Point Reyes Light - August 31, 2000
Supes hope to gauge equestrian's value to Marin economy
In a time when many West Marin equestrians and stable operators have seen their activities pinched by public land acquisitions and environmental regulations, the county has stepped in to figure out the economic and agricultural value of equestrian activities in Marin.
With the support of Supervisor Steve Kinsey, Supervisor Hal Brown earlier this month announced that the county is sponsoring a new $10,000 study to determine what equestrian activities contribute to the local economy, as well as how significant horses and stables are to the agricultural integrity of Marin's rural areas.
Conducted by Sonoma State University, the study will mine the answers from some 1500 questionnaires sent out in recent weeks to equestrians and commercial establishments that provide services to the equestrian community, such as feed retailers, stable owners, and veterinarians.
"These surveys are the first step in a study of the economic value of equestrian activities in Marin County and the relationship between [these] activities and traditional agricultural operations," Brown said. "The results will be valuable to the county."
$185 million per year Some estimates have suggested that equestrian activities contribute some $185 million annually to the Marin economy, but still some horse enthusiasts feel that their contributions are over-regulated and under-appreciated. California does not officially recognize equestrian activities as part of the agricultural industry, something that many equestrians and ranchers disagree over.
In addition, many West Marin residents and equestrians from other parts of the county have been embroiled in battles to keep open three stables within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
In the mid-1990s, after water-quality tests at the Golden Gate Dairy stables in Muir Beach, the Miwok Livery stables in Tennessee Valley, and the Presidio Riding Club in Rodeo Valley showed that pollution there exceeded government standards, the GGNRA declined to offer the stables new long-term operating permits after the existing permits for all three expired from 1995 to 1998.
In May of 1998, Connie Berto, an advisory board member of the Marin Horse Council, helped organize the group's Equestrian Protection Committee, which successfully worked with the GGNRA to reduce the pollution. While all three stables were issued one-year special-use permits between February and May of this year, Berto remains skeptical of the GGNRA's intentions.
Equestrians 'frustrated' After the GGNRA announced a plan to convert a roadside portion of the Rodeo Valley stables to riparian habitat, Berto said she remains worried for the future of the coastal stables. "We are extremely frustrated," she said this week. "We feel betrayed. They are slowly choking out the horses."
Roger Scott, a spokesman for the GGNRA, said this week the Park Service has no intention of shutting any of the West Marin stables. "We intend to keep the status quo of all these groups until we get a long-term planning effort to see how these groups operate within the park," Scott said. "We are not going to throw anybody out. We want to keep them under permit and keep them on board."
Some residents of West Marin and beyond have also expressed concern over the Park Service's eviction of the tenant at Rancho Baulines, the horse property at the north end of Bolinas Lagoon formerly known as the Wilkins Ranch.
Rancho Baulines Longtime tenant Mary Tiscornia has maintained the historic buildings and kept horses for herself and others on the 1400-acre ranch under various leases from the Park Service since it was purchased in 1973. Only after much wrangling was Tiscornia even offered her current short-term lease, which expires on June 1, 2001.
Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent Don Neubacher has maintained that the General Management Plan for the park requires that Rancho Baulines be a public facility with some educational purpose. Neubacher reiterated this week that the Park Service intends to maintain the agricultural heritage of the Wilkins Ranch while carrying out its public mandate.
"We are committed in the long-term to preserving the site," Neubacher said. "We have already taken over responsibility for the maintenance of the buildings. We will probably spend about $40,000 this year on painting and restoration work, and expect to spend about $40,000 next year to replace the septic and water system. When we get a new tenant in there, they may take on some of the maintenance."
Public meeting Neubacher said the public will have several opportunities to comment on a future tenant for the ranch, starting with a public meeting of the park's citizen advisors in October. While the Point Reyes Bird Observatory has been considered as a possible tenant, Neubacher noted that no decision has been made regarding any future leases of the house, stables, or the remainder of the property - much of which is well-suited to equestrian or hiking trails.
As the Marin Community Development Agency continues to update the Countywide Plan - a document which outlines land uses across the county's unincorporated and agricultural areas - and the Park Service prepares to approve a new General Management Plan for the Point Reyes National Seashore, Supervisor Brown said he believes the study of equestrian activities will provide county and park administrators with critical information.
"The data collected will be important in the equestrian community's efforts to ensure that these park lands remain accessible to equestrians," Brown said.