Cattle grazing and misplaced priorities (v2.0)
-- A Site for Science --
I am very fond of this site. The previous land owners were interested
in logging the surrounding areas. While I would have preferred they not log
the site at all,
I helped advise them on a logging compromise which did not damage
the delicate Cobra Lily area. I could not have saved the site alone, and
was thrilled when I discovered the interest of some local nonprofit
land conservation organizations. We worked together, with the owners.
After the area was logged, ownership passed to new buyers. Meanwhile,
a management plan for the site was developed, and
a "conservation easement" was obtained from the new buyers.
This easement is a legal procedure which helps protect the site from
further damage---even though the new owners still own the site, they
are limited in the rights they have around the seep. The new owners were
perfectly happy with the easement (it gives them some tax relief).
The moral of this site is that a sensitive area has been saved through
a judicious set of compromises and cooperations: modified logging
practices, selling conservation easements, restricted access to the
site---all these steps have helped preserve the site. I am honored to
be one of the few scientists who are granted access to this
privately owned area, and participate in policing it for trespassers!
