Seven years ago, our family embarked on a new life in West Marin. It wasn’t easy to start over in a new place, but we felt at home quickly, both on the dairy where we settled and where my husband works and in the larger West Marin community. 

Our new community, and especially the other tenants on the dairy ranch, treated us like family. As we settled in, we found relief in knowing we had access to good medical care, essential for a family health situation that requires the right specialists. We have invested so much in this community, and the community has invested in us. But now we face the heartbreaking possibility of displacement.

The recent settlement to phase out most dairy and ranching operations in the Point Reyes National Seashore means that more than 100 of us—tenants and workers—are losing our jobs, our homes and our sense of belonging. 

National and regional news reports have focused on environmental benefits and the ranching families losing land and tradition. But missing from the conversation are our voices—the voices of the Latina and Latino farmworkers and tenants whose labor has sustained these ranches and this community for generations. We now face an uncertain future. This land is as much our home as anyone’s, yet we had no say in the closed-door negotiations that determined our fate.

In 2022, three environmental groups sued the National Park Service over ranch lease renewals, citing watershed contamination and threats to tule elk habitat. This January, a settlement was announced: A dozen ranches will shut down in exchange for a reported $30 million buyout brokered by the Nature Conservancy.

This deal blindsided us. The ranchers, environmental groups and National Park Service officials who negotiated the settlement shut out the very people most affected. Now we’re being told there will be some form of compensation, but what we are being offered will not ensure we can keep living here in West Marin.

The weight of this uncertainty is unbearable—especially for our children. They live in constant fear of displacement, worried about their parents losing their jobs, about leaving the only homes they’ve ever known, about being uprooted from their schools and friends. Moving them mid-year will not only disrupt their education but will also destabilize them at a time when they need consistency the most. 

How can we expect them to thrive when everything around them is falling apart?

No achievement or success is worthwhile if it comes at the cost of ignoring those most impacted. We cannot allow this injustice to go unchallenged.

We can’t undo the harm that has already been done. But we can demand a seat at the table moving forward.

We have formed an advocacy group, Familias Afectadas de Rancho, or FAR, to make sure our voices are heard. We are ready to work with county officials, nonprofits and local residents to find solutions that won’t displace us. 

Ranchers must take responsibility for ensuring fair compensation for every worker, recognizing the value of our hard work. They must be engaged in the transition planning process, so they understand the consequences of ignoring workers’ and tenants’ needs, including the psychological toll this upheaval has caused.

It is also essential to secure permanent, affordable housing and relocation assistance for all displaced workers and tenants, including our children, who are suffering daily alongside us. We deserve to stay in West Marin—it is our home.

There are days when I feel like I can’t go on, like I’m on the verge of collapse. But at the same time, I know there are so many brave and generous people in this community supporting us to find a solution. 

I am grateful to everyone around us for their understanding, their ideas and the stability they provide. Together, we can build a better future, full of hope and opportunities for all. 

Let us move forward with courage and love in our hearts, standing up for justice, dignity and the well-being of every individual in our community. Thank you for being part of our journey for justice in West Marin.

Rosa Rodriguez runs catering and cleaning services and teaches photography for the West Marin libraries. She lives on a ranch in the Point Reyes National Seashore and is a founding member of Familias Afectadas de Rancho.