On January 8, 2025, the National Park Service ordered 12 of the 14 operating ranches in Point Reyes National Seashore to shut down following a government buyout of their leases. This decision marks the end of a 150-year agricultural tradition in the area. Environmental groups argued that cattle ranching harmed the park’s ecosystem, particularly the tule elk population, and that continued commercial ranching leases contributed to ecological damage. As a result, over 100 workers—most of whom are Latino—have been displaced.
This is the Bravo Family. All of the kids grew up on the L ranch on Point Reyes National seashore and now reside on the McClure Ranch. Their father worked as a dairyman and mother as a caregiver. At the end of this year, they will lose their housing and be forced out. With limited housing options, and even fewer affordable ones, many of these families and workers will struggle to remain in West Marin. The nature conservatories decision feels like they are valuing land over people, sidelining the cultural and economic contributions of ranching families who have been integral to the region for generations. Without these families we not only loose culture and community, but we lose the people that are the heart and soul of not only Point Reyes, but West Marin.