The plan will go to the park service’s regional director after at least a 30-day waiting period during which time the park will consult with various state and federal agencies. “In addition, the preferred alternative also sets forth opportunities for enhancing visitor access and enjoyment, recreation, and the continued stewardship of significant natural and cultural resources, including to national register historic districts.” “The preferred alternative sets the course for management of these leased ranch lands – it preserves multigenerational ranching in the park and provides the tools to maintain a viable free-ranging tule elk population in the planning area,” Feierabend wrote in a statement. The park’s acting superintendent Carey Feierabend described the plan as the first in the park’s 58-year history to address the management of the 28,000 acres of ranching operations. The herd had 138 elk as of the last count in late 2019. To address conflicts between the free-roaming Drakes Beach tule elk herd and ranches, the plan would allow park staff to kill some elk to keep the population to 120 elk. The 24 ranching families in the park and neighboring Golden Gate National Recreation Area would also be able to diversify their livestock beyond cows on a case-by-case basis to include other animals such as goats, chickens and pigs.

In its final environmental review of the park’s general management plan amendment, the National Park Service’s preferred option is to extend leases for private ranchers from five-year terms to up to 20-year-terms. The Point Reyes National Seashore released a final version of a controversial plan Friday to extend leases of historic ranches in the park and to cull some tule elk to prevent conflicts with private ranching.

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