Welfare ranching

Regarding “Cattle grazing on public lands is incompatible with wildlife” (Open Forum, April 9): Erik Molvar’s comments on the ecological disaster caused by cattle ranching on public lands at Point Reyes National Seashore were spot-on. Several decades ago, I was employed as the wildlife biologist there, managing the elk program, including the starting of a population at Limantour. Molvar’s contrast of the degraded condition of the cattle pastures with the more ecologically intact elk range reflects my observations precisely. In his short piece, Molvar was unable to list all the damaging ecological consequences of this welfare ranching, including effects on water quality and anadromous fish.

Cattle also harbor and spread to wildlife, especially elk, the disease paratuberculosis, caused by an intestinal bacterium. I nearly gag thinking of the spreading and volatilizing of manure from cattle-manure ponds done every year by the ranches. The specious argument that ranching is a “historic” use and must be preserved is laughable in the face of the effort to give the weakest of nods to the longest and most historic use, that of Native Americans. These National Park Service lands would much better serve their public owners as a demonstration of ecological restoration rather than as a continuing degradation of them.

Thomas Kucera, San Rafael