Cows

The Big Lie — Point Reyes National Seashore and Ranching

Severe Cattle Trails at Point Reyes National Seashore Becoming Gullies

Cattle trails on hillsides in the Seashore cause severe erosion and manure pollution of the adjacent bays and ocean.

CONGRESS NEVER INTENDED THAT RANCHING WOULD GO ON FOREVER

Contrary to the claims of some, there is no basis for asserting that when Congress passed the Point Reyes legislation in 1962 it intended that ranching would go on forever after the ranch lands were acquired by the National Park Service (NPS).  The legislation didn’t address the issue at all.  Furthermore, there is no point in debating the issue now because Congress addressed the issue in 1978 by adding language to the legislation stating that ranching was discretionary, not mandatory.  That language provides as follows:

“Where appropriate in the discretion of the Secretary, he or she may lease federally owned land . . . which has been acquired . . . and which was agricultural land prior to its acquisition.  Such lease shall be subject to such restrictive covenants as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of sections 459c to 459c–7 of this title.”

92 Stat. 3487 (Nov. 10, 1978); 16 U.S.C. § 459c-5.  (Emphasis added.)

Clearly, Congress addressed the issue in 1978 and made ranching permissible in the Secretary’s discretionary, but not required.

Furthermore, the Secretary’s discretion is limited by other language requiring that Point Reyes be managed without impairment of its natural values.

“[T]he property . . . shall be administered . . . without impairment of its natural values, in a manner which provides for such recreational, educational, historic preservation, interpretation, and scientific research opportunities as are consistent with, based upon, and supportive of the maximum protection, restoration, and preservation of the natural environment . . . .”

16 U.S.C. § 459c-6.  (Emphasis added.)

Ranching is impairing the natural resources of Point Reyes as is obvious to anyone who goes out there and looks at the ranching area.  Consequently, NPS is violating its statutory duty under the Seashore statute.  It is also violating the 1916 NPS Organic Act which has similar non-impairment language and applies to all national parks, including Point Reyes.  The only way to stop impairing nature at Point Reyes is to stop ranching and manage Point Reyes like national parks are supposed to be managed with the overarching duty being the protection of natural resources, not the destruction of them.  It’s time for the Park Service to perform its statutory duty by removing the ranchers, not the elk the ranchers want removed because the elk, like their 6,000 cattle, eat grass.  The Seashore is a national park, not a private ranch.

elephant

Male Elephant, Tarangire National Park

This is a photo of a male elephant walking away from a wetland in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.

A male elephant walks near a wetland in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.

Tarangire National Park is known for elephants and baobab trees.  When I was there on a photography safari last September, we saw a good number of each. The safari, which included Serengeti, was sponsored by Nature’s Best Photography and the African Wildlife Foundation and it was hosted by Thomson Safaris. They are running another with Thomson this September. If you’ve been thinking of doing a safari in Tanzania, this would be an excellent choice. Thomson is based in the Boston area. https://thomsonsafaris.com/

Coyote

Blue-Eyed Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

This is a photo of a coyote that has blue eyes.

Blue-eyed Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

I saw that blue-eyes coyote again with the damaged left eye a week ago.  The last time I photographed him was about two months ago.  He seems to be doing well.  I’ve wondered if he is the only blue-eyed coyote at Point Reyes.

This is a photo of a blue-eyed coyote in Point Reyes National Seashore.

Blue-eyed Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

With his left eye the way it is, there’s no chance of thinking that he might be a second blue-eyed coyote there.

Mountain Lion/Puma

The Unfortunate Death of a Mountain Lion Cub in Colorado

A puma mother lies on ground with two of her 8 to 12 week old cubs.

A mother puma rests in Torres del Paine National Park with two of her three young cubs.

I’m sure everyone saw the headlines a couple of weeks ago about a trail runner in Colorado who was attacked by a mountain lion which he then killed with his bare hands. He was lauded as a hero.  His “incredible” feat was reported on favorably by all the media.

But something didn’t sound right to me.  Male mountain lions weigh between 120 and 220 lbs, averaging 137 lbs.  Females generally weigh between 65 and 140 lbs, averaging 93 lbs.  Wikipedia.  Plus, they are much, much stronger than we are on a pound for pound basis.  I just couldn’t picture how a human could kill one without a weapon.  I could see a human putting up a good fight and the animal deciding to stop the attack and leave, but killing it with one’s bare hands?  No way I thought.  I decided to keep an eye out for any further reports.

As the details came out over the next two weeks it turned out the mountain lion was a male cub of just 35 to 40 pounds.  And the runner killed it by standing on its neck until it suffocated.  USA Today.   I’d like to see someone try to stand on the neck of an adult male mountain lion weighing the average 140 pounds or so.  A necropsy report later confirmed that the mountain lion was a male, only four or five months old, weighing 35 to 40 pounds. The cat had limited fat, indicating it was hungry but not starving.  Time.

The story goes on the report that this cub had two siblings that were later captured by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.  They were captured because Parks and Wildlife concluded the mother was dead because she didn’t come for the other cubs over a few days.  The cubs have been placed in a care facility until they are old enough to fend for themselves (although that is somewhat questionable without a mother to teach them to hunt).  They weren’t old enough to survive on their own.

In my opinion, the real story is that a mountain lion female with three young cubs had died.  While I don’t know how the mother died, the odds are that it was killed by a human, possibly a rancher nearby or the  Federal Government’s Wildlife Services agency which exists primarily to kill predators for ranchers and farmers.  To me, it’s not a hero story; it’s a sad story of a little mountain lion cub who would be alive today if its mother hadn’t been killed.

As I was writing this and searching for facts of the event I found a well-written blog where the writer posted a photo of a cub she was holding about the same size and age as the one that was killed.  It looks pretty small compared to an adult.  An incredible heroic feat?  Not compared to being attacked by an adult of about four times the size of the cub.  For a link to the blog click here.

Why did the cub attack?  I don’t know for sure, but most likely it was very hungry because its mother was no longer feeding it and it just reacted on instinct for food.  If it had been a deer walking by, the cat would probably have attacked it as well – and failed.