Goose Lake in Modoc County
photo courtesy Matthew Stevenson
Managing your facility for healthy livestock and a healthy environment. Presentations and interactive hands-on topics include: managing property during the rainy season, composting, rain catchment, drainage control, hydroponic feeding systems, & grazing management and more.
Jan 28th at Machado School, Morgan Hill 9-4pm
$15.00 includes lunch and all workshop materials
camille@rcdsanbenito.org to register
Rangeland Ecology & Management - Rangeland managers need reliable data to determine the best course of action to preserve or restore ecosystems. Currently, biodiversity is not one of the parameters included in the evaluation of rangeland health. Two indicators of biodiversity, plant species richness and diversity, could prove useful and appropriate in evaluating the state of our grasslands.
An article in the journal Rangeland Ecology & Management discusses accepted measures for diagnosing rangeland health. The authors synthesize responses of plant species richness and diversity to drivers that guide management decisions in Great Plains grasslands, one of most threatened ecosystems in North America.
Now Available:Full text of the article, Incorporating Biodiversity Into Rangeland Health: Plant Species Richness and Diversity in Great Plains Grasslands, Rangeland Ecology & Management, Vol. 64, No. 6, November 2011
Are you planning on sitting for the CPRM Exam at the 2012 Annual Meeting in Spokane, WA?
If so, you must contact Vicky Trujillo at SRM Headquarters to get your name on the list. You must also have a paid application on file by no later than January 13, 2012.
For questions or concerns, and to send CPRM materials, contact Vicky at 303-986-3309 or vtrujillo@rangelands.org.
Are you a rancher or do you know ranchers who would be interested in attending the SRM Annual Meeting? Help is out there! Nominations of individuals shall be made by SRM Sections to the SRM Board of Directors by December 1st for consideration.
NDSU Releases Range Monitoring Video Drovers Cattle Network, 11/16/2011
Student, Ranchers Protect Prairie Songbirds The StarPhoenix, 11/21/2011
Measures of Biodiversity Offer Information for Assessing Rangeland Health NewsWise, 11/22/2011
Ranchers, Law Team Up To Foil Livestock Rustlers Drovers Cattle Network, 11/20/2011
Forage, Grasslands Key To A Competitve Livestock Industry and Healthy Environment CCA, 11/21/2011
This workshop is being held in conjunction with the 65th Annual Meeting for the Society for Range Management in Spokane, Washington.
Workshop Includes:
Native American Rangelands Brainstorming and Strategy Session
Programs that Work on Native American Rangelands
Feral Horses in Indian Country
Native Range Luncheon
Native Craft Fair
For More Information:
Robert Compton
Phone: 509-634-2200
Email: robert.compton@bia.gov
More information
A new course on invasive plants has been developed for researchers, land managers, graduate students, and policy makers. The North American Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Short Course (NAIPSC) is three days of intense instruction and learning for those interested in the basics of invasive plant ecology and management. The second annual course will be held June 26-28 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln West Central Research & Extension Center in North Platte, NE. The 2012 NAIPSC will include presentations, hands-on workshops, site visits and instructor-led discussion sessions on the latest in invasive plant ecology and management. CEU and graduate student credit will be available.
Visit http://ipscourse.unl.edu for more information.
Teaming Up To Create A Successful Forage Grass USDA, 11/1/2011
The Wildlife Society - 18th Annual Conference
November 5-10, 2011 - Waikoloa, Hawaii
More Information
Quivira Coalition's 10th Anniversary Conference
November 8-10, 2011 - Albuquerque, N.M.
More Information
1st Rangeland Science Symposium
January 19, 2012 - UC Davis, CA
More Information
The California Rangeland Conservation Coalition's 7th Annual Summit
January 20, 2012 - UC Davis, CA
More Information
2012 GLCI Grazing Forum: Riparian Grazing Management - Highlighting Successful Producers
January 30, 2012 - Spokane, WA
More Information
2012 North American Invasive Plant Ecology and Management Short Course June 26 - 28, 2012 - North Platte, NE
More Information
Dr. Kenneth Fulgham, Professor of Rangeland Resources and Chair, Forestry &
Wildland Resources Department, Humboldt State University, was recently
elected to the position as Director, BOD, Society for Range Management,
beginning February 2012 for a three-year term. The Society for Range
Management will hold its 2015 Annual Meeting in Sacramento, CA and be hosted
by the California-Pacific Section-SRM.
SRM: is the professional society dedicated to supporting persons who work
with rangelands and have a commitment to their sustainable use. Rangelands
comprise almost one-half of all the lands in the world. They are extremely
important to society for the goods and services they produce and for the
ecological services they provide. SRM is dedicated to the conservation and
sustainable management of rangelands for the benefit of current societies
and for future generations. Mission: to promote the professional
development and continuing education of members and the public and the
stewardship of rangeland resources. Vision: a well-trained and highly
motivated group of professionals and rangeland users working with
productive, sustainable rangeland ecosystems.
Professor Fulgham also serves as the 2nd Vice-President of The Buckeye, a
local working landscape advocacy organization. Additional information on
the Society for Range Management can be found at: http://rangelands.org/.
More information will be available at http://carangeland.org/
The Central Coast Rangeland Coalition (CCRC) recently completed two surveys of its membership. One asked about the values of the 2007-2009 monitoring of rangeland health and sustainability as perceived by the participating rangeland managers. The other survey asked for priorities for topics to examine for the next CCRC Rancher, Manager, and Scientist Forum on Rangeland Conservation. You can download the reports from these surveys at: http://www.elkhornsloughctp.org/training/show_train_detail.php?TRAIN_ID=CeLWBNJ .
The Rangeland Coalition Legislative Committee currently has three sign-on letters of support in circulation.
Estate Tax – Federal legislation for targeted Estate Tax reform has been introduced by Congressman Thompson (D-CA) and Senator Feinstein (D-CA), excluding farm assets from estate taxes for as long as the property remains as a family agricultural operation.
AB 715 – This legislation before the California legislature provides a one-time $36 million general fund allocation for Williamson Act .
SB 1303 - This legislation before the California Legislature extends the sunset for Section 2087 of the California Fish and Game Code (incidental take) and to provide education on the provisions of this code.
If you have questions about the legislation listed above or your organization would like to sign on to the letters of support please contact Tracy Schohr at (916) 444-0845 or tschohr@calcattlemen.org. The final letters will be shared in the next e-update.
The recent edition of the California Cattleman Magazine features an article titled; Taking Grazing to the Next Level. The article highlights the stewardship of one rancher who grazes cattle on East Bay Regional Park ground in Sunol, Calif. The article discusses rangeland enhancements undertaken by the rancher, Russ Fields, and the managed grazing program implemented on the park ground. To view the article click here.
Ranchers are encouraged to complete the online version of the Ecosystem Services Survey atwww.surveymonkey.com/s/SZL757Z. Last month nearly 300 randomly-selected California Cattlemen Association members, California Rangeland Trust associates and California Wool Growers Association members were mailed a version of the survey. The online version of the survey provides an opportunity for additional producers to provide input.
The goal of the survey is to understand ranchers’ level of interest and the potential for developing payments for the ecosystem services (i.e. environmental benefits such as carbon sequestration, water quality improvements, wildlife habitat, etc.) that ranching provides. Emerging markets offer the potential to provide a financial return to ranchers for good environmental stewardship by creating new economic incentives for practices that improve the quality of water, soil, air and wildlife habitat on working landscapes.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Tracy Schohr at (916) 444-0845 ortschohr@calcattlemen.org
If you have questions about the legislation listed above or your organization would like to sign on to the letters of support please contact Tracy Schohr at (916) 444-0845 or tschohr@calcattlemen.org. The final letters will be shared in the next e-update.
The California Rangeland Conservation Coalition is proud to welcome the California Climate and Agriculture Network as the most recent signatory to the California Rangeland Resolution and partner of the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition. For a complete list of partners please click here.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack launched a new blog on the 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' website to highlight local and regional food systems and the multitude of connections being made between farmers and consumers. The new online resource advances a national conversation about food and agriculture and highlights the importance of local and regional food systems – one of the fastest growing segments of agriculture – to American agriculture, the economy, and rural communities. The 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' Ideas and Stories webpage will provide real-world examples of the outpouring of dedication, entrepreneurship and support for agriculture that are taking place every day across the country. For more information click here.
http://www.spranch.org/workshops.ldml
This workshop/course is intended to help participants to improve water quality and overall watershed health in California's central coast region. Participants will gain familiarity with MMPs ("management measures and practices") that can reduce erosion and sediment transport, microbial contamination, agricultural run-off, non-point source pollution and other potential impacts often associated with agriculture and forestry practices.
Contact Brian Dietterick for more details (bdietter@calpoly.edu; 805.756.6155)
