The Marin Conservation League is or- ganizing a four-part series in Septem- ber and October to inform people about ranchlands in the Point Reyes National Seashore before the park’s ranch manage- ment plan is released. “The Marin Conser- vation League has always been interested, as an environmental organization, in the presence and continuation of agriculture in Marin because they can see the nexus between agriculture and open space and the environmental bene ts of having the ranching community continue,” said Sally Gale, a rancher and co-chair of the non- pro t’s agricultural land-use committee. “The [seashore’s] ranches are an important component of the survival of the [county’s] agricultural community.” She said the non- pro t hopes the workshops—for which the group assembled dozens of advisors, including ranchers, environmentalists and historians—will prepare people to com- ment on a draft of the ranch plan, when- ever it is released. That was supposed to be this fall, but now that process is the focus of a lawsuit that, if successful, could be delayed until the park updates its gen- eral management plan, which could take years. Two weeks ago, the plaintiffs—the Mill Valley-based Resource Renewal In- stitute, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Western Watersheds Project— led a request for a preliminary injunction to stop the progress of the ranch plan until the general plan is complete. (The judge has not yet ruled on the request.) Still, the workshops will proceed. The series will begin with a workshop called “How the Park Came to Be,” a history lesson on the formation of the seashore with a panel that includes author John Hart, Sonoma State University professor Laura Watt and Paul Sadin, who has written histories for the park service. Subsequent sessions will cover “a day in the life of a rancher” in the seashore, ecosystems in the pastoral zone and the next generation of ranchers and their ideas for the future. Some workshops, two of which are in Sausalito and two in Nicasio, will include breakout sessions to encourage dialogue among attendees, Ms. Gale said. Sessions are free, but reserva- tions are strongly encouraged. For infor- mation, visit marinconservationleague.org.