Overstocking and a failure to maintain a healthy pasture led the National Park Service to end the grazing lease held by third-generation rancher Dan Genazzi, superintendent Craig Kenkel wrote in a letter last month.
Mr. Genazzi, whose grandfather immigrated from Switzerland to Tomales at the turn of the last century, leased around 300 acres just east of Point Reyes Station. The land is part of the northern district of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is managed by the Point Reyes National Seashore.
In annual letters extending his lease, superintendents said that Mr. Genazzi was nearly twice over his grazing limit of 60 animal units. He failed to maintain fences, and cattle escaped onto neighboring properties and into creek areas. His pasture was barren of plant material and suffering from an expansion of invasive weeds.
“We have directed you repeatedly to pursue specific actions to cure these concerns. Your failure to remedy these lease/permit violations has led to our determination to not renew your lease/permit,” Mr. Kenkel wrote.
Mr. Genazzi, who lives and grazes cows on the neighboring 60-acre private property, declined an interview this week. He said he and the park service mutually agreed to end the lease, and there were no violations. “That stuff was blown out of proportion,” he said.
Range managers had offered solutions to Mr. Genazzi, such as developing springs, establishing cross fencing, reducing the size of the herd and seeking technical guidance to better manage cattle distribution. They also advised him to seek funding from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to manage invasive weeds.
At first, these solutions were suggested as ways to correct violations, but in 2020 they became conditions of the lease. Mr. Genazzi repaired fences but overstocking continued. On March 8, he met with range program manager Julie Byerly and acknowledged that around 100 cows had access to the leased premises, according to park correspondence. He also made no plans for cross fencing or the development of springs.
The park conducts residual dry matter monitoring reports on ranches each year before the first rains to determine the health of the pasture. The reports measure the amount of plant material in the field; a minimum of 1,200 pounds per acre has been the target for Point Reyes ranches since monitoring began in 1987. This level helps to protect soil from erosion and nutrient loss and maximize forage production for the next year.
The Genazzi ranch’s residual dry matter numbers have been below standard since 2002 and are among the lowest of 43 transects sampled in the park. Last year, 87 percent of the pasture fell below 1,200 pounds per acre, and even that number was buoyed by a dense covering of distaff and purple star thistle, a monitoring report found.
The rare event of a rancher being kicked off parkland was first disclosed at an April hearing, when the California Coastal Commission was tasked with a consistency determination for the park’s general management plan amendment. Mr. Kenkel was asked about noncompliance and enforcement, and he mentioned that a rancher had been asked to remove his cattle so the land could rest and restore itself.
The park declined to name the rancher or release further details, so the Light obtained records under the Freedom of Information Act.
At the hearing, Mr. Kenkel said enforcement of lease terms would be more stringent moving forward, and that accountability was a top priority. The park is close to offering ranchers 20-year leases containing enforcement provisions that have rarely been implemented in the past.
“The park service is committed to changing the way we oversee ranching in the park. We have to demonstrate that we’re committed to using these tools as robustly as we can,” Mr. Kenkel said.
The park will monitor the former Genazzi lands for recovery and has not determined any future uses, outreach coordinator Melanie Gunn said. It could cite Mr. Genazzi for trespassing if cattle are present on the land after May 14.
Mr. Kenkel, who assumed his post at the park four months ago, declined an interview this week, saying he hasn’t met Mr. Genazzi or visited the property.
The ranch is part of the Olema Valley dairy ranches historic district, though the buildings are on Mr. Genazzi’s private property. His family has run cattle there since 1919, when his grandfather, Frederico Genazzi, bought the ranch and its dairy operation. The dairy closed in 1987, when Frederico’s son Harold accepted a federal buyout because there were too many producers.
The next year, the Genazzis sold the bulk of their grazing land to the park service. The sale came with a 25-year reservation of use and occupancy, during which the park was less engaged in day-to-day management because Mr. Genazzi had a retained property right. When the reservation expired in 2013, the park offered him a one-year lease and special use permit, and renewed it until this year.