Since the recent settlement in Point Reyes National Seashore, certain parties and media unhappy with the change have gone on the offensive, spreading disinformation and trying to discredit environmental groups who fought hard for these substantial improvements in our seashore. The same outlets that have made the irresponsible and false charges of “terrorism” have refused to run responses from their targets. Read the words of the leads for the three litigants below, and share far and wide!
Public Advocacy for Point Reyes Is Democracy in Action
Tensions have been running high in Marin County, California, since the announcement of a settlement that will result in the majority of private cattle ranchers leaving public lands at Point Reyes National Seashore. Adding to the fray, some have deployed inflammatory rhetoric equating the settlement to “environmental terrorism” and likening it to throwing a bomb.
While nobody can identify what “terrorism” supposedly occurred, the disparagement targets the catalyst for the historic Point Reyes agreement: lawsuits by our conservation organizations, the Resource Renewal Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, and Western Watersheds Project, and buyouts of grazing leases by The Nature Conservancy.
The Point Reyes agreement follows a decade of advocacy and protest by stakeholders and community members in Marin, the Bay Area, and beyond.
There was good reason for public outcry. In 2014 the National Park Service tried to push through an illegal plan expanding private agricultural operations and killing of elk within our national park. That clearly violated the Point Reyes Act and legislation that created the Park Service itself, so we sued.
A turning point was public mobilization sparked by severe elk die-offs disclosed in 2015. This environmental crisis combined with our legal action compelled the Park Service to revise the Seashore’s management plan. During extensive public review, the overwhelming majority of commenters favored protection of wildlife, public use, and habitat restoration over private industry in their park.
Our lawsuits and public opposition are an exercise of rights protected by public interest and conservation laws, which allow people and organizations to hold the federal governmental accountable. These fundamental rights are now more important than ever as the Trump administration attempts to gut conservation and environmental review laws.
Recent Point Reyes planning processes garnered more than 50,000 comment letters and broke attendance records at public meetings, with over 90% of participants demanding that wildlife, recreation and nature be prioritized at Point Reyes and tule elk be spared from arbitrary killings. The settlement agreement falls within the alternatives considered during this process and reflects the management approaches supported by the Park Service and most of the public.
Even before the recent lawsuit, drought and economic realities forced the Seashore’s largest dairy to close, while the rest faced enormous costs to modernize operations and comply with water-quality, environmental and public health standards.
These dairies and many beef ranches decided to take generous compensation to retire their leases and cease operations inside the National Seashore as part of a package that provides immense benefits to the public, the national park, wildlife and the environment. All participating parties signed a voluntary settlement outside of court proceedings. Every party mutually agreed it was the best possible solution to the conflicts.
None of this is terrorism.
It’s disturbing and irresponsible that attorney Andrew Giacomini was quoted and a hyperbolic Marin Independent Journal headline characterized exercise of our rights to advocate for conservation as terrorism.
It’s not “terrorism” to broker a deal that will improve water quality, increase access to our public lands, and prevent slaughter of elk. This landmark agreement ensures the Park Service can fulfill its mandate to leave the park’s world-class ecosystems unimpaired for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.
While some are busy appointing blame and stirring division, we’re focused on raising money for much-needed transition support for the employees and tenants of the departing ranchers to help them access housing and employment opportunities elsewhere in our community.
We do take responsibility for protecting public land, wildlife, and water quality, and for increased public access in our park.
But spare us the ugly slurs. This collective agreement allows us to turn the page toward a more public and open Point Reyes.
Jeff Miller, Center for Biological Diversity
Chance Cutrano, Resource Renewal Institute
Erik Molvar, Western Watersheds Project
To help support our work, please contact kbouley@tirn.net and support Point Reyes National Seashore by clicking on this link.
