Working to Keeping Ranchers, Ranching!

The annual Summit brings together partners representing the ranching industry, environmental interest groups, rangeland researchers, elected officials and their staff, along with staff of local, state and federal natural resource agencies. The event features collaborative rangeland conservation in California, partnership models from around the country, the latest research on the environmental benefits of grazing and more. Participants will see why diverse interests have agreed on the importance of working rangelands and the need to preserve this way of life for the benefit of future generations of all Californians.

8:30 am         Registration

9:00 am         Welcome & Ranching Video

9:15 am         Value in Collaboration

9:30 am         When an Environmentalist Marries a Rancher

Julie Sullivan, San Juan Ranch, Saguache, Colo.

10:15 am       Rangeland Coalition Impacts Interagency Coordination 

Carrie Thompson, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Teri Stewart, California Department of Fish and Game

Luana Kiger, Natural Resources Conservation Service

11:00 am       Conservation on the Ground
                      Bill Lyons, Mapes Ranch

11:30 am       Lunch (included with registration)

12:30 pm       BREAKOUT I-A

California’s Rangelands: A Critical Winter Resource for North American Raptors - Ed Pandolfino, Ph.D., Sierra Foothills Audubon Society and Western Field Ornithologists

Effects of 10 Years of Grazing Removal on Vernal Pool Diversity and Function - Jaymee Marty, Ph.D., The Nature Conservancy

BREAKOUT I-B

Livestock Grazing’s Role in Water Quantity and Quality - Ken Tate, Ph.D., UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences and Lewis Reed, UC Santa Cruz Graduate Student

1:45 pm          Break with cookies & lemonade

2:00 pm          BREAKOUT II-A

Managing Endangered Species Habitat with Livestock Grazing in Western Kern County - Larry Saslaw, Bureau of Land Management

Improving Butterfly Habitat With Managed Grazing on the Antioch Dunes - Stephanie Larson, Ph.D., UC Cooperative Extension

BREAKOUT II-B

Cowboys to the Rescue: Can Water Management Services on Ranchlands Help Save the Everglades? - Sarah Lynch, Ph.D., World Wildlife Fund

Payments for Ecosystem Services on California Ranchlands: Preliminary Results and Policy Implications - Frank Casey, Ph.D., U.S. Geological Survey

3:30 pm           Closing Remarks

California's Rangelands: A Critical Winter Resource for North American Raptors : A 3-year study demonstrates the importance of rangelands for raptor species of the highest conservation concern. Ed Pandolfino, Ph.D., Sierra Foothills Audubon Society and Western Field Ornithologists

Managing Endangered Species Habitat with Livestock Grazing in Western Kern County: A decade of data on livestock grazing interaction with species at risk of extinction in the San Joaquin Valley. Larry Saslaw, Ph.D., Bureau of Land Management

Effects of 10 Years of Grazing Removal on Vernal Pool Diversity and Function:  An update on the on-going study of grazing impacts on vernal pool biodiversity and function.  The initial results of this study, based on three years of treatment, have been widely reported.  These results showed that the removal of cattle grazing from vernal pools had negative impacts on the function and biodiversity of the pools.  In this presentation, attendees will receive an update on how the past 10 years of grazing removal has affected vernal pool vegetation and hydrology. Jaymee Marty, ecologist with The Nature Conservancy.

Ecosystem Service Payments and Markets for California Private Rangelands: Results from a survey designed to determine the feasibility of applying ecosystem service markets to benefit California ranchers and the importance of grazing to maintaining the quality of these rangelands. Frank Casey, Ph.D., Economist; U.S. Geological Survey.

Ecology of Water Quality and Rangeland Management: A comprehensive literature review on livestock interactions with water quality by Lewis Reed, UC Santa Cruz graduate student

Grazing Management for Water Resource Ecosystem Services: An overview of new scientific studies underway on how to improve water quality in conjunction with livestock management. Ken Tate, Ph.D., UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences and .

Land Management: 

Improving Butterfly Habitat With Managed Grazing: The story of cattle grazing's reintroduction to the Antioch Dunes. Stephanie Larson, Ph.D., UC California Cooperative Extension.

Preserving Open Spaces and Ranching: Two generations of ranchers on one piece of land share their conservation practices, stewardship ethic and vision for the future of California agriculture.

Cowboys to the Rescue: Can Water Management Services on Ranchlands Help Save the Everglades? Ranchers are getting compensated to increase on-ranch water management in south Florida. Sarah Lynch, World Wildlife Fund.