Fresno and Madera leaders are calling on the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust to stop spreading human compost into soil at Sumner Peck Ranch.
The big picture: The San Joaquin River Conservancy discovered that the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust – a nonprofit organization that is a separate entity from the Conservancy – discovered that the trust had an agreement with a Washington company to use human remains as compost at Sumner Peck Ranch.
- Sumner Peck Ranch sits between the San Joaquin River and Solitary Cellars north of Fresno. The ranch offers “U-Pick” events on the weekends, where people come to pick fruit off of the trees in the orchard.
- The Conservancy discovered that the Trust had an agreement with Earth Funeral, based in Washington, to spread human compost in the soil at Sumner Peck Ranch.
- The Conservancy located one area where the human compost was spread, and officials said during a Thursday press conference that there could be other locations.
Zoom in: Fresno County sent a cease and desist letter to the Trust on Wednesday, noting that spreading composted human remains is currently against the law in California.
- Fresno County Counsel Doug Sloan wrote in the letter that spreading human remains as compost at Sumner Peck Ranch has not been authorized by the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the San Joaquin River Conservancy or the county. It has also not received approval through the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
- Sumner Peck Ranch was funded by the Conservancy through a grant administered by the state.
The other side: The Trust’s Executive Director Sharon Weaver told GV Wire that she was assured by Earth Funeral that California does not regulate human composting, adding that the compost is free.
- Bredefeld, who sits on the Conservancy, said the Conservancy met with Weaver on Wednesday to request that the gate to Sumner Peck Ranch be closed until the county health department can inspect. Weaver refused to comply.
Flashback: Four years ago, California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 351 to legalize human composting, to be overseen by the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.
- AB 351 does not legalize human composting until Jan. 1, 2027.
- The law also grants local governments the authority to pass their own legislation to prohibit human composting.
How it works: Earth Funeral takes deceased bodies and turns them into a cubic yard of soil over a process that takes 45 days.
- Families can choose how much of the soil they would like to receive, with the rest donated to conservation projects for land restoration initiatives.
- Corpses are placed inside a cylindrical vessel which uses carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, water and high temperatures to allow naturally occurring microbes to break down the body on a molecular level, according to Earth Funeral’s website.
- Families can either collect the soil in person at one of Earth Funeral’s facilities or have it mailed through the United States Postal Service.
What we’re watching: Bredefeld and Madera County Supervisor Jordan Wamhoff said they both plan to propose legislation in their respective counties to prohibit using human compost on public land…