I am sympathetic to the concern for the budgetary health of Point Reyes National Seashore, as expressed by Jerry Meral in his recently published Marin Voice commentary (“Lack of income is pushing Point Reyes National Seashore into disrepair,” April 24). However, I don’t understand why he separates the money issues in the park from the ongoing ranch controversies.
First, two problems mentioned in the article — erosion and invasive plants — can be attributed as being partly caused by ranching. A third issue, deterioration of “historic farmhouses,” can be attributed, in some degree, to ranchers’ failure to maintain structures, as is required by their leases.
According to park data, maintaining ranches in Point Reyes costs the National Park Service around $1 million a year. This figure omits the opportunity cost of the significantly below market lease rates, as recently reported by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
