Protect the Land.
Protect the People Who Work It.
Two companion bills to defend family ranchers, bring displaced families home, restore active land stewardship, and treat food production as the national security issue it truly is.
Humans Are Part of Nature —
Not Separate from It
For thousands of years, people have taken care of the land, and the land has taken care of people. Indigenous peoples managed forests with fire. Ranching families kept grasslands healthy with their cattle. Timber workers thinned forests so they didn't burn down.
Then something changed. Government agencies started removing people from the land — canceling grazing permits, shutting down ranches, locking up forests. They called it "preservation." But without active stewardship, the land suffered: $3 billion a year in wildfire suppression costs, invasive species taking over, and ecosystems falling apart.
These two bills say: enough. Humans aren't the enemy of nature. When we manage the land responsibly, we're a keystone species — essential to keeping ecosystems healthy.
What Happened at Point Reyes
A cautionary tale of what happens when bureaucrats bypass Congress
Ranching Begins
Families begin stewarding Point Reyes. Over the next 190 years, the Kehoe family (103 years), Mendoza family (since 1919), and Spaletta family (since the 1870s) build multi-generational ranching operations.
The Promise
President Kennedy signs the Point Reyes Act. Ranchers sell their land to the government in exchange for long-term lease-back agreements. Congress designates ~26,000 acres as a Pastoral Zone where ranching and nature coexist.
The Reaffirmation
The General Management Plan promises 20-year leases and calls Point Reyes "a model where wilderness and ranching can coexist side by side."
The Betrayal
Without Congressional authorization or public hearings, NPS enters a secret settlement. The Nature Conservancy pays ~$30 million to remove 12 ranching families. Families are forced to sign NDAs with non-disparagement clauses, silencing their democratic participation. Congress never approved any of it.
The Fix
These bills void the illegal settlements, establish a Right of Return, make NDAs unenforceable, create a Cultural Heritage Restitution Fund, and ensure Congress — not agencies — controls these decisions. Families can come home.
“I'm an Environmental Realist, not an Environmental Recreationist. Humanity's relationship with the land is a stewardship relationship. We take care of the land, and the land takes care of us.”— Gregory Burgess, Candidate for CA-2
What These Bills Actually Do
Two companion bills, working together. One focuses on human rights and land justice (FLSHA). The other on regenerative agriculture and economic support (FLSARA). Together, they're a complete plan.
Right of Return for Displaced Families
Any family kicked off federal land in the last 10 years by policy changes or settlements they didn't agree to can petition to come back. New 20-year leases, renewable automatically. Transferable to heirs. Rent based on what the land actually produces.
Void the Illegal Settlements
Any deal made after 2020 that removed ranchers without Congress saying so is void — as if it never happened. NDAs and gag orders become unenforceable. Families don't have to return buyout money. The government must offer to restore their leases within 180 days.
Cultural Heritage Restitution Fund
$100 million to compensate displaced families. Payments based on fair market value of their business (up to $3M) plus $25,000 per decade the family stewarded the land — honoring their ancestry and sacrifice.
Timber for Shelter
Increase sustainable timber harvest 50% over 10 years on National Forests — while protecting old-growth and wilderness. Revenue split: 25% to counties, 25% to the Heritage Fund, 50% to Treasury. Timber is the most renewable building material we have.
Federal Land Steward Program
Ranchers who commit to regenerative practices earn a "Federal Land Steward" designation. Benefits: presumptive permit renewal (no competing bids), 25% fee reduction, and Endangered Species Act Safe Harbor protections. Rewards good stewardship.
5-Tier Labor Subsidy System
The more you invest in people and the land, the more support you get — from $50/acre for basic practices up to $400/acre + 40% wage subsidy for operations using Traditional Ecological Knowledge and intensive human labor. Rewards people over machines.
Fire & Soil Standards
Keep fine fuel loads at ≤2 tons/acre to prevent catastrophic wildfires. Maintain soil organic matter at ≥3% for carbon storage and water filtration. Riparian buffers of 35 feet on perennial streams. Science-based, not bureaucracy-based.
Agricultural Water Security
Water efficiency grants and climate adaptation funding. During droughts, Tier 4 & 5 stewards get priority water — at least 75% of their baseline allocation. Because you can't grow food without water.
Tribal Co-Management & Cultural Burning
Government-to-government partnership with Tribal nations. Co-management agreements for federal lands. Cultural burning authorized as a sovereign right — the way Indigenous peoples have managed land for thousands of years. $75M/year for Tribal programs.
Clean Up Methane & Manure
Phase out open waste lagoons by 2035. 90% cost-share for thermophilic digesters that turn manure into biogas energy. Reduce agricultural methane while creating renewable energy and jobs.
Families First, Not Corporations
Both bills require that multi-generational family operations get priority over corporate consolidation, absentee owners, and institutional land-grabbers for federal permits. Heritage families built these communities — they deserve to stay.
Congress Decides — Not Agencies
Both bills invoke the Major Questions Doctrine: government agencies can't make huge policy changes without Congress specifically authorizing them. No more secret settlements. No more backdoor land grabs. Democracy means elected officials make the big decisions.
Stop Carbon Leakage
When we shut down American farms and import food from countries with no environmental rules, we don't save the planet — we just export the pollution. This bill requires Carbon Leakage Analysis before any policy that reduces domestic food production.
Cut the Red Tape
For every new regulation on ranchers, two must be removed. Reduce reporting to once per year for small operations. Eliminate duplicative inspections. Stewardship plans get categorical exclusions from NEPA so good practices aren't buried in paperwork.
The 5-Tier Labor Subsidy Ladder
The more you invest in people and the land, the more support you earn. Every tier is voluntary — you choose your level.
Paid For. No New Debt.
Both bills combined: fiscally responsible, deficit-neutral, with automatic spending cuts if costs exceed revenue.
FLSARA — 10 Years
$1.4B/year for Tier subsidies, digesters, water grants, Tribal programs, and administration
FLSHA — Annual Cap
Hard annual spending cap. Includes $75M for Point Reyes restitution over 5 years (separate)
Fully Compliant
Both bills comply with Pay-As-You-Go rules. Revenue from timber sales, fee recovery, and dedicated funds
Sunset Built In
Automatic expiration with GAO evaluation. If it doesn't work, it ends. No permanent bureaucracy.
“The displacement was not the result of neutral market forces but of targeted regulatory duress. These bills are remedial — intended to reverse a specific administrative error, restore the status quo ante, and provide Cultural Heritage Restitution.”— From the FLSHA Congressional Findings
Ready to ROAR?
R.O.A.R.S. — Restore Our American Rural Sovereignty.
Read both bills. Sign the Point Reyes petition. Help bring these families home.
Gregory Burgess • No Party Preference • CA-2
Third-Generation Californian • Point Reyes & Marin County
MPH, University of Minnesota • CDC Quarantine Officer • Special Ed Teacher
Clinical Engineer (Stryker) • US Postal Carrier • 30 Years Public Service
“I Want Your Vote, Not Your Money” • Campaign Budget: $35,000