{"id":23534,"date":"2025-11-07T10:08:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/del-sur-prescribed-grazing-tour\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T10:02:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:02:38","slug":"del-sur-prescribed-grazing-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calclimateag.org\/es\/del-sur-prescribed-grazing-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Prescribed Grazing and Fire Risk Reduction in Del Sur"},"content":{"rendered":"

On October 28, CalCAN and\u00a0Good Shepherds<\/a>\u00a0co-hosted a prescribed grazing tour in Del Sur, San Diego for Senator Catherine Blakespear, local fire officials, urban and regional planners, conservationists, and community members. Like many housing developments built in the wildland urban interface (WUI) in California, Del Sur has a high fire risk due to its geography and proximity to open spaces. Power lines bisect the adjacent grasslands and a dry canyon runs right through the development. Local residents are no strangers to fire; many evacuated during the 2003 Creek Fire and the 2007 Witch Fire, some of the largest and most destructive wildfires in the history of San Diego County. In recent years, the homeowners\u2019 association has partnered with the prescribed grazing outfit Good Shepherds to graze vegetation in the area to reduce wildfire risk and improve ecosystem health and fire resiliency. This project demonstrates how prescribed grazing can an effective, community-supported strategy for reducing wildfire risk in high-hazard landscapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of Prescribed Grazing<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Matthew Sablove, the founder of Good Shepherds Regenerative Land Management, led participants to the canyon that runs through Del Sur, where he pointed out how the subtle terracingcreated by the mixed herd of 400 sheep and goats improved water absorption and reduced erosion. Matthew discussed how ruminants increase soil health and water-holding capacity by returning organic matter to the soil. He shared how California native plants coevolved with large herbivores such as elk and bison, and how many native plant species thrive upon the nutrient cycling and appropriate level of ecological disturbance provided by herbivory. Matthew pointed to overgrown ungrazed grassland beyond the electric fence line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSee all of that dry grass? Someone\u2019s got to eat it, and it\u2019s either ruminants or fire.\u201d \u2013 Matthew Savlove, Good Shepherds Regenerative Land Management<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A Cost-Effective Solution with Community Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chad Ross, the chair of the Del Sur homeowners association, said that the HOA originally opted for prescribed grazing because it cost less than having hand crews manually remove brush. He told the group, \u201cIt\u2019s not cheap, but the juice is worth the squeeze.\u201d Through years of partnership with Good Shepherds, the HOA has seen many benefits of prescribed grazing and has increased the acreage that they graze. They currently graze beyond the areas they are legally responsible for managing because \u201cfire doesn\u2019t stop at a property line, and it\u2019s the right thing to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Angelica, a grazier with Good Shepherds, noted that seeing the animals grazing brings a sense of peace and safety to residents. General managers from the neighboring Santa Luz community shared how Good Shepherds\u2019 community engagement and education around wildfire risk reduction encouraged homeowners to manage the defensible space around their own properties: \u201cPeople are losing their fire insurance; it\u2019s a big deal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions from Senator Blakespear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Senator Blakespear, whose district borders the Del Sur neighborhood, chairs the state\u2019s Environmental Quality Committee and serves on the budget subcommittee overseeing wildfire investments, had a number of practical questions for Good Shepherds, like: <\/p>\n\n\n\n