The Paradox of Preservation: Wilderness and Working Landscapes at Point Reyes National Seashore

by Laura Alice Watt

Point Reyes National Seashore has a long history as a working landscape, with dairy and beef ranching, fishing, and oyster farming; yet, since 1962 it has also been managed as a National Seashore. The Paradox of Preservation chronicles how national ideals about what a park “ought to be” have developed over time and what happens when these ideals are implemented by the National Park Service (NPS) in its efforts to preserve places that are also lived-in landscapes. Using the conflict surrounding the closure of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company, Laura Alice Watt examines how NPS management policies and processes for land use and protection do not always reflect the needs and values of local residents. Instead, the resulting landscapes produced by the NPS represent a series of compromises between use and protection—and between the area’s historic pastoral character and a newer vision of wilderness. A fascinating and deeply researched book, The Paradox of Preservation will appeal to those studying environmental history, conservation, public lands, and cultural landscape management, and to those looking to learn more about the history of this dynamic California coastal region.

Genres: History

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 22, 2016

Reviews

[Laura Watt · Rating 5 out of 5]

it seems wrong to review my own book... but I want to address the issue of what this book is really about. The question it asks is, what happens to a working agricultural landscape once the idea of preservation is applied to it? This is NOT the same as asking whether agricultural use is "good" or "bad" for the environment -- the focus is on where our ideas about what parks "should" be or include come from, and how preserving anything, in an effort to keep it stable and constant over time, paradoxically changes it.

I have seen some suggestions, both here and elsewhere, that because the book does not include an analysis of the global cattle industry, or even of the environmental pros and cons (or the economic pros and cons, for that matter) of maintaining ranching at Point Reyes, that I am somehow biased as a scholar. I would like to counter that a) none of these types of analysis are within my particular realm of expertise, and b) these issues aren't central to the questions that I attempted to answer in this book. If not answering all possible questions about a place constitutes bias, then I do not see how ANY scholarly work could be unbiased?

Ultimately, if you are looking for a book that will answer your questions about the environmental impacts of ranching, this book is not for you -- that's not the question it's trying to address. If you are interested in parks management and preservation, and/or are interested in the history of landscape change at Point Reyes, and/or are interested in exploring ways to maintain both natural and cultural values in a protected area, then I hope you will check it out.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical and current info; helpful for my master's capstone project. But, I think it is a bit biased toward the Lunnys and the ranchers in general. The author does not mention environmental impacts of cattle ranching and only considers the impacts of oyster farm operations on harbor seals, without addressing impacts on aquatic organisms. The author provides a valuable point of view and a compelling vision for the future of Point Reyes, but undermines her credibility by neglecting to examine the environmental impacts of ranching and explore ways they could be mitigated.

[Mills College Library]

979.462 W345 2017