LD Ford Rangeland Conservation Science: RESOURCES/LINKS

SPECIAL TOPICS

The Grazing Handbook, by Lisa Bush and the Sotoyome Resoruce Conservation District. This is a practical guide about grazing management, particularly about special rangeland resources, for private land owners and public agency managers of rangelands. Also check out other documents available at the Sotoyome RCD website.

Law about Livestock Fencing, Strays, Trespass, etc. (California) (Arizona) (Hawaii). Be sure your perimeter fencing meets state codes. It is a matter of practical management to contain your livestock, and potential liability if your livestock escape to be involved in an accident on a road or to cause property damage.

Rangeland Water Quality. The State Water Resources Control Board amended its Nonpoint Source Management Plan in 1995 to include the California Rangeland Water Quality Management Plan. The Rangeland Plan covers non-irrigated non-forest vegetation and the conservation of riparian areas as well as soils and watersheds qualities. It represents wide support among federal, state, and municipal lands management agencies, the University of California, land trusts, livestock operator associations, Resource Conservation Districts, and elected county officials for voluntary and cooperative approaches to the management of rangelands to protect water quality. The plan specifies the strategic planning, management practices, and monitoring needed to protect water quality from livestock grazing impacts to beneficial uses of water resources. So long as no impacts to beneficial uses are found, and the livestock operation follows the guidelines, no enforcement or further assessment or planning will be required. A 2006 publication by the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources explains how new rules may require dischargers of non-point source pollution to develop plans and implement programs to control pollution and improve water quality.

Horse Facilities and Pasture Management-- Two excellent sources of information about the managment of lands and water quality at horse properties are: the Equine Facilities and Horse Keeping webpage of the Alameda County Conservation Partnership, and the Livestock and Land program of Ecology Action and the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County.

Range Plants-- If you are looking for specific information about plants, such as botany, rarity status, palatability to livestock, and effects of managment, you can find a lot in the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's Plants Data Base, the California Native Plant Society's Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants, and the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System.

Pest Plants-- Check out the Invasive Plants webpage of the California Invasive Plant Council as the starting point for specific information about pest plants and their management.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES -- California Central Coast

Coastal Training Program at the National Estuarine Research Reserve System at Elkhorn Slough

Alameda County Conservation Partnership workshops

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION SOURCES

University of California Davis California Rangelands Research and Information Center

University of California Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program

The Reference Materials webpage of the Coastal Training Program at the National Estuarine Research Reserve System at Elkhorn Slough

Understanding Livestock Grazing Impacts--by Keith Guenther, Grey Hayes, and Sheila Barry

Hawaii Rangelands--University of Hawaii at Manoa

Arizona Rangelands--University of Arizona

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

California-Pacific Section of the Society for Range Management (Cal-Pac). Attend professional meetings with your colleagues, learn about current issues, get involved in rangeland management policy, participate in continuing education, and find a licensed CRM to assist you.

Central Coast Rangeland Coalition (CCRC). This grass-roots coalition includes ranchers, agency managers, agency technical advisors, land trusts, and scientists working with rangelands on the central coast of California. It operates by consensus, and is focused on the needs of professional managers. It is developing a system of indicator monitoring to assess rangeland health and sustainable stewardship to guide improved rangeland management based on science and practical knowledge.

California Rangeland Conservation Coalition (CRCC). This coalition includes ranchers, environmental groups, scientists, and agencies concerned about rangelands, mainly in the Central Valley, Sierra Foothills, and Coast Ranges of California. It focuses mainly on education, policy, and programs to protect and support private working landscapes. It is quickly gaining support among state and federal agencies, and is facilitating new opportunities for conservation easement funding. It holds annual conferences and distributes a comprehensive email newsletter with listings of current events, opportunities, and resources.

PRINCIPAL COOPERATORS

Alameda County Resource Conservation District (Pete Van Hoorn, HQ in Livermore, CA)

Lisa Bush, rangeland management consultant (Sebastopol, CA)

California Land Stewardship Institute (Laurel Marcus, HQ in Napa, CA)

EcoSystems West Consulting Group (Bill Davilla, HQ in Santa Cruz, CA)

Entomological Consulting Services, Ltd. (Dick Arnold, HQ in Pleasant Hill, CA)

Sustainable Resources Group International, Inc. (Kristin Duin and Andy Hood, HQ in Honolulu, HI)

University of California Cooperative Extension (Sheila Barry, office in San Jose, CA)

Vollmar Consulting (John Vollmar, HQ in Berkeley, CA)

WRA Environmental Consultants (Phil Greer, HQ in San Rafael, CA)