2017
September 20, 2017
Colleagues and Clients:
I think you will be interested in the following news related to rangeland conservation and grazing management.
1. Central Coast Rangeland Coalition Fall Meeting, Ranching in Carnivore Country, October 19, 2017
The Central Coast Rangeland Coalition (CCRC) will hold its fall meeting October 19, 2017-- Ranching in Carnivore Country, Livestock Protection and Compensation Programs on the Central Coast. The meeting will address tools for increasing livestock safety and carnivore tolerance on California's central coast rangelands - from the perspectives of ranchers, agencies, and other rangeland owners. This workshop is a follow up to the CCRC workshop about predators April 2015. Agenda and registration.
2. "Testing a Remote Sensing-Based Interactive System for Monitoring Grazed Conservation Lands” article in press in Rangelands
Larry Ford, Pete Van Hoorn, and colleagues at TNC and ICF just published an article in the journal Rangelands, "Testing a Remote Sensing-Based Interactive System for Monitoring Grazed Conservation Lands.” TNC recently developed RDMapper, a web-based tool that uses satellitebased productivity estimates, rainfall records, and compliance history to identify grazed grasslands at risk of being below the required level of residual dry matter (RDM). Previously, TNC had reduced their monitoring costs by 42% due to adding RDMapper to their monitoring toolkit. We applied RDMapper on six non-TNC properties, and correctly predicted RDM compliance on 74% of the management units. The article describes potential benefits, hurdles, and best practices for landowners interested in using RDMapper to increase monitoring efficiency, and recommendations to improve it. Download it.
3. California-Pacific Section Society for Range Management Fall Meeting, Rangeland Ecosystem Services, October 17-18, 2017
The California-Pacific Section of the Society for Range Management will hold its fall meeting in Volcano, CA, October 17-18, 2017. The one-day workshop (Oct 18) will focus on rangeland ecosystem services: what do we know about rangeland ecosystem services; how are they valued; and what are the policy and practical applications? Register here.
July 29, 2017
Colleagues and Clients:
I think you will be interested in the following news related to rangeland conservation and grazing management.
1. Central Coast Rangeland Coalition Fall Meeting, October 19, 2017
The Central Coast Rangeland Coalition (CCRC) will hold its fall meeting October 19, 2017. Save the date. Venue, agenda, and registration will be announced soon. The meeting will a follow up to the workshop about predators April 2015. This workshop will focus on preventative tools for increasing livestock safety and carnivore tolerance, with practical examples. We will explore tools to prevent depredations as well as methods for increasing economic viability of ranching alongside carnivores. The first part will address animal husbandry practices, and the latter will address compensation programs and/or wildlife-friendly certification programs.
2. CCRC Rancher, Manager, and Scientist Forum on Rangeland Conservation
The CCRC Forum is moving ahead with the sixth scholar—Erin Campbell-Craven of CalPoly is completing her report on targeted grazing use and practices on the Central Coast. The final reports of past scholars can be viewed here .
3. Understanding Working Rangelands Website
UC Coop Extension’s Sheila Barry has a new updated website, “Understanding Working Rangelands,”. Detailed sections describe the following topics with reference to useful documents available for download:
- Rangeland Stewardship
- Ranch and Farm Animals
- Rangeland Plants
- Rangeland Economics
- Other Links and Publications
February 13, 2017
Colleagues and Clients:
I think you will be interested in the following news related to rangeland conservation and grazing management.
1. Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium in Davis, CA, March 23-24, 2017
University of California scientists will host the 4th Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium in Davis, CA on March 23-24, 2017. The goal of this event is to engage ranchers, land managers, researchers, and policymakers in co-developing actionable science, policy, and management to sustain rangelands. The symposium will focus on partnerships surrounding a variety of topics, including: sustaining water resources; coping with drought; habitat conservation; and enhancing ranch profitability. For more information and to register, go to-- http://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/rustici/rangeland-symposium/
2. Central Coast Rangeland Coalition Spring Meeting, April 20, 2017
The Central Coast Rangeland Coalition (CCRC) will hold its spring meeting April 20, 2017. Save the date. Venue, agenda, and registration will be announced soon. The meeting will focus on the current topic of the CCRC’s Rancher, Manager, and Scientist Forum on Rangeland Conservation--targeted grazing and rotation/deferral grazing strategies for conservation objectives.
3. LD Ford Rangeland Conservation Science Expanding Services
We are expanding our consulting services in California. Many of our clients have asked for ongoing technical assistance with supervision of grazing leases to achieve conservation objectives, updates of existing planning documents, and customized training, in addition to planning projects. Advantages include efficient and timely services by licensed experts in rangeland ecology and management and better fit within budgetary and staffing constraints. For our Supplementary Services memo, go to http://rangelandconservation.com/Documents/LDFordSupplementaryServices.pdf .