Point Reyes elk advocates claim censorship by park service

Some environmental groups that oppose the Point Reyes National Seashore’s proposal to cull some tule elk claim the National Park Service is censoring their comments by not accepting them. Park staffers and another environmental group say the comment rules were made explicitly clear from the beginning and that the group did not follow them. The disagreement comes as the park service ended the public comment period on Monday for its proposal on how to manage the wild tule elk herds and the historic ranches within its borders and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The park service is proposing to cull some elk from one of the three herds to reduce ongoing conflicts with the ranches. Ranch leases would also increase from five- to 20-year terms under the proposal, among other changes. The organization, forELK, says the National Park Service would not accept nearly 700 comments it says it collected because the park does not accept comments submitted on behalf of others...MORE

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