Join CalCAN for a two-part webinar series on agriculture’s solutions to wildfire
Communities across the state are dealing with increased impacts from wildfires. Farmers, ranchers, and other land managers
are eager to be part of the solution.
For Part 1 of our Agricultural Solutions to Wildfire webinar series, join us October 15 from 10-11:30am PST to discuss the following questions:
- What role can prescribed grazing play in reducing wildfire risks and restoring ecosystems?
- What role can CalCAN play in supporting this agricultural solution?
Hear the latest science, success stories, and policy ideas from three rangeland ecology, grazing, and wildfire experts and practitioners. We also want to hear from you, so we will use the final 30 minutes of the webinar to discuss your questions and feedback on this topic.
Part 2 of our Agricultural Solutions to Wildfire webinar series will focus on controlled burns and will take place in November. Stay tuned for more details!
Agricultural Wildfire Solutions Part 1: Grazing
Devii Rao is the UCCE Livestock & Natural Resources Advisor for San Benito, Monterey, and Santa Cruz counties, a CalCAN advisor, and the co-chair of the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition. In addition to her role advising ranchers and land management agencies, Devii is partnering with Pinnacles National Park on a grassland restoration project and is part of a team of researchers studying the influence of grazing on wildfire risk and behavior. Devii is also a cofounder of the Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association and is currently implementing a CAL FIRE grant to scale up prescribed burning in the region.
Andrée and Bianca Soares own and manage Star Creek Land Stewards, a contract grazing operation working with sheep and goats to perform carefully managed grazing services for fire prevention and land restoration throughout Northern California and the Bay Area. Andrée and Bianca are the 3rd and 4th generation in their family to ranch in the central San Joaquin Valley. Andrée currently serves as the Vice President of the California Wool Growers Association. Bianca graduated from UC Davis in 2018 and has spent years immersed in the world of holistic grazing. As Project Manager, Bianca visits and maps sites, strategizes grazing plans with each herder, manages communication with clients, and conducts post-season reviews.
Marc Horney is a Professor of Rangeland Resource Management at CalPoly. As the Chair of the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Range Management Advisory Committee, Dr. Horney played a key role in streamlining regulatory barriers for the use of prescribed grazing as a wildfire risk reduction tool in CAL FIRE programs. Dr. Horney previously worked for UCCE in Colusa, Glenn and Tehama counties and as a rangeland management specialist for the USDA-NRCS in Northern California. His research work has spanned animal nutrition and management, weed ecology, GPS/GIS/remote sensing, and oak woodland management.
