Point Reyes Settlement Legal Attacks

January 23, 2026 — Following a hearing at which Advocates for the West Staff Attorney Lizzy Potter and attorneys representing federal defendants and The Nature Conservancy argued for dismissal, a federal judge dismissed a complaint filed by filed by Marin attorney Andrew Giacomini. The lawsuit erroneously alleged that the Park Service conspired with The Nature Conservancy to pay off Point Reyes ranchers, challenging our settlement that ended most cattle ranching in Point Reyes National Seashore.

May 16, 2025 — Advocates for the West filed a motion to intervene and supporting declarations in a case brought by members of the Niman family and others against the National Park Service challenging the agency’s 2025 Revised Record of Decision (ROD) for the general management plan amendment at northern California’s Point Reyes National Seashore. The revised ROD responded to the voluntary decisions of ranchers to close their operations by rezoning former ranchland in accordance with our January 2025 landmark settlement agreement.

The agreement settles a decades-long land-use conflict at the only National Seashore on the West Coast. Owners of all dairies and nearly all cattle ranches at Point Reyes voluntarily agreed to end their operations and transition off the National Seashore in exchange for payment from The Nature Conservancy.

In the Niman lawsuit, plaintiffs falsely state that the Park Service failed to study an alternative that would lease lands “to others” after a ranch closure. Yet in the agency’s 2020 environmental review, the Park Service actually studied three alternatives that prioritized leasing to other ranches like the Nimans in the event of a ranch closure. As part of that public process, comments revealed that over 90% of the interested public supported ending private ranching on the public lands at the National Seashore.

In a separate case filed by Marin attorney Andrew Giacomini erroneously alleging that the Park Service conspired with The Nature Conservancy to pay off Point Reyes ranchers, Advocates for the West filed a motion to intervene along with supporting declarations on May 2, 2025.

We are seeking to intervene in both cases to defend our settlement and the Park Service general management plan amendment, which prioritizes ecological protection, wildlife conservation, and unique recreation opportunities.