Once thought extinct, 200,000 Northern elephant seals now roam the North Pacific. A landmark settlement with ranchers at Point Reyes National Seashore will protect their growing numbers.
I'm familiar with these issues from an interview I did with Laura Cunningham a couple years ago, who you might know because she was involved with advocacy efforts at Point Reyes.
One thing I learned from her that you didn't mention here (unless I'm misunderstanding) is that some ranchers already accepted buy-out money decades ago, but then didn't leave. So I guess it took a second payment?
Anyway, great to hear the elephant seals have a great spot and here's hoping the sea otters can dig in too!
Thanks for the link to the podcast. I will have a listen. Hopefully the money will be disbursed only once a ranch’s cattle are gone. Also, since your interview reminded me, I added a footnote to include the other plaintiffs, Resource Renewal Institute and Western Watersheds Project. I didn’t want to bog down that sentence with all the names. Since they eat some commercial products like crabs, sea otters are also very controversial! Fingers crossed.
Thank you for sharing the stories from this beautiful corner of the world. My family and I stay in Marin County for several weeks each winter and visiting Point Reyes is always one of the highlights. We appreciate the many volunteers staffing the fence line at Drakes Bay during sea lion season, keeping the public informed and safely separated from these amazing creatures.
I’m curious about the status of fence removal to expand the elk’s habitat. The news seems to have gone quiet since the settlement was reached, and apparently the NPS has actually removed some portion of the fencing. However, NPS staff at the visitor center stated there had been a pause due to a lawsuit. Furthermore, on our visit last week, we found the elk were still in their prior locations and herds of cows pastured just as before. It would seem foolish to open the gates to elk before the cattle had been relocated.
Lastly, I understand and sympathize with the perspective of the ranchers for losing their way of life. However, for the good of society we need to reduce the amount of domestic animals we keep for many reasons; climate and environment for sure, but these are sentient beings. They’re likely living a much better life than one confined to an industrial feedlot, but nonetheless one dictated by their human masters. Please continue your reporting!
Thanks. Sounds like we were there about the same time. There’s certainly a lot of information flying around about this. I had to end it with “for now,” to acknowledge the uncertainty. The lawsuit to stop the fence removal came before the settlement was announced. With most of the ranchers on the point on board with the settlement, it’s hard to see that suit succeeding. But I’m no lawyer.
This is wonderful to read about. Years ago when I lived in California I had the opportunity to see the elephant seals from a short distance away. What distinctive and strange creatures they are. I’ll never forget it!
Wonderful reporting, Amanda! Many thanks. I love reading about good news. You cover the wistful nuance of phasing out dairy farming well.
Wow.
Thank you for a wonderful piece. I will put a visit to these parks on my list.
You're welcome! 🦭🌊
I'm familiar with these issues from an interview I did with Laura Cunningham a couple years ago, who you might know because she was involved with advocacy efforts at Point Reyes.
https://radiofreesunroot.com/2020/12/29/ep-47-cattle-vs-elk-at-point-reyes-national-seashore-feat-laura-cunningham/
One thing I learned from her that you didn't mention here (unless I'm misunderstanding) is that some ranchers already accepted buy-out money decades ago, but then didn't leave. So I guess it took a second payment?
Anyway, great to hear the elephant seals have a great spot and here's hoping the sea otters can dig in too!
Thanks for the link to the podcast. I will have a listen. Hopefully the money will be disbursed only once a ranch’s cattle are gone. Also, since your interview reminded me, I added a footnote to include the other plaintiffs, Resource Renewal Institute and Western Watersheds Project. I didn’t want to bog down that sentence with all the names. Since they eat some commercial products like crabs, sea otters are also very controversial! Fingers crossed.
Thanks for sharing, great to see some good news for a change.
Thank you for sharing the stories from this beautiful corner of the world. My family and I stay in Marin County for several weeks each winter and visiting Point Reyes is always one of the highlights. We appreciate the many volunteers staffing the fence line at Drakes Bay during sea lion season, keeping the public informed and safely separated from these amazing creatures.
I’m curious about the status of fence removal to expand the elk’s habitat. The news seems to have gone quiet since the settlement was reached, and apparently the NPS has actually removed some portion of the fencing. However, NPS staff at the visitor center stated there had been a pause due to a lawsuit. Furthermore, on our visit last week, we found the elk were still in their prior locations and herds of cows pastured just as before. It would seem foolish to open the gates to elk before the cattle had been relocated.
Lastly, I understand and sympathize with the perspective of the ranchers for losing their way of life. However, for the good of society we need to reduce the amount of domestic animals we keep for many reasons; climate and environment for sure, but these are sentient beings. They’re likely living a much better life than one confined to an industrial feedlot, but nonetheless one dictated by their human masters. Please continue your reporting!
Thanks. Sounds like we were there about the same time. There’s certainly a lot of information flying around about this. I had to end it with “for now,” to acknowledge the uncertainty. The lawsuit to stop the fence removal came before the settlement was announced. With most of the ranchers on the point on board with the settlement, it’s hard to see that suit succeeding. But I’m no lawyer.
This is wonderful to read about. Years ago when I lived in California I had the opportunity to see the elephant seals from a short distance away. What distinctive and strange creatures they are. I’ll never forget it!