Elephant seals need clean water in Pt. Reyes

Northern elephant seals, once nearly extinct, have made a remarkable comeback. About 100 of these marine mammals survived in California in the 1920s. An estimated 124,000 live along our coast today. Point Reyes National Seashore beaches are a critical birthing ground for the species and the National Park Service protects the seals from human disturbance by closing areas in the park to visitors during seal pupping season.

Meanwhile, the park service leases 25% of the park to ranchers whose 5,000 dairy and beef cattle graze these national lands. Cattle in the park annually produce roughly 110 million pounds of manure, some of which flows into park waterways and ultimately the Pacific Ocean, exposing humans and wildlife to dangerous levels of water pollution. On a recent trip to take photos of elephant seals in the park, it was clear that those near ranches were wallowing in the pathogen-laden muck.

Some 2 million visitors a year visit the park, where 100 plant and animal species are listed as rare, threatened or endangered. Nonetheless, the park service dedicates 28,000 acres to private ranching — despite the harmful impacts to the park, wildlife and visitor experience.

Imagine if the park service were to uphold its mission to preserve our national parks unimpaired for future generations and end private ranching in the park. Land now committed to cattle operations would instead be dedicated to public enjoyment and education. Wildlife habitat — much of it overgrazed and trampled by the cattle — could gradually be restored. Climate-destructive methane emissions from the cattle would be eliminated. Water quality — some of the worst in California — would be vastly improved.

This was the national seashore envisioned more than 60 years ago when the park service purchased the ranches for the public. It's time for that vision to be realized. — Jocelyn Knight,

Corte Madera