"for restoration of land that's set to be vacated by seashore ranchers under a historic settlement announced this year in the final days of the Biden administration. The grant is going to The Nature Conservancy, the same group that brokered the closed-door talks with ranchers and spearheaded a reported $30-million-plus package accepted by a dozen of those families to exit the seashore - and end years of litigation by environmental groups critical of the ecological impact of private farming in the public park."
"Somewhat lost in the discussion of those ground-level details, however, is the story about how the state came to commit millions of dollars in taxpayer money to management of a federal park - and how the group lined up to receive that money, The Nature Conservancy, lobbied for it long before finalizing the deal with most seashore ranchers to exit the park."
A California wildlife financing agency approved $10 million in late August for restoration of land that will be vacated by seashore ranchers under a settlement announced in the final days of the Biden administration. The grant goes to The Nature Conservancy, which brokered closed-door talks and helped assemble a reported $30-million-plus package accepted by a dozen families to exit the seashore and end litigation over private farming impacts. The first $2.7 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board will modernize fencing, water infrastructure and other changes across roughly 16,700 acres. Grazing will continue with a lighter footprint to improve water quality and wildlife habitat. State officials noted use of state funds in a national park is infrequent but has precedent.
#point-reyes-national-seashore #the-nature-conservancy #wildlife-conservation-board #habitat-restoration-funding
Read at The Mercury News
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