Cow and calf standing in front of wildfire burned forest

2025 Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium

California's Changing Landscapes

February 18, 2025 @UC Davis

Rustici tour group discussion in riparian meadow

 

Established in 2012, the Rustici Rangeland Science Symposia connect ranchers, land managers, conservationists, policymakers, and scientists to drive meaningful change on California's rangelands.

 

The 2025 Symposium will address transformational shifts in environment, policy, and society.

 

Key themes will include: 1) climate and weather; 2) wildfire resilience; and 3) ranching with wolves.

 

 

2025 Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium Registration is Now Open!

https://bit.ly/2025RusticiSymposium

This year's symposium is eligible for 6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from the Society for Range Management.

 

Agenda

8:00am

Registration opens

9:30am

Welcome and Overview, Dr. Ken Tate, Professor and
Cooperative Extension Specialist in Rangeland Management, UC Davis; and
Dr. Helene Dillard, Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences

9:50am

Session 1 - Weather and Climate

Building Climate Resilience across California's Rangelands: Approaches for Sustainable Ranching, Adaptive Management, and Collaborative Conservation, Leslie Roche, Russell L. Rustici Endowed Specialist in Rangeland Watershed Science, Professor of Cooperative Extension in Rangeland Management, UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences

Can Conservation Practices Improve Soil Health in California? Anthony T. O’Geen, Professor & Soil Resource Specialist in Cooperative Extension, Russell L. Rustici Endowed Chair in Rangeland Watershed Science, UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources

Increasing hydroclimate whiplash in California: Implications for California's grasslands and shrublands (via zoom),  Daniel Swain, Climate Scientist, California Institute for Water Resources, UC ANR and Institute of the Environment & Sustainability, UCLA

11:20am

Networking, Poster Session, and Hosted Lunch

 

12:50pm

Session 2 – Building Wildfire Resilience

California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force: Expanding the use of prescribed grazing as a landscape management tool, Patrick Wright, Director of the Governor's California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force

Reducing Wildfire Risk with Prescribed Grazing, Dan Macon, UCCE Livestock & Natural Resources Advisor, Central Sierra, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Building Strong Prescribed Grazing Programs, Bianca Artadi Soares Shapero, Targeted Grazing Practitioner and Project Manager at Star Creek Land Stewards Inc.

Ranching through Wildfire, Tracy Schohr, UCCE Livestock & Natural Resources Advisor, Plumas, Sierra, and Butte Counties

2:20pm

Break

2:50pm

Session 3 – Ranching with Wolves

 Status of Gray Wolf Population and Conservation in California, Axel Honeycutt, State Wolf Coordinator, California Department of Fish and Wildlife 

The Costs of Coexistence: Impacts of Expanding Wolf Populations on California's Ranchers,  Tina Saitone,  Professor of Extension in Livestock and Rangeland Economic, UC Davis Agricultural and Resource Economics; Ken Tate,  Professor and Cooperative Extension Specialist in Rangeland Management, UC Davis

4:20pm

Closing Reflections, Lynn Huntsinger, Professor of Rangeland Ecology and Management and Russell Rustici Chair in Rangeland Management, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, UC Berkeley

4:30pm

Mixer, Networking and Poster Session

Click to expand Symposium Speaker Biographies

Thank you to our sponsors!

UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences logo

 

University of California Cooperative Extension logo

 

 

 

Visit these sponsored booths during the social mixers and poster sessions

 

Audubon California Logo

 

California Beef Cattle Improvement Association logo

 

California Rangeland Trust logo

 

ENVU Range & Pasture logo

 

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service logo

 

 

 

 

Getting to the Rustici Science Symposium @ UC Davis

The symposium will be held in the ARC Ballroom at UC Davis.

  • Paid parking (via the AMP Park app or kiosk near entrance to the building) is available adjacent to the venue. Government vehicles with E plates or California exempt plates do not need an event parking permit to park on campus.

UC Davis is located just outside of Sacramento, CA and is near Sacramento International Airport (SMF). Taxis and ride-sharing apps are available modes of transportation, as well as car rentals. The airport is also serviced by public transportation. The University is about 1.5 hours from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), with car rental options available.

If staying in Davis, there is a student-operated bus line, Unitrans, that operates in town and will drop you off on campus. It’s an easy and economical way to get around Davis.

Davis Hotels

Hyatt Place UC Davis
Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Davis
Best Western Plus Palm Court Downtown Davis
Aggie Inn
Holiday Inn Express and Suites
Hyatt House Davis
Marriot Residence Inn Sacramento Davis