Working Landscapes Meeting

September 16, 2008

PARTICIPANTS

INVITED but NOT IN ATTENDANCE

MEETING AGENDA

Regional context for working landscapes

•          Presentation by Lesa Osterholm Working Landscapes: The Environmental Benefits of Grazing
•        Discussion of ways in which agricultural endeavors can impact natural resources
•        Existing projects or activities that exemplify working landscapes concepts in the CABY region

Issues and opportunities

• Model projects across the country, eg. Environmental  Defense Fund’s Safe Harbor project and the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture
•  What natural resource and water management issues do working landscapes address?
•  What types of opportunities exist in the region that would address these issues?

MEETING NOTES

Meeting objectives

•       To clarify the “working landscapes” concept as it applies to the CABY region
•        Identify key regional issues
•       Identify potential joint projects that would address identified issues

Presentation by Lesa Osterholm (Nevada County RCD) The Environmental Benefits of Grazing

Lesa Osterholm presented the informational video she created through a grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy on the subject of working landscapes. The video stated that there are 20 million acres of private ranch land in California. Several ranchers appeared in the video, as well as representatives of organizations like East Bay Regional Parks, the Audubon Society, and Defenders of Wildlife. They provided information on the positive effects of grazing, such as reduction of invasive weeds and fuel load, and the benefits that ranches provide in a landscape, such as open space and water sources that are used by many different birds, amphibians, reptiles, and others.

Discussion of way in which agricultural endeavors can impact the landscape

Elizabeth Soderstrom presented a short PowerPoint that discussed the impacts of overgrazing on meadows, riparian zones, and other landscapes. The main points of the presentation focused on the negative impacts of overgrazing, such as erosion and increased runoff, soil compaction that leads to damaged vegetation, and removal of riparian vegetation that can lead to increase in water temperature, decrease in biodiversity, and fish habitat degradation. The presentation emphasized that many of these issues are directly addressed by careful livestock management and landscape monitoring.    

Discussion of existing project or activities that exemplify working landscapes concepts

Meeting participants were asked to provide any information they had about working landscapes projects and activities that are already underway in the CABY region and beyond. This discussion served to deepen the group’s understanding of working landscapes and how the concept can be applied. It also provided context for the brainstorming session about projects that could be developed in the CABY region.

Projects that were offered as examples are:

Livestock and Land Program

•    A Santa Cruz County program in place since 2001
•    Addresses erosion control, drainage, and impacts of horses, cattle, sheep, and goats
•     El Dorado and Georgetown Divide RCDs requested funding from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to bring this program to their county

Central Valley Raptor Study

•     Funded through the Audubon Society
•    19 roadside routes will be monitored throughout the winter to determine raptor use of grazed and ungrazed ranch land, grass land, rangeland, and rice and alfalfa fields

The Black Rail Project

• A UC Berkeley project led by Steve Beissinger
•   A population of black rails, an endangered shore bird, has moved into the Sierra Nevada Foothills and is using emergent wetlands (leaking canals, stock ponds, etc) as habitat
•  The goal of the project is to determine what type of habitats are most likely to support black rails and black rail population numbers in the area

Post-Fire projects

•  Some organizations are using cattle to “poop-and-stomp” seeds to prevent erosion on landscapes that have been ravaged by fire

Mountain meadow projects

•  Various organizations are using pond and plug techniques, as well as grazing, to restore meadows to full function

Coastal project

•  Salmon and steelhead population focus
•  Balancing low summer flows, irrigation diversions, and flow fluctuations via changing water rights to allow for winter off-stream diversion and storage for summer use

Fish-Friendly Farming

•   NRCS with US FWS/TNC/Audubon have modeled a voluntary program
•   El Dorado County has a project with this focus, however there is currently no aspect of livestock management included in project scope
•    Currently, no viable way to pass on the cost. Would need subsidies or direct marketing to cover program implementation

UC Cooperative Extension

•  Offers rangeland management courses

Environmental Defense Fund and Cattlemen’s Association – Economics of Ecosystem Services

• Carbon sequestration is one of the focuses

Red Lodge Clearinghouse

•   This organization’s mission is “to support, connect and inform the partners of collaborative efforts and others addressing natural resource challenges in their community.”

Other projects briefly discussed by the group were:

Central Coast Rangeland Coalition, Wildlife Conservation Boards/Prop 84, Federal Agencies/Public Lands, Funding with private landowner partnerships, Tri-Colored Black Bird Groups (sileage buyouts), 4-G Rule (benefits from grazing practices—allows takes red-legged frog and salamander if benefits are documented), DFG 1600 Permit/COE/SWRCB pre-permit process, Range Academy (Cattlemen’s Association and Cooperative Extension), Economics of Restoration and Conservation Practices (Rangeland Coalition), Ranching For Profit course, HRM Teaching Grazing Management Practices

Discussion of new project possibilities

It became clear after the discussion of existing projects that many organizations have paved the way with projects and exemplary efforts. The group agreed that despite existing ventures there are several possibilities for multi-stakeholder, multi-objective projects in the CABY region.

Five main types of projects, or project elements, were identified:

1.  A diverse collection of research projects that focus on the effects of grazing (or removal of grazing) on soils, animals, invasives, etc.
2. Irrigation and rivers (acquisition of water rights and/or water conservation as ways to augment in-stream flows, leasing water as a “second crop”)
3. Carbon sequestration
4. Education and outreach (as a project of its own or as an element of any project)
5. Preserving the ranching economy 

NEXT STEPS

The group came to the consensus that it would be necessary to identify specific projects, instead of just general project areas or elements. Katie Burdick agreed to call everyone who was present at the meeting to discuss specific project ideas and possible stakeholder involvement. She will then talk to Lesa Osterholm, Shelley Janek, and Pelayo Alvarez (on a conference call?) with the goal of preparing a finalized list of possible projects and stakeholders to bring to the next working landscapes meeting.

CABY staff agreed to send out the Prop 84 guidelines so that all present at the meeting will understand the types of projects that CABY will need to include in their application.

UPCOMING MEETING
October 22, 2008, 12:30 p.m. (lunch provided by CABY)