Some of the best beef and dairy cattle ranch lands are in West Marin, especially Point Reyes. Its cool weather and plush grasslands are ideal for raising large bovines and milk production.
In 1962 ranchers voluntarily sold their land to the federal government when Congress created the Point Reyes National Seashore under the promise that they would keep ranching. That arrangement allowed beneficial use of productive ranch lands while protecting a spectacular natural resource.
True to form, environmentalists began imposing costs on the ranchers to “Save Drake’s Bay” or “Save the Elk.” (Those costs came largely in the form of manure management.)
A Comparison of Two Presidents
In 2019, Trump signed an Executive Order to protect farming in national parks. In 2021, Biden (or his Auto Pen) reversed it.
In 2022, in collusion with the Biden Administration, environmental groups sued the National Park Service to block 20-year ranching leases. (And why not, that tactic worked to close the Lunny Oyster Farm, despite that operation having the highest priority land use under our California Coastal Act.) They negotiated a secret deal for a $30 million payout to ranchers. Numerous stakeholders were ignored outside of a public process required by law.
The multi-generational farm workers didn’t have a say. The ranchers were silenced by non-disclosure agreements. Groups that support Marin County agriculture were ignored. County supervisors sat on their hands so as not to offend their environmental overlords. Jared Huffman, our Congressman that pretends to be an environmentalist, went along with the scam negotiations.
The House GOP to the Rescue
On April 10, 2025, the House launched an investigation of the proposed agreements to cease operations.
April 11, 2025, Marin IJ article
The secretly negotiated deals can be undone by the Trump administration. Hopefully, as a result of the House investigations, the nefarious methods of the environmental groups will be exposed and the proposed settlements canceled.
Grazing Cattle are Carbon Neutral
Grazing cattle support soil health and biodiversity. It also sequesters GHG’s in the soil where they’re acted on by bacteria. Eliminating grazing cattle in the name of fighting climate change is both preposterous and misguided.
The Marin GOP Stands with the Ranchers!
The Marin GOP supports agriculture in West Marin, including beef and dairy cattle ranching on the historic ranches in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
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