Human compost at Sumner Peck Ranch sparks fight between river agencies

Fresno County on March 4 issued a cease-and-desist letter to the San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust, saying the trust's use of human-derived compost at Sumner Peck Ranch violates state law. The county action came after a separate letter from the state agency San Joaquin River Conservancy that demanded the compost be removed and warned no compost should be applied without a management plan.

The conservancy's letter, written after its executive director saw compost on the property, demands that “the compost at the site be removed.” The letter states that “without having a management plan in place, no compost should be applied” and further asserts the trust “has not created a management plan and should not be using compost regardless of the type.”

The nonprofit trust that manages restoration at Sumner Peck Ranch defended accepting donated material as a cost-saving measure. Weaver, a representative of the San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust, said, “We often have to buy compost for our restoration projects, and in this case, they are giving us the compost, so we thought it was a win-win.” Weaver also said families visited the ranch late last year and were “so excited to know that the compost that was created from their loved one is being used to create something new.”

The dispute has drawn attention from elected officials with oversight roles. Garry Bredefeld, a Fresno County Supervisor who also sits on the conservancy board, said in an email that he was “shocked” to find out that human compost was being used at the ranch.

Key operational and legal details remain unresolved in the materials provided. The texts of the conservancy and county letters as described do not include a specific citation to the state law Fresno County asserts is being violated, and the documents do not specify who produced or donated the human-derived compost, how much was applied, where exactly on the Sumner Peck Ranch it was placed, or whether permits or an approved management plan were in place before application.

The dispute pits the state San Joaquin River Conservancy against the San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust over restoration practices on public lands along the San Joaquin River, and it has emotional resonance because families visited Sumner Peck Ranch late last year to see final resting places associated with the compost. For now, the conservancy has demanded removal and Fresno County has issued a cease-and-desist; the trust says it accepted donated compost to reduce restoration costs and that families welcomed the reuse of material from their loved ones.