Point Reyes ranchers will surrender land in historic conservation deal

Doug Sovern is away today. After a legal battle that has spanned years, a deal has been struck this week between environmentalists and the National Park Services over the land management of Point Reyes National Seashore. Ranchers that have traditionally run beef and dairy operations at Point Reyes butted heads with environmental groups and visitors over conservation of the park land and how ranching impacts the native fauna and flora of Point Reyes. Now, under the deal, nearly all the local ranchers are retiring their leases on the land in exchange for payments that media outlets are reporting total about $30 million dollars. For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with Michael Bell, Associate Director of Land Protection with The Nature Conservancy, the group that brokered the landmark deal.