Editorial: Questions about secret Point Reyes ranch deal linger

It is no surprise that the 12 ranching families who took buyouts to leave their long-held ranches in the Point Reyes National Seashore don’t want to scuttle those sales.

The families that accepted the offer from the Nature Conservancy envisioned their historic ranches under the duress of the economic difficulties facing dairy and cattle ranching; the promise of continual political pressure by environmental activists to leave the park; and having a less-than-supportive relationship with their landlord, the National Park Service.