Congressman “Huffman, Don’t Shoot, Don’t Pollute”

Dozens of Activists Rallied to Oppose Congressman Jared Huffman’s Support for National Park Service Plan to Kill Protected Tule Elk & Expand Public Lands Ranching in Point Reyes National Seashore. 

San Rafael, Calif. (Oct. 26, 2020) — In Defense of Animals, ForELK, The TreeSpirit Project, and Rancho Compasión rallied activists on Friday, October 23, below Congressman Jared Huffman’s Marin County office to denounce his support for the National Park Service’s (NPS) recently announced plan to kill rare Tule elk and expand public lands ranching and other for-profit businesses inside Point Reyes National Seashore.

“Tule elk were already almost completely wiped out once, and even though they’re supposedly protected, these elk are still in serious trouble because they’ve been trapped without access to adequate water for weeks — and now the NPS has put targets on their backs to appease public lands ranchers operating in this national park,” said Lisa Levinson, In Defense of Animals’ Wild Animals campaigner. “It’s incredibly disheartening to see Congressman Huffman supporting this plan. Now is not the time to be prioritizing cruel, polluting industries that threaten wildlife and wild spaces when we’re facing a very real climate crisis.”

Over 75 concerned and angered citizens took to the streets to get the word out about the Congressman’s support for this disastrous plan. Holding signs and chanting, “Huffman, Don’t Shoot, Don’t Pollute!” and “Don’t shoot the elk!” activists aged 5 to 75 encouraged many people driving by to honk in support of their passionate message, and environmental mission.

Animal lovers, elk protectors, and national park defenders added unique messages to the mix for a word-on-the-street demonstration. Photo: Jack Gescheidt, TreeSpirit Project, for In Defense of Animals

“Thank you so much to all those who organized and carried out the event last night in San Rafael. Your words were inspiring, and the street presence at the intersection, with signs, people waving — the woman with the bullhorn leading chants! — was so effective. It felt good to be among so many ‘elk-a-holics!’ Will keep spreading the word!” said Lisa Stanziano, who participated in the event.

Over 75 people aged 5 to 75 got into the spirit of getting the elk-are-in-danger word out in downtown San Rafael, in Marin County, CA.  Photo: Jack Gescheidt, TreeSpirit Project, for In Defense of Animals. 

After over an hour in the streets, the rally moved to the adjoining plaza, still below Congressman Huffman’s office for videos and speeches by: 

• Robert Johnston, professor of Land Use Planning at UC Davis who wryly detailed the upside-down economics of ranching and dairying in Point Reyes, which receives massive subsidies to prop it up while falsely claiming it is essential to the local economy; 

• Ken Bouley, Senior Director at Fair, Isaac Corporation, who conducted the Resource Renewal Institute’s analysis of 7,627 public comments on the General Management Plan submitted to the NPS. Ken reminded the crowd, in direct contradiction to Congressman’s Huffman continued assertions, that the general public overwhelmingly supports elk and wildlife at the Seashore. 91% of the survey’s respondents indicated a preference for elk, not for-profit ranches, which are plentiful in surrounding counties.

•  Matthew Polvorosa-Kline, the photographer who has taken on the brutal, heart-wrenching task of documenting all the Tule elk in the Tule Elk Preserve at Tomales Point who have been dying of thirst. Polovorasa-Kline has photographed over 15 elk who met this tragic end because they are prevented from reaching adequate water or forage by a now-infamous, miles-long, 8-foot-tall fence.  

• Jack Gescheidt environmental activist of The TreeSpirit Project, who is also working with In Defense of Animals, rallied the assembled into a call-and-response:

Congress-MAN Huff-MAN!...                         Crowd: “Don’t Shoot, Don’t Pollute!”

Rancher-man!...                                             Crowd: “Don’t Shoot, Don’t Pollute!”

Dairy-man!...                                                  Crowd: “Don’t Shoot, Don’t Pollute!”

National Park Service Ranger-man!...            Crowd: “Don’t Shoot, Don’t Pollute!”

Congressman Huff-man, C’MON, Man!         Crowd: “Don’t Shoot, Don’t Pollute!”

On September 18, 2020, the NPS released its Final Environmental Impact Statement, recommending the most pro-industry “Alternative B,” which not only allows the shooting of the Tule elk, who are endemic to California, but also extends the private leases of ranchers (who sold the land to the federal government decades ago) from 5 years to 20 years. It will also permit them to produce row crops, and even develop the land to establish private, for-profit roadside businesses and overnight accommodations. 

Over 26,000 acres of this unique national park unit’s 71,000 acres, just 20 miles north of San Francisco, are currently devoted to these private meat and dairy operations — which are also the park’s greatest source of land, air, water and Pacific Ocean pollution.

Congressman Jared Huffman supports extending public lands ranching, like this dairy, currently operating inside Point Reyes National Seashore at the expense of native Tule elk and other wildlife. Photo: Jack Gescheidt, TreeSpirit Project

If Alternative B is finalized, ranchers would also be allowed to kill and “process” farmed animals on site, and add more animals to the Seashore including goats, sheep and chickens. Even with a cap on herd sizes, this plan will have disastrous consequences, exacerbating conflicts between ranchers and Tule elk and other wild animals.

Congressman Huffman, who is a member of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and Chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, approves of all of this inside this national park — despite the potentially disastrous consequences and growing public opposition.

Alternative B is the exact opposite of the public’s overwhelming preference; 91% of 7,627 public comments submitted to the NPS supported protecting native Tule elk and phasing out these ranches.

“NPS has gone rogue, officially advocating shooting the wildlife it is chartered to protect. Tule elk are right now dying of thirst. Now, the plan is to shoot more elk, to benefit private businesses. All this our otherwise environmentalist Congressman supports, countering his own promises to do everything in his power to mitigate the climate crisis,” said Jack Gescheidt of the TreeSpirit Project.

Thousands of American citizens are aligning with the dozens of local organizations, including In Defense of Animals, ForELK, The TreeSpirit Project, Rancho Compasión, Save Point Reyes National Seashore, Resource Renewal Institute, The Center for Biological Diversity, and Western Watersheds Project, all of which support Alternative F. 

Alternative F would phase out private ranches over the next five years, allowing thousands more acres for Tule elk to roam freely and increase this rare animal’s herds. It would also improve opportunities for park visitors to see and enjoy them, which is a major reason national parks were created.

Unfortunately, Congressman Huffman has shown unflagging support, not for the Seashore’s wildlife and wild habitat, but for the profits of ranches and dairies receiving more public subsidies as their products lose market share in a market increasingly rejecting cruel — and climate-heating — animal products.

Members of the public are being encouraged to speak out against this plan before it’s finalized at: www.idausa.org/elk

RESOURCES:

IMAGES: San Rafael Rally: http://bit.ly/ElkRally

IMAGES: Free The Elk demonstration: http://bit.ly/elkfence

IMAGES: Tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore: http://bit.ly/ElkPic

FILM: “Hypocrisy At Home: Jared Huffman’s Betrayal of Point Reyes National Seashore”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXcEMlb6-ik&feature=youtu.be

FILM: "The Shame of Point Reyes," by Skyler Thomas: https://youtu.be/z9OEQOy3v0E

FILM: “Killing of a Native Species”: https://restoreptreyesseashore.org/elkfilm

Current conditions for Tule elk: http://bit.ly/ElkConditions

TAKE ACTION to save the Tule elk: http://www.idausa.org/elk

CONTACTS:

In Defense of Animals, Lisa Levinson, lisa@idausa.org, 215-620-2130
ForELK, Diana Oppenheim, action@forelk.org, 248-840-5684  
Rancho Compasión, Dawn Rogers, dawn@ranchocompasion.org, 510-990-6443
The TreeSpirit Project and In Defense of Animals, Jack Gescheidt, jack@TreeSpiritProject.com, 415-488-4200
 

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization based in Marin with over 250,000 supporters and a 37-year history of protecting animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats through education, campaigns, and hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org

ForELK is a grassroots organization of people who fight for the protection of the Tule elk and their habitat within Point Reyes National Seashore. They work toward public engagement through education, direct outreach, network building, political demonstrations, and protests. www.forelk.org

Rancho Compasión is a non-profit sanctuary founded in West Marin in 2015 that provides a safe haven to over 70 rescued farmed animals. Its mission is to provide shelter and care for rescued farm animals for their entire natural lifespans, and to educate visitors and students to help them rethink how they view animals typically categorized as “food.” www.ranchocompasion.org

The TreeSpirit Project raises awareness of the critical role of trees, forests, and the natural world in our lives, both globally and also personally.  “TreeSpirit” uses Art photography, Advocacy and Activism involving thousands of participants to dramatize and highlight the connection between what’s all around us, and what’s inside us. https://TreeSpiritProject.com

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