When two hikers complained to state park rangers recently about an area severely trampled by grazing cows, they drew on a strong current of suspicion that many people feel toward ranchers. And why not? Past ranching and range-management practices, even if undertaken with the latest research and the best intentions, have sometimes done significant damage across the American West, destroying stream banks and driving out native plants. But the hikers had it wrong this time. Meet Joe Morris, the owner of those cattle and others that roam on 7,500 acres that encompass two state parks and four ranches near San Juan Bautista. This fifth-generation rancher has the health of the land very much in mind.

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