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
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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
Part 1 is now on Youtube. Learn more on the Mendoza page.
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 âpondâ 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 âYouTube or Instagram available
#water #drought #thirst #dyingofthirst #starving #starvingelk #suffering #elk #tuleelk #pointreyes #pointreyesnationalseashore #california #californiawildlife #marincounty #bayarea #sf #animalrights #animallovers #elk #dairy #wildfires #mercyforanimals #peta #nationalpark #nationalseashore #suffering #wildlife
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.
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
Now let's look at North Pond 2
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?
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.
“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
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.
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.”
"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
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.
#nationalparks #tulelek #starvation #dehydration #poison #disease #elkreserve #pointreyes #pointreyesnationalseashore #deathbydesign #animalabuse #intentionaldeath #pacificsun #inverness #melaniegunn #davepress #craigkenkel
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 I was asked by people in the crowd for a copy of my speech so I uploaded it here. Phots by Derek Clary It’s hard to believe it was the summer of 2018 that I began documenting issues in Point Reyes National Seashore…four summers ago.
And it’s hard to believe that those four years have been filled with the discovery of even more shocking and disturbing information. And I’ve got to say that I am tired... I’m tired of not even wanting to enter what was once a favorite place to visit because my awakened eyes tell me a depressing story, not an inspiring one. I know too well the extent of suffering taking place. I’m tired of Park Service staff that sound more like the politicians and lobbyists hired to amend the park’s legislation rather than sounding like wildlife ecologists. I’m tired of looking out over the pastoral wasteland where once an incredibly biodiverse habitat stood while hearing from the Marin conservation league that it is a marriage of wildlife and agriculture. Yes, a marriage where one spouse is bulldozed and shot by the other spouse. I’m tired of hearing the story of small struggling ranch families when in reality over 80% of the ranches on the Point Reyes National Seashore are leased to FOUR families, whose collective land holdings in Marin County total over 24,000 ACRES. I’m tired of hearing about multi generational families and how important the land is to these so-called stewards while we simultaneously ignore 10,000 years of a culture whose people actually did live with the land for millennia rather than bringing it to its knees in only a couple hundred years. I’m tired of ‘historical’ meaning a stubborn dedication to a hand-selected, relatively brief, and very destructive period in history. We stay cemented in a past that dooms us rather than evolving, adjusting and doing what is best for the future. I’m tired of hearing about the economic importance of the ranches even as more state and federal funds are shelled out just to keep the dying industries alive. In the meantime, the preserved portions of the park, the intrinsic value of nature, which costs us nothing, brings in economic spending that dwarfs that of the ranches. I’m tired of the self-declared most intelligent species on the planet declaring that another mammal species does not need his or her mother after birth for no reason other than economics; an industry that can only exist by stealing pregnancy lactations from a childless mother. I’m tired of seeing “conserve water” signs in communities that are blindly dedicated to what is about the most intensely water demanding industry you could think of. Take down your signs, Inverness and Point Reyes Station. I’m tired of the word sustainable being used to describe something shockingly unsustainable. And I’m tired of locals being intimidated into silence. It is time to rise up. Because the California Coastal Commission isn’t going to do the right thing. The Marin County Board of Supervisors won’t do the right thing. The Marin Conservation League and other so-called conservation groups (consisting of and influenced by ranchers) are not going to do the right thing. Politicians will not do the right thing and a Park Service that ignores its own environmental impact studies, will not do the right thing. Until we stop letting them off the hook.
So...about that water source map...and about those updates....
1. I first saw the water source map in September of 2020. Even then it wasn't accurate, being as how most of the blue dots and lines indicating water would have more appropriately been colored brown to represent the dirt and mud that was actually there. 2. This map was supposedly updated after park staff closely monitored the water situation in October of 2020. That update turned out to be a lie. â 3. Recently the park service updated their website stating "As of March 30, 2021: Park staff mapped water sources and monitored water conditions at Tomales Point on a regular basis during drought conditions this last year, confirming adequate water supplies were available to the elk in the many creeks, seeps, and springs distributed throughout the reserve." They once again provided the same map they provided in September of 2020 to go along with their update. No matter how you feel about the elk or ranching, shouldn't the park service be held accountable for misleading the public...repeatedly? Go to change.org/pointreyes if you thinks so. #watermap #pointreyes #elkwater #tuleelk #pointreyesnationalseashore #drought #lies #deception #melaniegunn #davepress #craigkenkel #elk #tomalespoint #elkfence #elkreserve #ranching #dairy |
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