House Republican lawmakers have launched a federal investigation into the settlement that ended most ranching in the Point Reyes National Seashore, citing concerns about the agreement’s shrouded nature, including the possibility of self-dealing and hidden conflicts of interest. 

Spurred by lobbying from a West Marin farming coalition, the House Committee on Natural Resources initiated the probe last week with letters to the Nature Conservancy and the environmental groups that announced the settlement with the…