Range Management Advisory Committee

MISSION & GOALS

The Range Management Advisory Committee was statutorily created by Section 741 of the Public Resources Code of the State of California to advise the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture on rangeland resource issues.

 

MEETINGS & WEBINARS 

The meetings will be held in Sacramento, but are subject to change.

To register for a webinar, please see the Board of Forestry & Fire Protection Homepage or the appropriate meeting agenda. 

STAFF & MEMBERSHIP

Staff: Kristina Wolf, Environmental Scientist

Kristina.Wolf@bof.ca.gov

The RMAC includes representatives from academia, industry, state agencies, consulting firms, and non-profit agencies. The current RMAC membership may be viewed in the following downloadable PDF: Members and Term Expiration

Meeting Materials 2022

Workshops

CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention (WP) Grants Program provides funding for wildfire prevention projects and activities in and near fire threatened communities that focus on increasing the protection of people, structures, and communities. In this webinar, CALFIRE and UC Extension specialists explained the ins and outs of applying for the current WP Grant cycle to fund prescribed grazing projects. Details discussed included the application process, when a grazing plan is required, the basics of grazing for fuel reduction, and considerations when planning grazing projects for wildfire fuel mitigation.

These presentations are available due to a partnership between the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection's Range Management Advisory Committee and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Workshop Recording

Event Flyer

Event Webpage

Applying for a Wildfire Prevention Grant

Grazing for Fuel Reduction

Grazing from a Firefighter’s Point of View

 

The Wildfire Prevention Grant is open until March 15th, 2023. Also see the Wildfire Prevention Grants Program.

  • The Range Management Advisory Committee co-hosted a virtual workshop with the California Fire Science Consortium to discuss the use of prescribed livestock grazing as a tool to support sustainable fuel reduction and environmental management in multi-use landscapes. This year focused on the ins and outs of contract/targeted grazing on public and private lands in the wildland-urban interface and other at-risk communities.

     

    Three separate workshops highlighted case studies of successful grazing contracts and partnerships. Sheep, goat, and cattle producers across the Northern, Central, and Southern regions of California shared their experiences conducting grazing projects to manage fuels in a variety of landscapes and contexts, and included John Mark Austel from 4 J Horse & Livestock, Lee Hazeltine and Laura Gunderson from Integrazers, Andrée and Bianca Soares from Star Creek Land Stewards, Cole Bush from Shepherdess Land & Livestock, Jaime Irwin from Kaos Sheep Outfit, and Elizabeth Reikowski from Willow Creek Land & Cattle. Dan Macon from U.C. Cooperative Extension set the stage for the seminar by providing an introduction to targeted, contract, and fee-for-service grazing, with a focus on fire risk mitigation. Contracting entities also shared their experiences, and included representatives from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ojai Valley Community Supported Grazing Program and local Fire Safe Councils, and the Land Trust of Napa County. The final session also included a speaker from Ascent Environmental, which is assisting the Board of Forestry & Fire Protection in the development and funding of Project-Specific Analyses (PSAs) for Cal Vegetation Treatment Program (CalVTP) projects. The presenters led a discussion on grazing as a covered activity under the CalVTP, funding for completion of PSAs, eligible projects, and the use of the CalVTP Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for CalVTP projects.

     

    Full recordings may be viewed at the links below:

     

    July 29, 2021

    August 5, 2021

    August 12, 2021

     

    Please see the California Fire Science Consortium event page for further details: https://www.cafiresci.org/events-webinars-source/category/rmac2021

 

In the fall of 2020, the California Range Management Advisory Committee co-hosted a virtual workshop with the California Fire Science Consortium to discuss the use of prescribed livestock grazing  as a sustainable fuel reduction and environmental management tool. Three separate workshops were hosted on the following topics:

  • Wildland Fuels: A Primer for Concerned Citizens & Grazers
  • Using Grazing for Fuels Management 101: Practices & Strategies
  • Organizing Community-Based Wildland Fuels Management Projects: Approaches and Examples

Additional information and links to the recorded sessions can be found at the Fire Science Consortium’s webpage.

 

RMAC News

THE NEXT RMAC MEETING IS SCHEDULED for Thursday, February 23rd  at 12:30 PM at the Robert Cabral Agricultural Center in Stockton, and may also be attended virtually: REGISTER HERE

 

THE RMAC AND CALIFORNIA RANGELAND CONSERVATION COALITION (CRCC) are teaming up to bring you the Joint Range Conference on February 24th , a combined educational workshop on Navigating Grazing Agreements and Funding Proposals in the morning, followed by the CRCC Annual Summit in the afternoon. This is a two-part conference with morning and afternoon sessions:

  • AM: Navigating the Proposal Process for Wildfire Fuels Treatment Using Prescribed Grazing – RMAC
  • PM: Working Rangelands: Graze to Reduce the Blaze – CRCC

There are three tiers of participation:

  1. Morning session only, virtual, no-cost RMAC workshop; upon registration you will receive a link to participate.
  2. Morning session only, in-person, no-cost RMAC workshop; doors open to the Robert Cabral Agricultural Center at 8 AM at 2102 East Earhart Ave, Stockton, CA, and the workshop starts at 9 AM.
  3. Afternoon session only, in-person (lunch included) or virtual (lunch not included); registration is $20 (students) to $35 (general)

For more detailed information on the agenda and speakers and to register, click HERE; you will receive a confirmation email with registration link within a few days. For issues with registration, contact Kristina.Wolf@bof.ca.gov.

 

 

 

JOIN US MARCH 18, 2023 FOR A FIELD DAY at the East Bay Regional Parks District.

Join the Range Management Advisory Committee and Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch Fuels Management Training Program on Thursday, March 16, 2023 8:30am-4:00pm, to learn about increasing the use of targeted grazing from the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD) and Star Creek Land Stewards. Participants will improve their understanding of why people might choose targeted grazing as part of a vegetation management and fuels reduction strategy, and how that gets implemented. Spots are limited, so register soon!

For more information and to register, click HERE.

 

CHECK OUT INFORMATION FROM THE January 18, 2023 virtual workshop on the Wildfire Prevention Grants Program, closing March 15, 2023, by visiting the “Workshops” section on this webpage. This workshop was made possible by a partnership between Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch, CAL FIRE, UC Cooperative Extension, and the RMAC.

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