All Categories - THE SHAME OF POINT REYES

Regenerative Ranching Exposed

9/24/2021

Finally some intelligence emerging on this ridiculous notion of #regeneativeranching. Amazing what happens when the #meatindustry doesn't do the reserach.
The only flaw is that the land the cattle are depicted on in this art isn’t accurately beaten to hell.
The #ranchers of #pointreyes have turned a #biodiversityhotspot into a literal and figurative #shithole all while the #destructivelyobedient masses ignorantly applaud the destruction.

Jumping on the shoulders of this article can I please please please implore you to watch my Debunking Regenerative Ranching Series as well as listen to my podcasts regarding the glorification of #grassfed #beef?

MY FULL SERIES ON REGENERATIVE BULLSHIT

THE MORONITY OF GLORIFYING GRASS-FED

SCIENTISTS, RATHER THAN RANCHERS, TALK ABOUT REGENERATION

#regenerativeranching #debunked #pointreyes #ranching #cattle #dairy #beef #wildlife #cattle #biodiversity #theshameofpointreyes

Exploiters Feign Concern for the Exploited

9/24/2021

One of many letters to the editors in Marin County that will never be published.

I always get a nauseated chuckle when the ranching community pretends to care about the plight of laborers who are “let go” when a ranch declares financial stress.
On the surface this is an emotional topic that requires utmost sensitivity, but in reality every industry fires people, why is it that when it comes to exploited ranch workers getting fired this is suddenly an unacceptable occurrence?
And where were these "humanitarians" prior to the propaganda stories of “struggling” millionaire ranchers having to make cuts? They come out of the woodwork pretending they care about the livelihood of these people just because it can be twisted in favor of the ranches. I guarantee these people weren’t volunteering down at the soup kitchen the night before.
By the way, has anyone checked on the McClure “shutdown” recently? Looks like he’s still there on his two square miles of heavily discounted land, so what was the rush to evict people that were so "cared about"? Perhaps he’s converting the slave quarters into rooms suitable for the new AirBnB business the park service granted in their new management plan.
The same people who applauded Trump, cheered for the border wall, and have ISIS on speed dial will turn around and hire undocumented laborers as long as it means a greater profit margin. As my interview with a Mendoza ranch hand shows, who can complain about employment conditions if you have nowhere to go?

Mendozas Illegally Killing Wildlife

9/22/2021

Go to theMendoza page to learn more about this historic family ranch

Part 3 of the tell-all interview with a former B Ranch employee is here. This time we hear about the relationship between ranchers and wildlife.

#ranchers #ranching #wildlife #coyote #predators #commodityanimals #animalagriculture #illegal #leaseviolations #mendoza #branch #mendozaranch #mendozadairy #killingwildlife #shameofpointreyes #pointreyes #pointreyesnationalseashore #dairy #beef #conflict #marincounty #ranching

Ranch Hand Tells All Part 2

9/15/2021

Continuing to the expose the historic ranches of Point Reyes, this episode switches from human exploitation to cattle exploitation.
Learn more at the Mendoza Family Ranch page

Ranch Hand Tells All

9/8/2021

Part 1 is now on Youtube. Learn more on the Mendoza page.

When a Native American Kills the Natives

9/4/2021

Tule Elk Update: August 25th 2021

8/26/2021

Point Reyes Tule Elk Update: August 25th 2021

An update on the Point Reyes tule elk situation is overdue so here's the latest information as well as a look back at the last 6 months leading up to the current, dire situation.
Included:
1. Former Point Reyes Tule elk docent shares her views on the situation
2. The last remaining â€œpondâ€ is death trap
3. A look at the park service's ludicrous stance on rancher troughs VS. elk / mercy troughs
4. Is there a drought or not?

Special thanks for their willing contributions to this video:
Tony Seghal, Laura Chariton, Matthew Polvorosa Kline, Jack Gesheidt, Jocelyn Knight, Skyler Thomas

â€‹YouTube or Instagram available

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @shameofpointreyes

Death Traps and Home Ranges

7/13/2021

2020's false hope is 2021's death trap

On July 5th, 6th, and 7th of 2021 I witnessed elk on the hills surrounding Central Pond 2 as well as down next to the "pond". This so-called water source is nothing but a mud hole and potential death trap as evidenced by the corpses documented in this same spot last September.

There is nothing there for these elk. Nothing but false hope, disappointment, and potential death. Yet they are still there. What does this tell us?

For starters it lets us know that this fantasy world some have concocted in which all the elk magically find their way to a tiny trough miles away (that they don't even know exists) is exactly that; a naive fantasy providing convenient denial. It is also evidence of the significance of the home ranges of the sub herds, which a prior study shows that each group of elk mostly stick to areas they have apparently designated as "theirs."

Further north in the reserve (continued below)

is "North Pond 2" which has also provided fools a sense of false "health security" for the elk because it didn't go completely bone dry in 2020 (like all the other bodies of water). That may not be true this year. On July 7th of 2021 North Pond 2 appears HALF the size that it did in September of 2020. With record heat waves wrecking the state and no hope of rain for at least 5 months it is likely this stagnant cess pool will also be bone dry.

But before it goes completely dry it too will become a death trap...(continued below)

...it is likely this so-called pond is on its way to being last year's Central Pond 2, the death trap pond. Why wouldn't it? The banks are already difficult to walk through and there appears to be signs of struggle where at least one elk had to drag itself away from the water's edge. Can you imagine? It's like one of those sick Hollywood horror films where the bad guy offers the victim a chance at escape if only they put themselves in harm's way first. Water, albeit disgusting water, awaits these elk if they can only manage to trudge through the mud. Unlike last year, the elk hanging out in the area stayed far from the water's edge.

Let's compare to Central Pond 2 in 2021...(continued below)

Take a moment to observe the details of central Pond 2's status as of July 7th.

Look how deep the elk tracks go around the perimeter of Central Pond 2 in July of 2021. Also note that the holes do not fill up with water despite the depth.

Show me the water. I made the mistake of walking too close and started sinking in mud immediately...and that was at the furthest edges. The middle must be a guaranteed death sentence.

How CP2 looks from higher on the hill as of July 7th 2021

It made me quite sad to see elk still frequenting this death trap, presumably hoping that water will appear where they once were accustomed to water.

Below is video footage showing the proximity of the elk to Central Pond 2 on July 7th. In the first clip I am down in the pond, in the second I am up on the hill.

For comparison below are images of Central Pond 2 on September 25th, 2020

It sounds like I'm making a sick joke, but if you look next to this elk's skull you can see the available water in 2020

Which year is worse? Keep in mind we have almost three months to go until the same time this photo was taken a year ago.

Now let's look at North Pond 2

Matthew Polvorosa Kline in front of North Pond 2 in 2021

Skyler Thomas in front of North Pond 2 in September of 202o

Signs of struggle? Detail of the banks of North Pond 2 seem to indicate an elk struggling to pull away from the water's edge.

Zooming in on the northern bank helps one understand how deep the tracks are. With no tracks next to the water's edge does this mean the elk have stopped risking getting to the water?

It looks different, but I promise it is the same pond. The water has been diminished for so long vegetation has closed in on the borders. Where are the elk and other animals?

Going back to 2020, elk stood in the water and around the water. Ducks and herons were also present. Today's pond has none of these.

and we thought it was bad that year... still frame from the 2020 series 'Adequate Water'.

Believe it or not the above and below images are the same location not even a year separated. Which one looks good to drink from?

Dead Elk Walking

7/10/2021

July 7, 2021. Location: North Pond 2 (northern end of the elk reserve)

One relatively healthy male was amongst several unhealthy males and as the healthy male moved among the rest it provided quite the visual comparison. The exposed ribs are obvious, but also notice the pronounced hip and shoulder blades. The rectum is extended, inflamed, and covered in black excrement. The hip area appears collapsed rather than filled out as in the healthy male.

This elk is starving even as he eats.

“I can think of no worse way to die. It is prolonged agony, where the elk are presumably hungry all of the time.” - Veterinarian Dr. Amy Allen in her testimony in the lawsuit against Point Reyes National Seashore

Rips, hip bones, a distended rectum, and fecal matter on the backside of the elk tell the tale of internal suffering

Watch the video below to see a healthy male with a diseased male.

Unwary tourists walked past us “happy to see wildlife” even as Mathew P. Kline and I instead observed a very different scene than what the tourists were seeing.

A striking contrast of the backsides of two elk next to each other in the elk reserve

Background: Note the sharp lines of the elk's skeleton coming into view compared to the rounded out elk in the foreground.

Words from the Pacific Sun article that investigated the necropsies of deceased elk in the reserve came to mind as we watched.

“Three of the necropsied elk were found alive, unable to stand or lift their heads; they expired within hours or were euthanized by gunshot. Before he passed, one young male, a “spike,” was “observed laying down, kicking and unable to right itself.” As with the other emaciated elk, the spike’s muscle, fat and bone marrow were severely atrophied; his body was eating itself. He perished foaming at the mouth and nose. His abdomen was swollen with excess fluid, and he suffered from hepatitis and liver abscesses. Worms were devouring the linings of his lungs, trachea and intestines. He died from starvation and maladies tied to mineral deficiencies and eating poisonous plants.”

A relatively healthy elk walks in front of a suffering elk in Point Reyes National Seashore

A third male also showing signs of disease. The frame looks more like a coat hanger than a heavily muscled individual.

The head, neck, and antlers look so heavy on an unhealthy body

The neck, head, and antlers suddenly look so heavy when connected to a dying body

A tear wells in my eye as I imagine the agonizing chaos taking place inside of an animal that has a bloated stomach while also showing ribs of starvation.

"His abdomen was swollen with excess fluid, and he suffered from hepatitis and liver abscesses. Worms were devouring the linings of his lungs, trachea and intestines." - Necropsy report

Comparison: This was the only relatively healthy male seen around the "pond" with the other males

It is hard not to think of the black waters of the disgusting puddle the elk are forced to drink from as I also look at their blackened backsides, proclaiming the presence of disease the elk may very well have gotten from the water.

North Pond 2. The best of what is left. Naive, calloused, or just pro-ranching, many people will insist this water is all that is required to support all the wildlife in the elk reserve. Sadly the park service is amongst these people.

#nationalparks #tulelek #starvation #dehydration #poison #disease #elkreserve #pointreyes #pointreyesnationalseashore #deathbydesign #animalabuse #intentionaldeath #pacificsun #inverness #melaniegunn #davepress #craigkenkel

Fact Checking FAQS

6/29/2021

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Fact Checking FAQS

After Sunday's demonstration I went to the elk reserve and a few thoughts came to mind as I looked at the water troughs the park service provided. In particular I thought of things I had just read on their website’s FAQ page.

1 Water Quality Concerns

The park claimed to be concerned about the quality and source of water the activists brought in. That would be inspiring unless you’re aware of the incredibly disgusting water the park WAS fine with claiming were adequate water sources for the elk. Talk about potential for infection! The puddles I saw out there screamed “drink me and die”.

2 Wilderness

The park claimed that they made a special effort to place their troughs outside of designated wilderness areas. I have two responses to that:
1. The troughs seem to be in about the same spots so I’m curious exactly how designated and non designated wilderness is divided out there.
2. If this is designated wilderness then it is a testament to the failure of the park service to restore native coastal prairie. Instead the area was dominated by nonnative plants which can be traced back to ranching.

3 Working with the public

The park claimed the public didn’t work with them to bring in troughs. Well, I guess that’s technically correct, but this is because the park was unwilling to bring in water under any conditions. Any and all proposals and even offers to provide volunteer labor were rejected. Next thing we knew, the park had brought in water (even while continuing to claim no water was needed).

4 Water access

Lastly, you just have to pretend every animal in the reserve (including but not limited to just the elk) marched like well-trained cattle to the new water troughs at the southern tip of the reserve.
This video shows the third of three troughs. It is the furthest north yet it's just south of Pierce Point Ranch.
Just providing a little perspective for those who are thinking everything is OK now.

#elk #elkwater #Tuleelk #FAQs #facts #pointreyes #water #watertroughs
#shameofpointreyes #skylerthomas #pointreyesnationalseashore #drought #wildlife