Point Reyes National Seashore is on the verge of major ecological change. With a new $2.7 million grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service will begin designing a plan to restore thousands of acres of land and eventually allow tule elk to roam freely.
For more than a century, Point Reyes has hosted beef and dairy ranching operations. But after a lawsuit settlement earlier this year, those ranches are now set to close. Eleven families will retire 12 ranching operations, with compensation and worker support provided by The Nature Conservancy.
Displaced farmworkers are receiving housing and financial assistance, while the county has streamlined temporary housing efforts in Point Reyes Station.
The lawsuit centered on ranch fences that blocked elk from accessing food and water, especially during drought years. Elk herds in the northern part of the park have suffered devastating die-offs, with hundreds lost when stock ponds dried up. The new restoration plan aims to prevent such crises by removing barriers, restoring grasslands, and managing sustainable grazing…