To the editor: As a native of Angeleno, I have explored almost the 58 counties in California and that includes many visits to Marin's Point Reyes National Seashore (“The Precious Lales of California to close. Point Reyes, the locals say that their conservation went crazy”, March 21). I have walked from Pierce's historic ranch to where Tomales' bay meets the Pacific. I have loved to see cows grazing in green fields with clover. I have enjoyed the dairy products of these cows kings of knit; Its ice cream and flavor quality surpasses anyone who has tried, anywhere!
The expulsion of these picturesque dairy farms that date back to 175 years, long before the reintroduction of Tule Elk in the 1970s, is serious. The deceptive arguments on the environmental impact, including “unpleasant odors' of cows and their manure”, are branched.
The trip from the Point Reyes station to the Peninsula is an impressive visual fantasy similar to leaving the Wawona tunnel in the butterfly county and entering the point of inspiration in Yosemite. Dairy cows and farms are an integral part of this dream. Do not destroy it.
Paul Milberg, Oak Park
..
To the editor: In this article, words such as “historical dairy” and “inherited families” are used. Also “more than a century” and “more than 150 years.” Nothing is said about the legacy or history of the people who inhabited this land for thousands of years, people like the Miwok coast and other groups of American natives. Consider this prayer: “A complete community, many of them low income and Latinos, are ready to lose their work and homes at once.”
Consider for a moment the “fallen swouts” that happened to the indigenous people of California, first at the hands of the Spanish missionaries who essentially recruited the native peoples as slaves and tried to demolish their “pagan” culture, and then at the hands of the troops and militias of the federal and state government that were proposed on the extermination of the indigenous inhabitants.
How can there be any discussion about how this land is used that does not focus on the original inhabitants of the Earth?
Catherine Crook, Camarillo
..
To the editor: While the Times applaud for the coverage of the environmental challenges of dairy agriculture intensive at the points of the points, there is an obvious omission in the article. There is little mention of real cows, except for a fairy tale reference to “quiet herds from devans, guernsys and jerseys, happily eating the pastures that flow …”
That is the only happy part of their lives. A cow must be pregnant so that humans take their milk that occurs to grow a baby cow. The females are artificially inseminated. It is not pleasant for them. Point Reyes Dairies has done a brilliant job painting a sweet image of its generational farms. The data does not lie about the fecal runoff, not to mention the damage that a flock makes to the earth. While I sympathize with workers, it is time to say goodbye to a cruel and destructive tradition.
Tracy Keys, Laguna Beach
..
To the editor: We recently visited Point Reyes National Seashore. The dairy products are tizetas in ruins, ugly and outdated in beautiful views. The tons of resulting cow manure contaminate the earth and the surrounding waters. Endangered elks are written in a small area. All this is absolutely the opposite of the mission of the United States parks to protect land and wildlife.
Local residents with interests in the dairy industry clearly have strong voices. If you can do something else to placate them, the better. But the degradation of the experiences of the park of hundreds of thousands of visitors, and the survival of wildlife in danger of extinction, must surely guide the parks service. The legally binding agreement must be implemented immediately.
Noel Park, Rancho Palos Verdes
..
