Point Reyes National Seashore — where sophomores used to go for class trips — reached a settlement with nature conservation and activist groups on Jan. 8, agreeing to close down longstanding dairy farms to settle a 2022 lawsuit. The national park in Marin County will soon have farmland returned to the natural environment that existed before the farms. While nature conservationists argue that the pollution from agriculture is harmful, the dairy farms act as historical landmarks and provide economic benefits for the local community. As a result, their closure is clouded with controversy.
In 2016, a lawsuit from the Resource Renewal Institute — a nonprofit in Fairfax, California, focused on developing scientific solutions to environmental challenges — and other groups against the National Park Service (NPS) initiated the longstanding dispute. As a result, NPS drafted the General Management Plan Amendment (GMPA), which created stricter ranching rules. However, many environmentalists considered these rules insufficient, and the same groups filed another lawsuit in 2022, challenging the GMPA.
In 2023, The Nature Conservancy — a global environmental nonprofit — joined the mediation effort, working to resolve the conflict. Years into the dispute, former President Joseph R. Biden’s administration finalized a buyout agreement in January, under which The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will pay 12 dairy farms in the protected parkland and their workers to close and relocate.
Nature conservationists are optimistic about the future of Point Reyes National Seashore’s wildlife. The closing of the dairy farms eliminates water pollution from manure runoff, which impacts local ecosystems through pollution and habitat degradation.
“This is an exciting moment for Point Reyes National Seashore,” said Anne Altman, Point Reyes National Seashore superintendent, in an interview with National Parks Traveler. “Thanks to agreements between TNC and the closing ranch operations, the park’s future management will include additional opportunities for visitors, non-lethal management of native tule elk, and [will] honor the co-stewardship agreement with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.”
Daniel Dietrich, a wildlife photographer and filmmaker and certified California Naturalist, reflected on the agreement in an interview with The Urban Legend. “There’s very little native California coast left along the entire state,” he said, referring to coastal environments that remain in their original state. “So I think we really have an opportunity to restore Point Reyes back to the original grasslands, the original coastal scrub. With that land restoration, we’ll have improvements in habitat, grasses, native plants and water quality.”
Many students remember Point Reyes for its beautiful landscape and wildlife from sophomore class trips before 2025. Frannie Oakes ’26 reflected on her memories of the space and her hopes for its future. “One time, we were on a hike and we saw a bobcat. … Everyone sort of stood around it very respectfully, … and it felt like I was experiencing nature,” she said. “Especially with climate change and tourism, there aren’t a lot of places anymore that have that natural beauty. I think that it is exciting to see progress in protecting this natural habitat.”
The dairy empire in Point Reyes began in 1857, prompting a transition from imported dairy products to a local supply that was seen as higher-quality and less environmentally harmful. These farms have remained a major dairy supply within Point Reyes while also expanding into the Bay Area and California as a whole.
“Our industry is at a viability tipping point and more must be done to secure our local organic milk supply before we permanently lose more dairy farms and next-generation farmers,” Clover Sonoma and Straus Family Creamery wrote in a letter to California Representative Jared Huffman and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
The impending closure of these farms brings this organic dairy product supply to a halt. “Everything I have worked for is being threatened,” said Albert Straus, the founder of Straus Family Creamery — the first certified organic creamery in the U.S. — in an interview with The Guardian. “In a climate where we are importing a lot of our food, we are at risk.”
The closures have also sparked worry among local communities that rely on farm work for both income and housing. Jarrod Russel, director of Community Land Trust of West Marin, reflected on repercussions for local families in an interview with The Press Democrat.
“Many families are being forced to make decisions now, before the official move-out date, because they’re wondering, ‘Am I really going to have somewhere to live in West Marin? Or do I need to plan to go somewhere else now so that my kids can go to school somewhere where we’re going?’” he said.
Rosa Rodriguez and her family are among those being evicted. Her husband, Miguel, has worked on one of the closing dairy farms for the past seven years. Combined, the couple makes roughly $65,000 annually, and raise their three sons on Historic Ranch A. Rodriguez shared her story with ABC News, stating that she does not know where their family will go.
Many people were disheartened at the news of the loss of historical landmarks, as the farms have been around for more than 150 years. According to the U.S. National Park Service, the dairy and cattle ranches are the single largest historic cultural landscapes at Point Reyes.
Dayna Ghirardelli, Executive Director of Sonoma County Farm Bureau, wrote on the organization’s news page, “There has been an outpouring of emotions since that announcement, most of which encompass the cry of losing multi-generational dairy and beef operations. … It was mentioned that after all these decades, this event could be the last time these families were all together. That is a huge revelation when you think of the generations growing up together.”
Others, however, consider it crucial to look at the history of the land on a broader scope. “I fully respect that the ranchers have been here for 150 years. … But the wildlife and the indigenous cultures were here far longer than that before,” Dietrich said. “California and the United States [are] very full of dairy ranches and cattle ranches across the entire country. If you want to establish historical preservation … at Point Reyes, we … have interpreted signs [and landmarks] that show how life was at that particular place; that’s historical preservation. We don’t need to have active dairy farms inside a national park as part of historic preservation.”
Ian Sprouls ’26 echoed this view, particularly regarding the local tule elk who will have access to a free range lifestyle with the dismantling of farm fences. “The [tule] elk should get priority, simply because they were clearly there before. They are a nature-rich resource, and that’s under-prioritized [by our] country,” he said.
The dairy farm closures are already in swing. Though disagreement remains on the merit of the shutdowns, many consider it important to look at ways people can get involved as this new era begins in Point Reyes. “I think there’s going to be an enormous opportunity for the public to be involved in the restoration of the park,” Dietrich said. “I would really encourage people to contact The Nature Conservancy or local nonprofits that are involved, … and see where volunteer opportunities come. … It’ll be a really wonderful thing.”