Workshop: Managing Rangelands in Increasingly Uncertain Times

This workshop on December 4, 2013, sponsored by the Bay Area Ecosystem Climate Change Consortium brought together ranchers, public rangeland managers, and rangeland experts to begin to identify conservation strategies to sustain the numerous ecosystem benefits of rangelands, support the needs of public land managers, and those of the Bay Area ranching economy, which could be at risk in an increasingly uncertain environment.

The workshop was presented with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, California State Coastal Conservancy, Alameda County Resource Conservation District, and California Rangeland Trust. The UC Agricultural and Natural Resources Fact Sheet titled "Understanding Working Rangelands" presents some of the challenges Bay Area ranchers face. Other organizations focusing on rangeland conservation include the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition, Central Coast Rangeland Coalition, UC Cooperative Extension, California Rangeland Trust and Bay Area Open Space Council. Workshop Summary Workshop Agenda

Workshop Presentations

• Welcome – Andy Gunther, Executive Coordinator, Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium
• Overview of agenda and goal for the workshop - Nancy Schaefer, workshop organizer for BAECCC and Bay Area Program Manager, California Rangeland Trust
• Ranching in the San Francisco Bay Area – Lynn Huntsinger, Rangeland Ecology and Management, UC Berkeley
• Public lands and working rangelands: Ranching viability, stewardship and conservation - Sheila Barry, Bay Area Natural Resources/ Livestock Advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension
• Challenges facing public land rangeland managers – Clayton Koopmann, Rancher and Rangeland Ecologist, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
• Predicted climate change impacts for rangelands – Pelayo Alvarez, Director, California Rangeland Conservation Coalition
• Conservation strategies from the Sacramento Valley - Wendell Gilgert, Working Lands Program Director, Point Blue Conservation Science

Breakout Groups

The second half of the workshop consisted of breakout groups addressing five topics selected by the participants. Each group was asked to answer the following questions:

1. Describe the issue your group is addressing and why it is important to rangeland management or the ranching economy.
2. What are the most troubling future trends identified for this issue? What are some potential solutions to address the problems suggested by these trends?
3. What would it take to implement the solution(s)? Are there barriers to implementation of the solution(s)? Are there solutions that might provide multiple benefits beyond just the ranching economy?
4. Other comments or ideas not captured under the questions above.

Summaries from the breakout groups are available at the links below:

Education and Outreach
Facilitator: Sheila Barry, Bay Area Natural Resources/Livestock Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension

Data and Information Needs
Facilitator: Pelayo Alvarez, Director, California Rangeland Conservation Coalition

Rangeland Conversion
Facilitator: Clayton Koopmann, Rancher and Rangeland Ecologist, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

Strategies for Cross-Jurisdictional Coordination
Facilitator: Wendell Gilgert, Working Lands Program Director, Point Blue Conservation Science
Reported by Jake Smith, Santa Clara County Open Space Authority

Synergies: Conservation Strategies with Multiple Benefits
Facilitator: Mark Swisher, Watershed Resource Specialist, Contra Costa Water District