is supposed to be protecting. 

Water Quality

Point Reyes has some of the worst water pollution in California with cattle manure being the single largest source. When streams near the dairies were tested, they measured double the lethal levels for freshwater fish. The streams and tributaries leading to Drake's Estero all tested positive for pollutants that are a threat to fish that inhabit this area. 

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, bovines deposit more than 130 million pounds of manure onto Point Reyes lands and into waterways every year.

It's not just animal waste that is polluting our park, many septic systems located on ranch property were found to be leaking human waste and were so far out of compliance that they had to be completely replaced. 

River otter in a lagoon near a cattle ranch

Wildlife

Tule Elk were once native to the park but were thought to be extinct due to hunting by early settlers in the 1800's. The reintroduction should be an example of success but the cattle ranching has directly impacted this reintroduction through several means.

• To keep the elk separate from the cattle, a herd of Tule Elk are confined behind a fence at Tomales Point. They are not free to graze and access water outside of the small pond at Tomales Point. 
• Malnutrition and drought reduced the herd by half between 2014-2016.
• Being confined to the small area of land has resulted in in-breeding.
• Some of the elk have tested positive for Johne’s disease, a bacterium transmitted to wildlife when cattle manure is spread on fields and also when it runs off into waterways. This poses a risk to herds outside Tomales Point so they cannot be relocated. 
• Ironically, in 2019, the park service had planned to cull the Elk population to cap it to what they considered a viable population level and one that was compatible with the ranching in the area. Outcries and pressure from the public resulted in the NPS revoking that decision. 
   

Tule Elk are an endemic species found only in California

Environment

Cattle ranches occupy 18,000 of the 71,000 acres that make up Point Reyes National Seashore. Feed grasses and silage are planted annually for cattle grazing, which has changed the native landscape and affected healthy soil. In grazing pens, the ground has become compacted with years of grazing with some being reduced to dirt. After rains, instead of soaking into the soil, water sits on top of the ground, creating large muddy areas mixed with animal waste that runs off into creeks and ponds. In addition, cattle are the world's largest agricultural source of greenhouse gases which directly affects climate change.

This landscape isn't intended to support pastures - and ranching wasn't the intended purpose of the park. If you look at the pastoral areas of the park, outside of the ranches, you can see a stark difference in the health of the shrubs and soil. 

Red Tail hawk in the native coastal prairie shrubs

Its hard to believe that the very organization created to protect our national parks would provide more protection to the commercial operations than the land and wildlife within them, but it's been happening for decades and continues to happen today. The only way this will change is if more people understand the impact and speak up. 

Several organizations and environmental groups make it easy for your voice to be heard. One such group is In Defense of Animals (IDA). They provide updates and a mechanism to quickly and easily sign petitions in support of park protections. It's so easy, you can sign a petition in under 30 seconds from your smartphone. I've linked them above in case anyone reading this is interested in supporting this cause.