If there is one thing you take from my talk: always find a grazer through Request For Proposal/Qualification and never Request For Bid

Bianca Artadi Sores Shapiro presented her perspective, as a targeted grazing practitioner and multi-generation wool grower, on building strong Prescribed Grazing Programs. She covered the mechanics, issues, and best practices for implementing prescribed grazing on public and private land.

Tracy Schohr spoke about the devastating impact recent wildfires have had on California's ranches; documenting the impacts from historic wildfires to physical and mental health, ranch economics, and rural communities. She provided a summary of tools and programs to support rancher recovery and future preparedness.

Download a PDF of the full presentation here

Dan Macon presented state-of-the-art strategies for reducing wildfire risk on forests and rangelands. He detailed the impact of grazing on wildfire fuels, the co-benefits and tradeoffs of prescribed and targeted grazing, and the considerations necessary to use livestock as fire mitigation tool. 

Download a PDF of the full presentation here

Patrick Wright provided an update on the Governor's California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force and the role of prescribed grazing in building wildfire resilience. 

Visit the Wildfire Task Force here and the Interagency Tracking System here.

Cattle are an essential component of wolf diet and supports wolf population growth and conservation -Ken Tate

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife State Wolf Coordinator, Axel Honnicutt started the third session of the Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium with a status update of conservation efforts and the Gray Wolf population. Visit and subscribe to the CDFW Gray Wolf Updates here.

All modern droughts are hot droughts

Have you ever wondered why it feels like a drought, even though we had a good water year? Dr. Daniel Swain breaks down the science behind increasing hydroclimate whiplash, the changing character of evaporation, and hot drought in a warming world. 

Download a PDF of the presentation here

Maybe California rangeland soils are already healthy

In the first session of the symposium, Dr. Leslie Roche provided a lens to view the challenges facing our changing landscapes and a path forward with solutions and strategies. Roche's overview highlighted the diverse and highly variable nature of California's rangelands, which supply a multitude of important social, ecological, and economic benefits. Rangeland manager decisions and strategies are embedded and operate within these complex social-ecological systems that are facing multiple simultaneous grand challenges.